These are very trying times. No matter where you live, the coronavirus is impacting life for all of us in one way or another. In New York City, we became the nation’s epicenter of the pandemic with nearly 200,000 cases and counting, and our low-income communities are being hit the hardest. Our families are facing a double burden: a disproportionately high number of COVID-19 diagnoses, and the realities of poverty colliding with the hardships of a pandemic. They contend with higher rates of preexisting conditions and food insecurity, and if they lose their job, many don’t have savings to rely on. And the list goes on.
As in times of adversity in the past, we’re able to leverage our comprehensive set of programs and services to respond to the unique challenges of this crisis. We’re on the front lines testing for COVID-19 when indicated, and offering medical and mental health treatment to COVID-19 positive patients and their families; providing a wide array of other health, mental health, and dental care through in-person and telehealth visits; increasing distribution of our food boxes and transitioning to Grab and Go meals; continuing home visitations for families who are in the highest category of need; offering additional crisis interventions to our displaced foster youth and families; and re-engineering our academic, enrichment, and family services into virtual offerings.
Much of this newsletter is dedicated to showing you the ways we’re aiding our clients right here in the epicenter of this outbreak — ways which demonstrate how the Children’s Aid family is facing these unprecedented circumstances with strength and determination. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been so inspired by the resilience of our families, the dedication of our staff, and the outpouring of generosity from our supporters who are reaching deep into their pockets during this time of great need.
Despite the physical distance many of us have from one another, the Children’s Aid family is closer than we ever have been before. And that’s exactly how we’re going to get through this.
I hope you are all staying healthy and safe.
Phoebe C. Boyer
President and Chief Executive Officer
EXECUTIVE UPDATE
Please join us in welcoming Michael Greenberg as our new CFO. With more than 30 years in the nonprofit sector and private industry beforehand, Michael most recently served as chief financial and administrative officer at Amnesty International, and has also held senior leadership positions at The END Fund, Acumen, Environmental Defense Fund, and Human Rights First.
In January, Children’s Aid CEO Phoebe Boyer received The Responsible 100 Award. City & State Magazine recognized her and several other nonprofit leaders for embodying “one or more of the core principles of corporate social responsibility.”
THE PATH TO PROMISE
Children’s Aid Retools Services to Respond to COVID-19
Health Care
The pandemic is worse in our communities than anywhere else in the world, and we’re answering our families’ questions about COVID-19, providing in-person and telehealth services, and meeting the massive spike in mental health needs. Children’s Aid Physician Dr. Monica Mirchandani (pictured above) recounts a recent story of a 19-year-old diagnosed with coronavirus. She lives in a homeless shelter and needed our support to get through two weeks of isolation, so Dr. Mirchandani provided her with medical care, and connected her with our tele-mental health counseling and our virtual teen enrichment club. It made all the difference.
Food Relief
In a pandemic that has united New Yorkers like never before, we’ve united with other nonprofits to coordinate emergency food distributions to families who would otherwise skip meals. Our staff pulled food from the shelves of our nutrition and culinary programs, and worked with West Side Campaign Against Hunger, GrowNYC, and No Kid Hungry to provide and deliver produce, groceries, and hot meals to thousands of hungry families. Whitney Reuling, the director of our food and nutrition programs, says there’s more to come. “Every day we’re exploring new partnerships or supply sources so we can increase the amount of food we deliver.”
Foster Care
For 12 college youths in the Children’s Aid foster care program, their sense of home was torn apart. Ranging in age from 19 to 23, these young adults have been attending CUNY and private colleges, residing in dorms year-round — which were their only homes. They were forced to leave and move into foster homes after their college dorms ordered them to vacate because of the pandemic. Our Education Team reached out to these college students to help in their transition, ensuring they had packing supplies, computers to continue online classes, an ear to listen, and most importantly, permanent housing. For the younger children in foster care, our case workers continue virtual and home visits.
Academics
Transitioning 22 community schools and 10 early childhood centers into virtual learning wasn’t easy, but it got done. We distributed learning devices to our students, many of whom have limited technology access, so we could continue offering the curriculum, after-school programming, tutoring, GED training, and college and career prep we offered before. And as our kids acclimated, we began cherishing the successes. Ms. Wendy (pictured above), one of our early childhood teachers at P.S. 8 in Washington Heights, has proven to be quite the virtual singalong star. She captivates our preschoolers’ attention as they join together in song through their screens.
IMPACT
The Goss Family: Teaching Philanthropy at a Young Age
For more than two decades, Mike and Becky Goss have generously donated to Children’s Aid. Mike explains he likes to “support places that provide solutions for kids,” and that he and Becky are driven by a passion for helping youth who do not have the same opportunities they both had.
In 1998, Becky first discovered Children’s Aid’s Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program online. The program provides teens with academic, health and mental health, common sense sexual education, and career development opportunities. It does so in a way that inspires them about their futures, and empowers them to make responsible decisions on their own. Becky was specifically intrigued by the program’s focus on women’s health, something she, Mike, and their two daughters wanted to support. After getting more familiar with the program, Mike and Becky visited Carrera-model schools with Dr. Michael Carrera, who developed the model. They say it was amazing to see the project in action and to witness Dr. Carrera’s commitment to bond with the kids.
Mike and Becky are involved with multiple charities and encourage both their daughters, Lucy and Emma, to give back. “We wanted our daughters to have a voice and a say in the philanthropic decisions we made,” Mike said. In 2013, Emma volunteered with Children’s Aid clients who received emergency relief funds. She currently works at a major bank where she continues to be a Children’s Aid advocate, recently promoting our Coronavirus Relief Fund efforts to her clients. Mike and Becky’s second daughter Lucy is more politically active, and volunteers her time, networks, and resources to champion progressive political candidates and causes. Since the majority of Children’s Aid’s budget is funded through government contracts, grassroots advocacy efforts like these are critical to our success.
In addition to having a philanthropic family, Mike has been instrumental in giving through his previous employer, Sotheby’s Auction House. Sotheby’s hosted an after-school corporate exposure event for Children’s Aid youth in their auction room, where the Sotheby’s staff introduced our youth to a new world. They talked about how art is bought and sold, the operations of business and the auction itself, and the impact art has had on society as a whole.
When supporters like the Goss family are able to offer the trifecta of support — financial generosity, volunteering, and engaging their employers — their partnership serves as one of the most powerful catalysts for our young people
YOUTH ACTIVATED
Addressing the Needs of Youth in Care During COVID-19
Across the country, and especially here in New York, millions of people are facing uncertainty they could never have imagined as a result of COVID-19. No one quite knows when they will be able to return to work, see their friends and family, or go back to their normal way of life, and many aren’t sure how they will continue to pay their bills. For college students in foster care, this uncertainty is even more pronounced. As colleges and universities moved to distance learning, dorms across New York closed, and many young people who were employed on campus were no longer able to work. Students with a foster care background often didn’t know where to turn for the resources they needed.
In order to hear from students in care directly, connect them to vital resources, and better inform our ongoing advocacy work, the Fostering Youth Success Alliance, led by Children’s Aid, hosted a statewide online forum for students with a foster care background.
During the forum, nearly 80 students and advocates discussed the many challenges they faced because of COVID-19. Students mentioned the obstacles of keeping up with classes without access to laptops or even reliable internet connection, paying bills without steady income, caring for their mental health without accessing health services in person, and, perhaps most urgently, not knowing where they would live after their dorms closed. As students discussed their challenges, needs, and concerns, staff were on the line to respond immediately with resources to help.
During this trying time, our youth in care need our help more than ever. We are grateful that the Governor, State Legislature, and State Senate maintained $6 million in the just-passed FY 2021 state budget for the Foster Youth College Success Initiative, a program that to date has helped more than 1,500 students with a foster care background attend college.
Even as COVID-19 has upended so much, we applaud our state leaders for continuing to recognize the importance of New York’s commitment to our youth in care. Children’s Aid will continue to work side-by-side with state leaders and our young people to further advocate for the needs of youth in care throughout New York.
COMMITTED PARTNERS
A Successful Year of Volunteerism With the Lazard Foundation
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, our corporate volunteerism program — where face-to-face interaction is an integral part of every project — was forced to go on pause because of physical distancing. This hiatus gave us a chance to reflect on a successful year of volunteerism with the Lazard Foundation, one of our most active corporate volunteerism partners.
Last year, the Lazard Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the financial advisory and asset management firm, formed a brand-new partnership with Children’s Aid. In just one year, they managed to pack in more volunteer opportunities than we could have imagined. They mentored our children, provided homework and literacy help, led enrichment activities, coordinated book and holiday drives, and painted murals at our sites. They also hosted workshops for our youth, allowing them to explore what a career in financial services is like.
Isabella Calvo (pictured), a program officer at the Lazard Foundation who coordinated the volunteer efforts, said the partnership has had a huge impact on the children and Lazard staff members alike.
“There are many stories of connections that have been formed very quickly between children and our volunteers. They bond over an art project, reading a book, or sharing stories about their favorite things,” Isabella said. “A volunteer told me about one of the children hugging her at the end of the event and asking if she’d be back the next day,” Isabella added.
Prior to the pandemic, our very last project was one of the highlights of the year: A Black History Month celebration for our toddlers at Children’s Aid College Prep Charter School in the South Bronx. At the event, Lazard volunteers donated books to the kids about African American leaders, history, and culture, and spent time reading together, engaging in group activities, and playing fun games.
With this celebration fresh in the memories of both the children and the Lazard volunteers, the limitations of virtual school have given everyone a unique appreciation for the value of volunteerism.
And with an eye on hopefully returning to normalcy sooner rather than later, there are currently plans being considered for a spirited restart of our traditional in-person volunteerism program, including beautification projects, outdoor recreation days, pumpkin picking, a holiday party, and an even more expansive career workshop. Meanwhile, Children’s Aid is exploring alternative virtual volunteer engagement opportunities to benefit our children and families.
Associated Press:
Two NYC Nonprofits Give Away Food Amid Virus
MSNBC
The Challenges of the Coronavirus and the Impact on Children
NY1: