Photography by Megan Mumford
This story is part of our annual Capital Region Gives Back initiative that honors 10 locals who are making our community a better place. Read up on all of the 2026 honorees and join us on December 9 for the 8th annual Capital Region Gives Back event at Putnam Place.
This past October marked Rebecca Abre’s 10th year as executive director of the Saratoga Center for the Family. On any given day, there are myriad programs and services to oversee. Lately, though, Abre’s focus has been on the center’s $2.3 million capital campaign, Centered on Hope. “We’ve completely outgrown our headquarters,” she says. “When I came here there were 12 employees; now we have 42.”
That growth is significant, especially considering that the Saratoga Center for the Family began 50 years ago as a group of concerned members from the Presbyterian-New England Congregational Church intent on raising awareness of child abuse and neglect in the community. A half-century later, Abre says, the mission of strengthening, protecting, and empowering children and families has blossomed into a full-blown agency offering mental health services, child and victim advocacy, and prevention education to families and school districts throughout the Capital Region.
A longtime social worker, Abre previously served as program director for a youth services center in the Berkshires. “I’ve always worked with children and families who have experienced trauma,” she says, adding that returning to her native Saratoga County to accept her current position was a welcome bonus.
The center’s expansion (set to begin this coming April) will include the construction of a brand-new building plus renovations to the existing 25-year-old building at 359 Ballston Avenue. Abre expects the project to be complete by April of 2028. The new building will house the Harriet M. West child advocacy center, administrative offices, and conference space, while the renovated building will be used for mental health services.
The Saratoga Center for the Family’s work is consuming, but, Abre says, infinitely rewarding. “I’ve had people tell me how incredibly impactful our services are,” she says. “One woman said her daughter would not be alive today if not for the outreach provided at the center.”
