A commitment to caring: Helping Children Succeed
A sense of magic and wonder fills the mind of young children busily at work and
play at their day care program. Teenagers are provided homework help to improve
their academic skills during after school and one-on-one tutoring sessions. Teenage
mothers are encouraged to remain in school and taught how to foster healthy relationships
with their children. Sounds of laughter fill the air as children enjoy an outing
during summer day camp. Acting and art classes allow children to explore their
own imaginings.
These children are all benefiting from locally based programs addressing
local needs.
For more than a decade Episcopal Charities has supported these community based
programs that reach out to support the most vulnerable in society - our children.
Many are faced with limited opportunities, living in distressed neighborhoods throughout
Manhattan and the Bronx and in upstate counties. During our first ten years
Episcopal Charities has provided close to $3 million dollars in financial assistance
to these and other youth programs. This year, with your help and support, we will
continue our tradition, and your tradition, of caring for our future leaders.
In 2006, 38 youth development programs will help 3,137 children across local
communities in New York to enjoy a variety of cultural and educational programs that
will shape their lives. Antoinette, a Program Assistant at one of our youth development
programs located upstate, exclaims, "When young people are challenged and encouraged
to work from their creative center, they feel strong and succeed."
Helping young
people succeed is the ultimate goal of the programs of Episcopal Charities.
Episcopal Charities works to promote healthy and thriving children by offering
programs that strive towards academic excellence while building confidence and
self-esteem. These programs encourage team work and promote one's civic duty to
help others in the community, especially the elderly. There are several young people
whose lives have been changed and are on their way to success because of the
words and actions of their peers, and because of encouragement from staff members
and volunteers. All of this is made possible through the generosity of people like you.
D.J. has aspirations to become a Chef. He has the drive to succeed. Once a
homeless teenager living a local shelter, he has gone from having poor grades to
the Honor Roll. D.J. joined the camp at the age of 7 and he is now 17 years old.
As a member of the Grace Church Community Center's Summer Camp and After
School Mentoring Program which serves elementary and high school children from
homeless or low-income families that reside in the County of Westchester.
D.J. has worked his way up from a Summer Day Camper to a Volunteer, to a Counselor-in-Training to now being a
Senior Counselor mentoring other campers. Eileen Torres, Program Director, says that D.J. is an excellent role model
to other teenagers. D.J. enjoys talking to other kids when they are having a bad day; he is pleased that he can help
them express their feelings and emotions so that they don't feel isolated and alone. D.J. believes that he is now in
school as a result of the camp, and the guidance and friendship extended to him by Ms. Torres. He has developed
some lifelong friendships over the past ten years; friendships that will last a lifetime.
The Community Partnership with School & Business is a program at The Martin Luther King Cultural Center,
the outreach arm of St. Andrew's Church, Beacon. Area schools and business owners have formed a partnership
to train and mentor at-risk youths between the ages of 14 and 18 years. The aim is to prepare students to enter
college or to embark on a meaningful career. Indigo is 17 years and she credits the program with preventing her from
dropping out of school. The program has expanded her horizon and she is now planning to attend college. Last year
27 of the 29 young people participating in the program went on to finish high school and attain their GED.
Iris is one of 30 teenage mothers that attend Open Space, a community outreach program of St. George's Church,
Newburgh. Three years ago Iris gave birth to Crystal, when she was only 15 years old. Although her family lived in
Newburgh they were unable to provide much support. Iris was scared and worried. When she was referred to Open
Space she was afraid she might not fit in. Now she knows better.
Over the years both Iris and Crystal have become integral parts of Open Space. In fact, Crystal took her first
steps at Open Space, just two weeks short of her first birthday.
The stigma facing a teenage mother can at times be very strong. Iris recalls the time her teacher refused to sign a
petition to keep her Daycare Center open; telling Iris he wasn't going to pay for her mistakes with his taxes. Nancy
Faddis-Decerbo, the director of Open Space, understands Iris' predicament. She was a young, single mom once too.
Open Space works to combat that stigma and to provide these young mothers and children with the love and support
they need. At Open Space young mothers are offered hope and a sense of community. Many of the young mothers
have become great friends here, sharing everything; love, advice, clothes for the kids.
The Open Space program concentrates on teaching mothers how to be better parents. They help these
young mothers build self-esteem by achieving definable goals. For instance, they help the mothers teach their
children to read. Iris used to hate to read. But because of the efforts at Open Space, she now loves it. Not only
is Iris reading more, but Crystal reads on her own at home too, making up the words when she doesn't
understand them.
Iris remarks that the first thing Crystal says when she wakes up every day is, "Good Morning, Mommy. I love you."
Maybe that's why Iris thinks so highly of Nancy. Nancy has helped her to stay in school even when Iris thought
Crystal needed more time and attention than her own school work. Iris says she couldn't have done it without Open
Space. Iris has just been accepted to Mount Saint Mary's College in Newburgh. She will major in Education and
wants to teach Kindergarten to 6th grade. She wouldn't have it any other way. It's the best way, she says, to give
back the love and time that Nancy and Open Space have given to her and Crystal.
The young people in our community outreach programs are working every day to succeed and they need our help.
They cannot do this without us and we cannot do it without your kindness.
I urge you to be generous on behalf of
the thousands of needy children living in your communities.
>Begin your online donation
Help the children in Episcopal Charities programs to succeed.
Respectfully,
David Shover
