Laura Bentley - Bouchard

History: EPIC was born out of a tragedy experienced by founder Robert Wilson. In 1977, his wife was murdered by a 15 year old neighbor, a foster child they had befriended. Investigation of the child’s life indicated that he had been abused, neglected, and placed in eleven different foster homes. He had not experienced love; he only knew anger and violence. While it was too late to change what had happened to his wife, Wilson felt that it was not too late for others. In 1980, he established EPIC in Buffalo, New York with a vision of preventing tragedies like his. EPIC workshops and trainings carry out Robert Wilson’s mission by involving the entire community in helping children make responsible decisions, understand and respect authority, develop positive self-esteem, plan for the future, and succeed in life. Mission: Helping families, schools, and communities raise children to become responsible and successful adults. Vision: A world where every child has a strong start and a promising future. Values: We value all children and their right to a strong start and a successful future. We value families and their primary influence on a child's develpment. We value our partnerships with educators, community organizations, and funders as we work together to support children and families. We value professionalism and will act with integrity, respect, and honesty at all times. We value diversity and are committed to inclusiveness across all levels of our organization. We value excellence in all we do. We value our team who delivers EPIC's mission with passion, knowledge and skill.