Archive for the ‘Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth’ Category
Wednesday, June 19th, 2013
By Alice Kenny
Otis Hampton who lives at Create, a shelter affiliated with Catholic Charities for homeless young men, along with a group of fellow young people with big hearts, big challenges and big dreams had an afternoon to remember.
As CBS 2′s Cindy Hsu reported, they got a real taste of Hollywood in Chelsea at the School of Visual Arts, complete with a red carpet before their movies were screened.
All the participants struggle with disability, abandonment and adoption. Otis, for example, was born with cerebral palsy that makes it difficult for him to walk. His sister, who had a tracheotomy and was separated from him by adoption, also participated in the project.
They are channeling their challenges by creating mini movies about their lives. Otis appeared in his sister’s movie and starred in his own movie as well. The movies and the celebration were the result of a partnership between two groups: New Alternatives for Children and the Make a Film Foundation.
Growing up, Mr. Hampton was often teased by classmates and was stigmatized both for his disability and for the time he spent in the foster care. He was adopted at age 8, but his adoptive father died after a stroke two years later. His profile was published last year as a New York Times Neediest Case.
Otis’ life at Create freed him from worries about living on the street. While there, he has worked towards a college degree, is mastering the steps he needs to live independently and following his passion in film making.
Read his profile in The New York Times.
Watch him on CBS 2 News.
Tags: abandonment, Adoption, cerebral palsy, Cindy Hsu, CREATE, disability, Foster Care, homeless young men, Make a Film Foundation, New Alternatives for Children, New York Times Neediest Case, Otis Hampton, School of Visual Arts, Shelter, The New York Times
Posted in Events, Feeding the Hungry and Sheltering the Homeless, New York City, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, Uncategorized, What We Do at Catholic Charities | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 18th, 2013
By Alice Kenny
Join Team Catholic Charities for the ING New York City Marathon.
Race numbers are striking:
- 26.2-mile course winding through all five boroughs in the Greatest City in the World
- 100,000-plus race applicants
- 37,000 racing participants
- 2,000,000 spectators
The need you will be running for is striking as well:
- 40,000 New York school children have no place to call home
- 365,000 people look for work in New York City every day but cannot find it
- One in four families live in poverty
- 1,400,000 New Yorkers – that’s one out of every six of our neighbors – rely daily on emergency food
- Tens of thousands of people left homeless after Hurricane Sandy lost their furniture, clothing and all that they owned.
- Thousands still struggle to recover
Team Catholic Charities runners train for top physical condition to cross the finish line AND cut back on our neighbors’ growing need.
Catholic Charities, partnering with New York Road Runners, is an official Charity partner in this year’s ING New York City Marathon. Our ten-person team plans to raise $30,000 to directly benefit our St. Nicholas Project.
Catholic Charities’ St. Nicholas Project provides:
- job training and computer literacy classes to help New Yorkers find work
- food pantries to make sure hungry New Yorkers have food
- school supplies so children in need can keep up with their classmates
- essential items including towels, sheets, blankets, coats, hats, gloves, scarves and pajamas so that New Yorkers stay warm all year.
Find out more
Join Team Catholic Charities
Tags: computer literacy, emergency food, food pantries, homeless, Hurricane Sandy, ING New York City Marathon, job training, New York Road Runners, St. Nicholas Project, team catholic charities
Posted in Events, Feeding the Hungry and Sheltering the Homeless, ING NYC Marathon, New York City, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Staten Island, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, Supporting the Physically and Emotionally Challenged, Welcoming and Integrating Immigrants and Refugees, What We Do at Catholic Charities | No Comments »
Monday, June 17th, 2013
By Alice Kenny
Several key departments are moving this summer out of the Catholic Center at 1011 First Avenue and into local neighborhoods.
The changes are part of Catholic Charities’ focus to provide localized, streamlined support for persons in need.
Eviction Prevention and Emergency Food Services, for example, moved to the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Center at 34 W. 134 St. in Harlem.
This move adds to specialized services Catholic Charities already offers in local neighborhoods stretching from Staten Island to the Catskill Mountains and throughout the Archdiocese of New York.
Stay tuned for information and updates.
Looking for help?
Catholic Charities provides a wide range of specialized assistance.
- Call Catholic Charities Help Line — 888-744-7900 — to find services and support at a location near you.
- Click here for an A-Z Agency Directory
- E-mail us through our contact form
Tags: Catskill Mountains, Emergency Food Services, eviction prevention, local neighborhoods, Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., Memorial Center, specialized assistance, Staten Island
Posted in Agencies, Feeding the Hungry and Sheltering the Homeless, New York City, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, Supporting the Physically and Emotionally Challenged, Welcoming and Integrating Immigrants and Refugees, What We Do at Catholic Charities | No Comments »
Friday, June 14th, 2013
By Alice Kenny
Hunger hurts. During the summer months hunger hits low-income children particularly hard.
In response, this has been proclaimed National Summer Food Service Program Week, a time to draw attention to concerns that low-income school children may go hungry as their school lunch programs close for summer break.
Throughout New York children’s stomachs are rumbling. The economic downturn and slow recovery have taken a particularly harsh toll on them, with more than one in four children under age 18 living in poverty without enough to eat, according to an analysis by the Center for Economic Opportunity. Meanwhile, with cuts in government spending, supplies at food pantries and soup kitchens are running out.
“When school is out during the summer months, many families struggle to feed their children even one nutritious meal a day,” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Government cannot address this challenge alone.”
New York City will serve free breakfast and lunch at hundreds of public schools, parks, pools, and other sites from June 27 through August 30, 2013. Click here for more information. However, the program, is available on weekdays only.
In every season and every day throughout the year, Catholic Charities meets the needs of the poor and vulnerable throughout the Archdiocese of New York.
Help us feed a hungry child today.
Donate now.
Tags: Center for Economic Opportunity, children, food pantries, free breakfast, free lunch, low-income, lunch programs, National Summer Food Service Program Week, nutritious meals, parks, pools, poverty, public schools, soup kitchens, summer break, summer months, U.S. Agriculture Secretary
Posted in Feeding the Hungry and Sheltering the Homeless, New York City, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 11th, 2013
Miss Oklahoma, Anna-Marie Costello, and her sister, Miss Teen Oklahoma
By Alice Kenny
Packing your car for a long summer drive and looking for an inspiring way to stay on top of the news? From Bangladesh factory fires to Oklahoma tornadoes, JustLove radio tackles the toughest topics.
Listen to our recent episode as the show’s host, Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, calls in to Guatemala to speak with Armando Secaira, Program Manager for Catholic Relief Service, about his work preventing child labor abuse.
Learn from Eddie Silverio, Director of Youth Programs at Catholic Charities’ Alianza Division, about hot times, summer in the city and healthy day camp and job opportunities for more than 1,000 Bronx youth.
Find out from Sarah Labowitz, Research Scholar at the NYU Stern School of Business about working conditions and human rights violations at apparel factories including the Rana Plaza complex in Bangladesh where a recent fire stole the lives of more than 1,000 workers.
And check out Miss Oklahoma, Anna-Marie Costello, and her sister, Miss Teen Oklahoma, Caitlin Costello, as they recount close calls with tornadoes back home and how this influenced their passion for charity.
So rev up your car, turn on the AC and tune in to JustLove on The Catholic Channel 129, SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio.
Tags: Anna-Marie Costello, apparel factories, Armando Secaira, Bangladesh, Bronx youth, Caitlin Costello, Catholic Charities Alianza Division, Catholic Relief Service, charity, child labor abuse, Director of Youth Programs, Eddie Silverio, Executive Director of Catholic Charities New York, Guatemala, human rights violations, job opportunities, JustLove, Miss Oklahoma, Miss Teen Oklahoma, Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, NYU Stern School of Business, Program Manager, Rana Plaza complex, Sarah Labowitz, Sirius XM, SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio, The Catholic Channel 129, working conditions
Posted in JustLove, Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, New York City, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises | No Comments »
Monday, June 10th, 2013
By Alice Kenny
We’re proud to announce our interactive 2012 Annual Report.
Check out this easy-access gateway filled with videos and multimedia devices.
Learn firsthand about Catholic Charities services.
Hear directly from our clients, donors and staff.
Listen to their stories.
See and hear for yourself what makes the work we do at Catholic Charities so special. Tell us what you think.
Tags: 2012 Annual Report, cancer, Catholic Charities services, deaf, financial challenges, Hurricane Sandy, illness, multimedia, seniors, teenager
Posted in Feeding the Hungry and Sheltering the Homeless, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, Supporting the Physically and Emotionally Challenged, Welcoming and Integrating Immigrants and Refugees | No Comments »
Thursday, June 6th, 2013
by Alice Kenny
Profiles of hope. Profiles of courage. Profiles of charity.
For 101 years, the stories of struggle that make up The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund’s annual campaign have inspired readers to help New Yorkers in dire financial need.
Our opportunity at Catholic Charities to partner with The New York Times Foundation provides an occasion to spotlight the strength and dignity of struggling New Yorkers.
It also provides a forum for readers to join us in bringing vital help and hope to those in need.
And it provides an opportunity to underscore our strong partnerships with Catholic Charities affiliated agencies. Seven of these 18 Catholic Charities profiles feature services received at Catholic Charities affiliated agencies. They include Catholic Big Sisters Big Brothers, Covenant House New York, CREATE, Dominican Sisters, Elinor Martin Residence for Mother and Child and Grace Institute.
The 18 individuals and families profiled offer a glimpse of the intense struggles faced by so many New Yorkers. And they demonstrate the support Catholic Charities provides, always with compassion and always with dignity.
Day in and year out, Catholic Charities helps solve the problems of New Yorkers in need – non Catholics and Catholics alike.
We invite you to read their stories.
Tags: affiliated agencies, Catholic Big Sisters Big Brothers, Covenant House New York, CREATE, Dominican Sisters, Elinor Martin Residence for Mother and Child, grace institute, The New York Times Foundation, The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund
Posted in Feeding the Hungry and Sheltering the Homeless, New York City, Parishes, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, Supporting the Physically and Emotionally Challenged, Welcoming and Integrating Immigrants and Refugees | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 4th, 2013
By Alice Kenny
Looking for a sneak peek inside the lives and work at Catholic Charities?
- Meet Vladimir, a teenager from rural El Salvador who thought he was the only child born without hearing; the Incognitos, a couple married 50 years now struggling to stay together despite illness and Erin, a cancer survivor whose home was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.
- Meet Julia Schafer and MaryEllen Ferrera, Catholic Charities case managers who helped rebuild their lives.
- Meet Catherine Kinney and Stanley Grayson, leaders on Catholic Charities’ Board of Trustees.
- And listen as Catholic Charities Executive Director Msgr. Kevin Sullivan and His Excellency Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan explain how Catholic Charities bridges the gap between wealth and want in Stories of Help & Hope 2013, the latest of Catholic Charities’ powerful online videos.
“Catholic Charities builds bridges,” Msgr. Sullivan says, “the bridges needed to connect New York’s great resources – public and private – to provide help that creates hope for each person, made in God’s image and likeness, non-Catholic and Catholic alike.”
It builds bridges inside and out.
“Catholic Charities was like family,” Erin says as she describes the hurricane that stole all she owned. “Finally I had a support system behind me that I didn’t get from anyplace else. It’s not just rebuilding our house; it’s rebuilding our lives.”
Watch Stories of Help & Hope 2013 now.
Tags: Board of Trustees, cancer survivor, Catherine Kinney, Catholic Charities case managers, Hurricane Sandy, Incognitos, Julia Schafer, MaryEllen Ferrera, online videos, Stanley Grayson, Stories of Help & Hope 2013, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Vladimir Gongora
Posted in Feeding the Hungry and Sheltering the Homeless, Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, New York City, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Staten Island, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, Supporting the Physically and Emotionally Challenged, Welcoming and Integrating Immigrants and Refugees, What We Do at Catholic Charities | No Comments »
Friday, May 24th, 2013
L-R: Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, Pat Battle, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Eugene M. McQuade, Stephen J. Brogan and Catherine Kinney
May 24, 2013, New York, NY – His Eminence Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan and the Board of Trustees of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York honored Eugene M. McQuade, Chief Executive Officer, Citibank and Stephen J. Brogan, Managing Partner, Jones Day at its Gala Benefit at The Waldorf-Astoria in New York City yesterday, May 23, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.
“The Catholic Charities Annual Gala permits us to create stronger partnerships among New Yorkers,” stated Executive Director Msgr. Kevin Sullivan. “Our outstanding honorees, their colleagues and friends along with generous Catholic Charities donors come together to ensure that New Yorkers in need – non-Catholics and Catholics alike – are helped with meeting basic human needs so that they might live their lives in greater dignity.”
This signature black tie dinner convened a dynamic group of New Yorkers from the worlds of business, philanthropy, culture, fashion, law, media, politics and religion who share a deep concern for the well-being of our fellow New Yorkers in need. It raised close to $2.3 million.
Pat Battle, anchor for NBC 4 New York, served as Mistress of Ceremonies. Award-winning actress, singer and recording artist Liz Calloway, who held leading roles in several Broadway productions including Miss Saigon and Cats, performed live.
Over the course of a career spanning more than three decades, honoree Eugene M. McQuade distinguished himself as a business and industry leader. Before joining Citi as Chief Executive Officer of Citibank in 2009, he served as Vice Chairman and President of Merrill Lynch Banks (U.S.) and previously had been President at Freddie Mac, Bank of America and Fleet Boston Financial. He is a Trustee to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Ireland Fund.
“Tonight is a celebration of the terrific work Catholic Charities does every year to ensure that our neediest New Yorkers, regardless of faith, get the support they need to improve their lives,” said Mr. McQuade. “I’m gratified and humbled to be recognized, but tonight is about shining a spotlight on the enormous positive impact Catholic Charities has on our city.”
Fellow honoree Stephen J. Brogan, Managing Partner of Jones Day since 2002, began his career with the firm while still a student at Notre Dame Law School. He worked as Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice from 1981-1983. He serves as Chair of the Academic and Faculty Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Cleveland Clinic.
“The long history of Catholic Charities’ dedicated and selfless service to people in need in the City of New York is a very important manifestation of the Catholic Church’s commitment to social justice and to the care of the less fortunate,” said Mr. Brogan.
About Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York
Catholic Charities, a federation of approximately 90 agencies and programs located throughout the 10 counties of the Archdiocese of New York, helps solve the problems of New Yorkers in need – non-Catholics and Catholics alike – with services that protect and nurture children, resolve family crises, assist the hungry and homeless, support the physically and emotionally challenged, and integrate immigrants and refugees. For more information on how to donate or volunteer, please visit our website at www.catholiccharitiesny.org.
Tags: American Ireland Fund, Archdiocese of New York, Bank of America, Board of Trustees, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, business, Cats, Chief Executive Officer, Citi, Citibank, Cleveland Clinic, culture, Eugene M. McQuade, fashion, Fleet Boston Financial, Freddie Mac, Gala Benefit, Jones Day, Law, Liz Calloway, Managing Partner, Media, Merrill Lynch Banks, Miss Saigon, Mistress of Ceremonies, NBC4 New York, Notre Dame Law School, Pat Battle, philanthropy, politics, religion, Stephen J. Brogan, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, U.S. Department of Justice, Waldorf Astoria
Posted in Archdiocese News, Cardinal Dolan, Events, Feeding the Hungry and Sheltering the Homeless, Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, New York City, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, Supporting the Physically and Emotionally Challenged, Welcoming and Integrating Immigrants and Refugees, What We Do at Catholic Charities | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
By Alice Kenny
Day laborers’ children battled to capture bishops, kings and pawns at chess competitions held with Franciscan Friars at a family day celebration on May 19th. For the first time ever, St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers opened its doors to Obreros Unidos and their families on Pentecost Sunday. City of Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano joined in the festivities.
The Catholic Charities-sponsored Family Day brought together more than 150 local day-laborer family members with seminarians, friars and Catholic Charities staff. It was part of Catholic Charities’ ongoing involvement with Obreros Unidos De Yonkers, a group of approximately 300 day laborers in the Yonkers area.
Through this program, Catholic Charities educates workers on employment rights and responsibilities to prevent exploitation and abuse. Catholic Charities also assists in the collection of unpaid wages, helps workers get access to healthcare services, provides emergency food, and offers English language and computer skills instruction.
The midday event began with Pentecost Sunday mass to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. Next, at an indoor picnic pulled together in response to the pouring rain outdoors, participants feasted on tacos, churros and flan. Then they partied together as they faced off at chess matches, danced in Zumba exercise classes, painted faces and dabbled with arts and crafts.
Check out our Facebook page for more photos of the event.
Would you like to join Obreros Unidos de Yonkers?
Call (914) 375-6729/48 or visit the office at St. Peter’s Church basement, 91 Ludlow Street, Yonkers, NY 10705
Call the Catholic Charities Help Line — (888) 744-7900 — to find services you need.
Tags: arts and crafts, Catholic Charities Help Line, catholic charities staff, chess competitions, chess matches, day laborers, emergency food, employment rights, exercise classes, family day, family members, Franciscan Friars, friars, healthcare services, mass, Mayor Mike Spano, Obreros Unidos, Obreros Unidos De Yonkers, Pentecost Sunday, seminarians, St. Joseph’s Seminary, St. Peters Church, Yonkers
Posted in Events, Hudson Valley, Parishes, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, Welcoming and Integrating Immigrants and Refugees | No Comments »
