Children’s Aid is thrilled to receive a three-year grant of more than $300,000 from New York City Department of Youth and Community Development in support of its Saturday Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Teens. The program is free to participants, and the only one of its kind in New York City. It offers enriching recreational and social activities while also empowering these young people to advocate for themselves.
“Children’s Aid has a long history of working with young people who are either deaf or hard of hearing, and we aim help them unlock their potential just as we do with all of the kids we serve,” said Phoebe C. Boyer, president and CEO of The Children’s Aid Society. “Our dedicated staff, many of whom are deaf adults, demonstrate to these kids and teens again and again that this city is a place of opportunity and that there’s nothing they can’t do, no experience that’s off limits. We’re really proud that we can serve this community and watch them grow and develop.”
Children’s Aid has operated the program since 1989, engaging children and teens in sports and physical activities, the arts, and a number of leadership activities. The young people also get to see the city, including a number of cultural assets like the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and El Museo del Barrio. Older youth recently took part in the 3rd Annual Career Panel with Deaf Professionals.
Just as importantly, the program offers the children and teens a network of peers and connection to mentors that is critical for their well-being. The program is centered at the Children’s Aid East Harlem Center and serves about 100 young people every year.
In addition to the funding from Department of Youth and Community Development, the program gets critical funding from a number of private institutions that make possible a full slate of engaging programs, including TransCanada Corporation, Jerome S. and Grace H. Murray Foundation, and Seventh District Foundation. The program also received important funding from the New York City Council.
The Children’s Aid Society is an independent, nonprofit organization established to serve the children of New York City. Our mission is to help children in poverty to succeed and thrive. We do this by providing comprehensive supports to children and their families in targeted high-needs New York City neighborhoods. Founded in 1853, it is one of the nation’s largest and most innovative non-sectarian agencies, serving New York’s neediest children. Services are provided in community schools, neighborhood centers, health clinics, and camps. For additional information, please call Anthony Ramos at (212) 949-4938/ (917) 204-8214, email anthonyr@childrensaidsociety.org, or visit www.childrensaidsociety.org.