Connected from the heart: A lifetime of giving forward
BY DANIELLE LEGARE
Kathleen “Kathi” Cellura, EdB ’59, often muses that her luxury car is a 2013 Toyota. But for the University at Buffalo alumna, the car’s value has little to do with driving it.
Instead, she has already planned for the car to be given to a mother with children through the Women’s Resource Center in Sarasota, Florida, to provide reliable transportation to work and help care for her family. This gift is a telling example of the thoughtfulness that has defined Cellura’s philanthropy for decades.
Kathleen “Kathi” Cellura, EdB ’59. Photo: Maggie Martinez, courtesy of Sarasota Scene Magazine
Cellura’s connection to UB began in the 1950s, when she arrived from Rochester, New York, determined to pursue her education. She initially set her sights on a career in medicine, but a perceptive professor encouraged her to consider a different path that aligned more with her strengths and sensitivity to others. The moment proved pivotal and ultimately guided her toward a career in education.
After completing her undergraduate studies at UB and graduate work at the University of Rochester, Cellura spent decades teaching in Western New York before relocating to Florida. Throughout her career, she became known not only for her work in the classroom but for the care she extended beyond it. She supported students, worked closely with parents and advocated for those who needed someone in their corner. She was recognized as “Teacher of the Year” twice, an honor made especially meaningful because it was driven by the parents of her students.
“To be a teacher is one of the most beautiful professions,” Cellura said. “You can take a child and change his or her life.”
At times, that impact comes not from instruction alone, but from presence, she explained. “Maybe you just have to be there for them, because nobody else is.”
That commitment to helping others has shaped Cellura’s approach to giving. Over the years, she has supported a wide range of causes through the Kathleen F. Cellura Foundation at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and through partnerships with Sarasota South County, with a focus on education, community programs, conservation and opportunities for women, animal welfare and young people.
Her giving is intentional and has been built over time through personal discipline and careful planning. Early on, she made a habit of setting aside money she could have spent on herself—like buying a new suit—and investing it instead. These small decisions and sacrifices grew over time into something much larger. Her belief: "What I spent is gone, what I kept is lost, but what I gave to charity will be mine forever.
Cellura says that although she did not inherit money or come into sudden wealth, her passion for helping others has remained constant throughout her life.
At UB, that generosity is reflected in the Kathleen F. Cellura Scholarship Endowment Fund, which supports students in GSE’s Department of Learning and Instruction, with preference given to women preparing to become teachers in STEM fields. The scholarship is a way to invest in future educators who will shape the lives of others, just as her own teachers once shaped hers.
In addition to her philanthropic work, Cellura is also the author of “Forever Footprints,” a novel inspired by themes that have guided her life, including compassion, perseverance and the idea that even small acts of care can have a lasting effect on others.
Now in her late 80s, Cellura continues to think carefully about how her legacy will carry forward. “We have so much,” she said. “We need to share it.”
According to Cellura, her support of UB has always been about more than a donation.
“It’s from the heart, not writing a check.”