New York – This week, Children’s Aid was awarded nearly half a million dollars in Congressional Community Project Funding. The money will further the restoration and renovation of the Goodhue Community Center, which has been a fixture for youth and families in Staten Island for more than a century.

This vital funding was the result of a bipartisan effort between U.S. Rep Nicole Malliotakis, who represents Staten Island in Congress, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“Staten Island’s children deserve a strong Goodhue Center, where they can go to grow and learn and play,” said Schumer. “I’m so proud to be a part of the effort to continue the legacy of this incredible community center, and I will keep fighting to bring federal dollars to great Staten Island organizations like Children’s Aid.”

“For over 100 years, the Goodhue Community Center has served as a pillar for youth and families on Staten Island,” Malliotakis said. “I’m proud to have secured funding to help the center make critical infrastructure improvements to its facility and modernize classrooms so children can enjoy its beautiful woodlands, ponds, ball fields, and swimming pool for years to come.”

Goodhue Center was initially established as a summer camp in 1913, and it has served Staten Island’s children in the more than 100 years since then. The funding will be used to extend the life of the center’s existing structures with top-down repairs from the roofs of building to the asphalt in the parking lots.

“We are so appreciative for the support and trust of Congresswoman Malliotakis and Senator Schumer,” said Phoebe Boyer, President and CEO of Children’s Aid. “They believe, like we do, that Staten Island’s children are worth investing in. Community centers like Goodhue offer essential services and opportunities, and they have been an integral part of our collective recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. This new funding will allow us to improve the services we offer, and the spaces where we offer them.”

The Goodhue Center offers high-quality after-school and summer programs, recreation leagues and activities, technology training, teen programming, child welfare services, and behavioral health services.

“Goodhue is a community center, and we are thankful that Congresswoman Malliotakis and Senator Schumer are part of our community,” said Goodhue director Ilene Pappert. “This money will ensure our ability to continue to provide quality programs for the children and for our community.”

In August, Goodhue Center received $52.9 million from New York City to permanently preserve parkland, enclose the pool for community use and build a new center on a different area of the property. The planning for the new center is underway, and Children’s Aid will provide updates as they are available.

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For more than 165 years, Children’s Aid has been committed to ensuring that there are no boundaries to the aspirations of young people, no limits to their potential. We know what it takes to ensure children and youth grow up strong and healthy, and ready to thrive in school and life: excellent education and health care, social-emotional support, and strong stable families. Today, we serve nearly 50,000 children, youth, and their families at more than 40 sites in four under-resourced neighborhoods in New York City.