Archive for the ‘Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises’ Category
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 »
Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
By Alice Kenny
Our thoughts and prayers are with all those hurt by the devastating, mile-wide tornado that touched down near Oklahoma City yesterday, killing at least 51 people—including 20 children—decimating homes, businesses and a pair of elementary schools.
As New Yorkers who have unfortunately struggled through Hurricane Sandy, Tropical Storm Irene and the World Trade Center destruction, we know firsthand about coping with disasters.
At Catholic Charities, we know firsthand how to help.
Please remember that we are here to help during disasters and every day.
From disaster response professionals visiting parishes to deliver information and resources, to volunteers collecting and distributing food and supplies, to neighbors checking in on neighbors, the entire Catholic Charities community responds to meet the human needs of the victims, providing help and creating hope for rebuilding lives.
Many still struggle to recover from Hurricane Sandy. Please come see your local Disaster Case Manager for help rebuilding your life.
For disaster recovery, click to learn more.
Click here for Help.
Click here to Help.
Help is here.
Tags: businesses, Disaster Case Manager, Disaster Response, elementary schools, food, homes, Hurricane Sandy, Oklahoma City, parishes, Supplies, tornado, Tropical Storm Irene, Volunteers
Posted in Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, What We Do at Catholic Charities | No Comments »
Monday, May 20th, 2013
By Alice Kenny
Determined to raise 8,000 – 10,000 pounds of vegetables for the hungry, dozens of volunteers planted pepper, lettuce, broccoli, tomato and eggplant seedlings at the Catholic Community Services of Rockland “Garden of Love” on May 18. Vegetables from the garden are distributed to families through food pantries throughout the county.
The garden, preparing for its fourth season, has been expanded with the help of volunteers and those who donated materials including tools, soil and fences. Renewing its commitment to the community, organizers have recently renamed the initiative “Produce the Produce.”
Check out photos of your neighborhood volunteers and more Garden of Love updates in The Journal News.
Are you hungry and need help?
- Contact us. At Catholic Charities, no one is ever turned away.
- If you live in Rockland County, please call 845 942-5791.
Help us help your neighbors in need.
Tags: Catholic Community Services of Rockland, community garden, families, food pantries, Garden of Love, hungry, Hungry New Yorkers, neighbors in need, Produce the Produce, Rockland County, seedlings, The Journal News, Volunteers
Posted in Hudson Valley, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, What We Do at Catholic Charities | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013
By Alice Kenny
The New York State National Alliance on Mental Illness honored Astor Services for Children & Families’ Early Head Start Program, an affiliate of Catholic Charities NY, on May 7 for their work successfully addressing the issues of children’s mental health. This includes early identification, outreach, family education, providing mental health awareness in schools, and successfully intervening on behalf of afflicted children and their families. Astor Services received this award during a reception at the 2013 “What’s Great in Our State – A Celebration of Children’s Mental Health Awareness,” at the New York State Museum in Albany.
Astor’s Early Head Start Program serves over 200 infants, toddlers and their families in seven sites across Dutchess County. Astor has operated the Head Start Program in Dutchess County since 1978 and later assumed responsibility for the Early Head Start Program. Head Start and Early Head Start are federally-funded programs for low-income families.
The children in Astor’s Head Start and Early Head Start Programs receive mental health screening through collaboration with Astor’s Hudson Valley Behavioral Health & Prevention Programs. This program provides early identification and intervention of social emotional problems in children, ages 2 to 18, through the Child and Family Clinic Plus Program (Clinic Plus). This program is a state-wide initiative by the Office of Mental Health to furnish mental health services for children and families.
“On behalf of the children, families and staff, I am delighted to receive this recognition,´ said Mary Sontheimer, Assistant Executive Director, Astor Services for Children & Families, Early Childhood Programs. “These are the issues at the core of our Early Head Start Program: social emotional development, health relationships and positive attachments for children. All stakeholders in our program play a critical role in ensuring optimal mental health and positive self-esteem.”
Tags: Assistant Executive Director, Astor Services for Children & Families, Behavioral Health, Clinic Plus, dutchess county, Early Childhood Programs, Early Head Start Program, Head Start Program, hudson valley, Mary Sontheimer, mental health, mental illness, New York State Museum, New York State National Alliance, Prevention Programs
Posted in Events, Hudson Valley, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, Supporting the Physically and Emotionally Challenged, What We Do at Catholic Charities | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 7th, 2013
From Left to Right: George Rodriguez, Fidelis Care NY Director of Marketing; Mark Sclafani, Vice President, Marketing; Pamela Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer; Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, Catholic Charities Executive Director; Beatriz Diaz Taveras, Executive Director CCCS
By Alice Kenny
Fidelis Care, a partner with Catholic Charities Community Services (CCCS) for nearly a decade, donated $509,000 to Catholic Charities on May 3, 2013 to further the two agencies’ aligned mission to serve the poor and needy of New York.
This partnership has proved particularly important in light of the punishing impact the lasting effects the economic recession and deep cuts in social service programs have had on families in need.
- One in every six New Yorkers – 1.4 million of our neighbors – now relies on daily emergency food.
- More than half are employed yet still cannot manage to make ends meet with their earnings. Close to 9,700 families with 15,000 children sleep in homeless shelters.
These numbers indicate what Catholic Charities already knows. Poverty is not merely the lack of adequate financial resources. Instead, it entails a profound deprivation, a denial of full participation in the economic, social and political life of society and an inability to influence decisions that affect one’s own life. It means being powerless in a way that assaults not only one’s pocketbook but also one’s fundamental human dignity.
Fidelis Care is the New York State Catholic Health Plan, providing health coverage to children and adults in 58 counties statewide. The mission of Fidelis Care is to ensure that every resident, regardless of income, age, religion, gender, or ethnic background, has access to quality health care and is provided with dignity and respect. Through partnerships with providers, schools, and community agencies like Catholic Charities New York, Fidelis Care works to foster healthier futures for members and their families.
Now as more and more individuals and families seek help, the Fidelis Care grant assists Catholic Charities Community Services as we continue to respond as we always have, with professional case management services across the ten counties of the Archdiocese of New York that alleviate crises and set families and individuals on a path toward stability.
Tags: Archdiocese of New York, Beatriz Diaz Taveras, case management services, Catholic Charities Community Services, Catholic Charities New York, economic recession, emergency food, Fidelis Care, health coverage, homeless shelters, New York State Catholic Health Plan, quality health care, social service programs
Posted in Agencies, 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, What We Do at Catholic Charities | No Comments »
Monday, May 6th, 2013
On the very last, most beautiful day of April 2013, 143 tireless workers put down their frying pans, serving trays, aprons, and hand trucks to feast and be celebrated. From the farthest corners of the Bronx to the Lower East Side, volunteers from food pantries and soup kitchens supported by Catholic Charities Community Services gathered at the Triangle Building of Alianza for the first-ever Volunteer Appreciation Event held in their honor.
The same men and women who, earlier that day, were packing 200 bags of food or scrubbing pots, got the chance to sit down to a catered meal while CCCS staff called out name after name of volunteer chefs, food packers, inventory specialists, and data base managers. In all, 46 program coordinators and long-time volunteers from 14 different programs came up to the podium to receive certificates from Monsignor Kevin Sullivan. Honors were given for years of service ranging from 20 to 36 years, and for those special volunteers who worked “Above and Beyond”, as their certificates stated. These included senior Maria Sanchez, founder of St. Anthony’s Soup Kitchen in the Bronx, who has been leading the program for 20 years, and young Walter Martin, who uses his free time in between job interviews to work for no less than 4 different pantries.
“We’ve been wanting to do this for so long” said Jeanne McGettigan, Director of Emergency Food Services. “Monsignor Sullivan and Staci-Jo Bruce, Director of Volunteer Services were the ones who finally made it happen. It was so moving to see all of these generous, hard-working people gathered together in one place. We really are one big team, but we don’t often get to see ourselves that way.”
Ms. McGettigan said the event organizers were particularly pleased that CCCS staff was able to make these activities completely bi-lingual. Well over 50% of the volunteers in attendance consider Spanish their first language. To make sure that all felt included, everything from invitations, to program cards and presentations by speakers was carried out in Spanish and English. Project Manager Lizaura German emceed and translated as needed. Monsignor Sullivan and Beatriz Diaz Taveras, Executive Director of CCCS traveled comfortably between languages as they thanked the volunteers for their steadfast efforts to beat back hunger in their communities.
Also delivering a rousing speech in two languages was special guest Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez of Washington Heights and Inwood. Remembering how, during his childhood, his own family had sometimes needed food assistance, he told the volunteers that he “didn’t think twice” about dedicating Council discretionary funds to the busy CCCS pantry nearby his office.
An additional service award was presented to Christopher Melito of Credit Suisse, recognizing the company’s Day of Service, which brought 20 corporate employees to a CCCS food pantry for the day to prepare and demonstrate healthy cooking methods and give pantry customers the equipment to carry out the same practices in their own kitchens.
The feeling in the room was so joyful, and the cumulative effect of hearing story after story of faith in action was so moving, a number of staff and volunteers stated their conviction that this first-ever event should now be considered an annual gathering not to be missed.
Tags: Alianza, Beatriz Diaz Taveras, Bronx, Catholic Charities Community Services, Christopher Melito, Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Credit Suisse, data base managers, Day of Service, Director of Emergency Food Services, Director of Volunteer Services, food assistance, food packers, food pantries, healthy cooking methods, inventory specialists, inwood, Jeanne McGettigan, Lizaura German, Maria Sanchez, Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, soup kitchens, St. Anthony’s Soup Kitchen, Staci-Jo Bruce, Triangle Building, Volunteer Appreciation Event, volunteer chefs, Walter Martin, Washington Heights
Posted in Feeding the Hungry and Sheltering the Homeless, Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, New York City, Parishes, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Staten Island, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, Volunteering | No Comments »
Thursday, May 2nd, 2013
By Alice Kenny
Thanks to the creativity and compassion of fourteen-year-old Victoria Robustello, elementary-school children felled in the Newtown massacre will be honored along with local heroes at the upcoming CYO Club of Champions dinner.
Now in its 77th year, the upcoming CYO Club of Champions dinner scheduled for this summer celebrates individuals who provide inspiration and leadership for youth.
Victoria agreed to display her painstaking painting that depicts each of the 20 slain children floating above a cloud at the event on June 26, 2013. She is also sending framed copies to the children’s families as well as the Sandy Hook Fire Department and school. A $250 donation, in turn, will be given anonymously to The Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation, Inc. in recognition of Victoria’s painting.
A student at John Jay High School in Hopewell Junction in upstate Dutchess County, Victoria began sketching the painting on her drawing table in her bedroom shortly after the mass murder in December 2012. She pulled up web photos of the children, and then recaptured in painting their smiling faces and the clothing they wore.
“It just broke my heart,” her mother, Pam Robustello, said, “knowing that when it would be finished there would be 20 children on that portrait that are no longer with us.”
Although Victoria acknowledges the pain she felt reproducing the children one by one, she seems to have found comfort as well.
“There will never be any answers for something so senseless,” she wrote the parents when she sent them copies of her paintings. “But I want you to know that I pray for you daily.
“I hope you enjoy the portrait that I have made for you and that it will give you some peace in knowing that they are all angels now together, still playing still singing, still having fun.”
Tags: Catholic Youth Organization, CYO, CYO Club of Champions, dutchess county, Hopewell Junction, ictoria Robustello, Inc., John Jay High School, Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation, painting, Sandy Hook Fire Department
Posted in Hudson Valley, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 1st, 2013
By Alice Kenny
Immigration reform may pass this year, predicts Kevin Appleby, director of migration and refugee policy at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, as he speaks with Msgr. Kevin Sullivan on JustLove radio broadcast on April 27.
“Political winds, Mr. Appleby says, “are blowing our way.”
Called the “guru of immigration reform” by Msgr. Sullivan, Mr. Appleby offers an inside perspective on immigration reform’s history, hurdles and likelihood of success.
“We don’t have a system based on the rule of law anymore,” Mr. Appleby says. “It’s based on chaos.
“At the border we have a sign that says ‘keep out’ but at the workplace we have a sign that says ‘help wanted.’”
Eleven million people live in the shadows and form an underground economy, he added. Massive deportations divide families and pull parents away from children. Persons struggling for a better life die as they try to cross the desert.
Solutions have been debated for decades, ever since Congress passed its last major immigration reform bill in 1986.
What’s different now “in a word,” says Mr. Appleby, “is the election; both parties have taken note and realized that the demographics of our country are changing and they need to get out ahead of it.”
Tune in to hear the entire show on The Catholic Channel 129, SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio.
Looking for information about Comprehensive Immigration Reform?
Catholic Charities is here to help.
Click here to learn how to prepare for immigration reform
Contact us now.
Call Catholic Charities at New York State New Americans Hotline: 1-800-566-7636
Tags: campaign, deportations, families, immigrant community, immigrants, Immigration Reform, immigration status, Justice for Immigrants, Kevin Appleby, legal immigration policies, Legal Services for Immigrants, naturalization cases, New York State New Americans Hotline, NYS New Americans Hotline, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Posted in New York City, Parishes, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, Welcoming and Integrating Immigrants and Refugees, What We Do at Catholic Charities | No Comments »
Friday, April 26th, 2013
Press conference spotlights services for Sandy survivors.
By Alice Kenny
Chinatown political representatives joined TV correspondents and reporters at a well-attended press conference held at the Greater Chinatown Community Association (GCCA) in Manhattan’s Chinatown last week to broadcast the latest information about disaster support for Sandy survivors. Watch it on SINOVISION.net.
GCCA, an affiliated agency of the Archdiocese of New York’s federation, is one of more than fifteen social service agencies extending from Long Island to the Hudson Valley providing local, on-the-ground disaster case management to individuals with homes or businesses damaged by Superstorm Sandy. The New York State Disaster Case Management Program, managed by Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York, will provide approximately 200 disaster case managers to assist individuals and families in the 13 -New York counties hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy.
Designed to streamline support and avoid frustration and confusion, the Disaster Case Management program whittles down the complex system of disaster support by providing survivors with a single point of contact to access a broad range of resources. This allows people still reeling from the loss of jobs and homes to avoid the need to search out multiple organizations that might respond to their various needs.
Instead, survivors can relate their experiences and submit their documentation to a single, local disaster case manager who guides them through the recovery process. This local model of providing disaster support proves particularly important in sites such as Chinatown where language barriers can make a confusing process almost overwhelming.
An elderly Chinese man with lung cancer whose basement apartment flooded during the storm, for example, received different answers from so many different places that, by the time he came to GCCA for help, “he was ready to give up,” said GCCA Executive Director Chih-Ping (Andy) Yu.
Disaster case managers are both advocates and expediters for those affected by Sandy. They first assess if clients have unmet needs related to the storm. If people qualify, they will be assigned a disaster case manager to serve as a single point of contact for all assistance, including that coming from insurance companies, private organizations, and government. Then, based on interactions with the client, the service coordinators create individualized disaster recovery plans, including advocating for access to needed services, coordinating benefits, and making referrals for services outside the scope of disaster case management. Existing Sandy-related services for individuals and families range from direct federal and state grants and Small Business Administration loans to insurance advocacy and referrals to the range of not-for-profit and voluntary programs that have been established.
The program is modeled after a similar one run by Catholic Charities Community Services in 34 counties across New York State following Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.
Eligibility for the Sandy New York State Disaster Case Management Program is open to anyone with an unmet need that arose from or was exacerbated by Superstorm Sandy, even those who have not applied to FEMA for assistance or are undocumented.
Looking for help?
- Call 1-855-258-0483 to find the location nearest you.
- Are you a Sandy survivor who lives in Chinatown or speaks a Chinese dialect and is looking for help? Contact the Greater Chinatown Community Association, 105 Mosco Street, New York, NY 10013. Phone 212-374-1311. www.gccanyc.org.
- For a full list of disaster case management locations, visit www.catholiccharitiesny.org.
Tags: Archdiocese of New York, Catholic Charities Community Services, Chih-Ping (Andy) Yu, Chinatown, Chinese, Disaster Case Management, FEMA, Greater Chinatown Community Association, hudson valley, Long Island, New York State Disaster Case Management Program, press conference, reporters, Sandy survivors, Small Business Administration, social service agencies, Superstorm Sandy, TV correspondents, undocumented
Posted in Events, New York City, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, Welcoming and Integrating Immigrants and Refugees | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 24th, 2013
Whether you have applied for FEMA or not — even if you were not eligible or were denied assistance — there may be local
resources available for you.
A trained, compassionate case manager can work one-on-one with you to:
- Answer your questions about recovery
- Develop a plan to address your needs
- Connect you with appropriate community resources
- Determine what financial assistance may be available to you
- Advocate on your behalf with service and benefit providers
Call Today – Help is Here:
855-258-0483
Monday – Friday: 9am to 5pm
Find Local Agencies for Help:
| AGENCY PHONE # |
| Bronx |
| BronxWorks |
718-508-3194 |
| Brooklyn |
| Arab-American Family Support Center |
718-643-8000 |
| Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled |
718-998-3000 |
| Brooklyn Community Services |
718-310-5620 |
| Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens |
718-722-6223 |
| Council of Peoples in Organization (COPO) |
718-434-3266 |
| Good Shepherd Services |
718-522-6910/6911 |
| Greater Chinatown Community Association |
212-374-1311 |
| Lutheran Social Services of New York |
718-942-4196 |
| Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty |
212-453-9539
917-281-6721 |
| Shorefront YM-YWHA of Brighton- Manhattan Beach |
347-689-1880/1817 |
| Manhattan |
| Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York |
855-258-0483 |
| Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY) |
212-674-2300 |
| Greater Chinatown Community Association |
212-374-1311 |
| Queens |
| Arab-American Family Support Center |
718-643-8000 |
| Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens |
718-722-6223 |
| Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY) |
646-442-4186
212-674-2300 |
| Greater Chinatown Community Association |
212-374-1311 |
| Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty |
212-453-9539
917-281-6721 |
| SCO Family of Services |
516-493-6457/5284 |
| Staten Island |
| Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York |
718-447-6330, ext. 121 |
| El Centro del Inmigrante |
718-420-6466 |
| Lutheran Social Services of New York |
718-942-4196 |
| JCC of Staten Island |
718-475-5213 |
| Long Island |
| Catholic Charities Diocese of Rockville Centre |
631-608-8883/8882 |
| Family Service League |
631-369-0104 |
| FEGS Health and Human Services |
516-496-7550, press 6 |
| Lutheran Social Services of New York |
516-483-3240 ext. 3030 |
| Hudson Valley |
| Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York |
845-344-4868 |
Additional service providers will be included.
The New York State Disaster Case Management Program is operated by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York under the auspices of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Office of Emergency Management and funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Tags: Disaster case management Disaster relief, disaster recovery, families in crisis, families in need, Family emergency, FEMA, housing, Hurricane Sandy Fund, Hurricane Sandy Relief, sandy relief, Sandy survivors, Shelter
Posted in Feeding the Hungry and Sheltering the Homeless, New York City, Protecting and Nurturing Children and Youth, Staten Island, Strengthening Families and Resolving Crises, Uncategorized | No Comments »
By Alice Kenny
