Blog Archives - Page 18 of 36 - The New York Foundling

Haven Academy Students Celebrate with an In-Person Graduation

Haven graduates celebrate with the traditional toss of their caps

Last Thursday, students, families, teachers, and staff from Mott Haven Academy Charter School came together for an in-person graduation ceremony for its middle school graduates. Held on the outside grounds of the Andrew Freedman Home in the Bronx, students had the opportunity to celebrate together with their classmates and friends.

The ceremony featured an introduction from Head of School Jessica Nauiokas, remarks from Haven Middle Principal Sarah Touma, speeches from the class valedictorian and salutatorian, a Haven Kids Rock performance, and the distribution of awards and diplomas.

As Faith, one of the graduates, shared, “My time at Haven was overall a fun and amazing experience, and they did a good job teaching and educating us. I’m happy to be graduating, to move on…and start something new. I can pursue dreams that I really want to pursue.”

Watch the full graduation here:

June 15, 2021/by Elefant Design

Blog, Child Welfare

Providing Love and Stability: From Volunteer to Foster Parent

Haley Wright has always had a lot of love to share – and when she began volunteering with The Foundling eight years ago, she found that her heart expanded more and more. In honor of Foster Care Awareness Month, we’re highlighting her inspiring story.

While Haley had provided support to The Foundling and other social service organizations in the past, including foster care agencies, joining the Junior Board at The Foundling was a transformative experience. She delved into the work and served as Chair for three years. Through fundraising and event planning, Haley had the opportunity to meet participants across our programs and communities, and hear their stories firsthand. “There’s no distance, you get to love them up close,” she notes. And again and again, she was inspired by what she saw.

“The young people I saw at Camp Felix, the students performing in Haven Kids Rock, the way The Foundling helps children succeed and attain success – it made me want to give children in foster care a feeling of belonging and acceptance, and to show them that they have value in the world,” Haley says. Now, she is taking the next step in giving back: becoming a foster parent herself.

The decision to foster a child is not one to take lightly, but Haley is prepared. She’s been considering sharing her home for years, but is now ready to take action. “This January, I decided that this would be the year, and rented a 2-bedroom apartment so I could get started,” she shares. She recently participated in the orientation class, and hopes to be fully licensed by this fall.

“I’m excited to provide a stable space for children to feel safe and loved,” Haley says. “I want to make sure they can decorate their own space – pick out a comforter for the bed, put artwork on the walls. This will be their home, and a reflection of themselves. I want them to know they will be loved for who they are – they won’t have to conform to an ideal, they can be themselves and know that they will be safe.”

“I know that it won’t always be easy, there will be hard parts and so many sensitivities, but I’m ready for it,” says Haley. “It feels like an honor to be part of the process and part of their story. I have so much to learn, and am excited to partner with The Foundling on this next step in my journey.”

May 27, 2021/by Elefant Design

Education, Media Coverage

Malyk Leonard speaks at Fair Futures Rally

Malyk Leonard – one of our Road to Success tutors – spoke at a Fair Futures rally at City Hall on May 19, discussing the need to baseline funds for this important program.

“I help students go to college. I help students find jobs when no one else is willing to help them. I help students advocate for themselves. This is the reason why we need Fair Futures,” he says.

Watch the full video of his speech below:

May 20, 2021/by Elefant Design

Child Welfare, Health and Behavioral Health, Media Coverage

BronxNet: OPEN – The New York Foundling’s Child Welfare and Mental Health Services

On OPEN, BronxNet’s regular talk show, Dr. Ruth Gerson and Dr. Jessica Pesantez from our Mental Health Services and Child Welfare teams sat down with host Daren Jaime to discuss child abuse, creating a safe environment for children, keeping young people engaged, and building trust.

Watch the full interview below:

Read more on BronxNet

May 13, 2021/by Elefant Design

Blog, Child Welfare, Developmental Disabilities

Keeping our Community Safe and Healthy: Celebrating our Dedicated Nurses

At The Foundling, we appreciate and value the team of nurses who care for children and people with developmental disabilities each and every day – but during this year’s National Nurses Week, we’re recognizing this essential segment of our workforce over the turbulent events of the past 15 months.

Nurses have always been an integral part of The Foundling—from our early days, when we operated a pediatric hospital and nursing school – to now. And while our services have evolved, this legacy of care continues with our nurses today.

The reach and scope of what nurses at The Foundling do is far-reaching. In our four medical clinics across New York City, nurses provide routine care for the young people in our foster care programs. In our residential program for adults with developmental disabilities, nurses make regular visits across the City and surrounding counties to direct and monitor the health and medication regiments of the adults living in our 104 residences. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the role and work of our nurses even more important – and they have gone to great lengths in helping our program participants move forward during this unprecedented health crisis.

For our healthcare professionals and frontline staff at The Foundling, the past 15 months have been a true test of dedication. COVID-19 presented many challenges to providing patients with high-quality and compassionate care, but our nurses’ strong Foundling values and commitment to our mission drove them to continue their vital work– even when this required them to take extreme precautions to balance their work and personal lives.

Kendra, a nurse practitioner in the Bronx, continued to treat children at Foundling medical clinics during the pandemic – all while carrying a baby of her own. “I found out I was pregnant a bit before the start of the pandemic,” she says. From exchanging shifts, providing car rides to work, and being available for emotional support, her team rallied around her, providing care and compassion to ensure that she and her growing family was safe.

At the same time, Jolene showed true strength and determination as a nurse supervisor in our group residences for people with developmental disabilities. In the early weeks and months of the COVID outbreak in New York City, PPE and other protective gear was difficult to obtain—yet Jolene worked on the frontlines each and every day, committed to keeping the people in our care safe. Jolene tirelessly supported the residents with their health needs, provided comfort to their loved ones, and showed strength when infections began to show up in the workplace. When the virus hit even closer to home, and Jolene and her son contracted the coronavirus, her caring staff continued to be in contact and helped her pull through the tough times. Now, as the city begins to reopen, Jolene sees light at the end of the tunnel – and is proud and grateful for the resilience of her nursing team and the relationships she’s built along the way.

As many across our community look to thank nurses this week, we celebrate our Foundling nurses—both past and present—for the commitment, compassion, and care they provide to those we serve.

May 11, 2021/by Elefant Design

Blog, Partnerships

‘We are Intertwined,’ Our Exclusive Wine, Returns for 2021!

Each year, City Winery creates an exclusive wine to benefit our shared community, with a percentage of proceeds donated directly back to The Foundling. Just in time for summer, our wine is returning with two great ways to show your support: order We Are Intertwined, a 2019 “Rosé of Press,” in select New York City restaurants – or purchase online to enjoy at home!

Learn more here

May 6, 2021/by Elefant Design

Child Welfare, Media Coverage

Bronx Times: DA Clark and Community Advocates Announce “No Hit Zone” Campaign in the Hub

Bronx Times reports the recent Bronx “No Hit Zone” campaign, spearheaded by Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark and community leaders including Dr. Mel Schneiderman, Aenior Vice President of The Foundling’s Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection. As part of the campaign, a variety of stores in the area known as the Hub—where East 149thStreet, Willis Avenue and Third Avenue meet—have agreed to be designated “No Hit Zones.”

Read more at Bronx Times

May 6, 2021/by Elefant Design

Child Welfare, Media Coverage

Press Release: Bronx DA Darcel C. Clark, Community Leaders, and Child Protection Experts Announce “No Hit Zone” in The Hub

The Bronx District Attorney’s Office has announced a new “No Hit Zone” awareness campaign to help reduce child abuse in the borough.

As Dr. Mel Schneiderman, Senior Vice President of our Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection stated in the press release, “The New York Foundling is thrilled to participate in the No Hit Zone initiative and commends the Bronx DA’s office in their efforts to create an environment of safety for children and families. The New York Foundling has been dedicated to protecting and supporting New York’s children for over 150 years. Through our Fontana Center for Child Protection, we work tirelessly to reduce child maltreatment, and are involved with many local and national efforts to reduce the reliance on and use of corporal punishment. We are proud to partner with other agencies and offices across the city to work toward this mission.”

Read the full press release here

May 4, 2021/by Elefant Design

Health and Behavioral Health, Media Coverage

MedPage Today: Op-Ed – Can Kids Ever Be Kids Again?

Nandini Ahuja, MSW, a licensed therapist in our School Based Mental Health program, discusses the long-term mental health impacts that the past year may have on young people in our community.

“Since March 2020, my colleagues and I have worked day and night in partnership with parents, teachers, principals, medical experts, caregivers, and other trusted leaders to make sure students stay afloat. And what I can say is this: every adolescent and young adult has felt the negative and harsh impact of this horrific pandemic, and regardless of how they have coped for the last 12 months, they will face further challenges in their return to normalcy, whatever that may look like,” she writes.

Read more at MedPage Today

April 30, 2021/by Elefant Design

Health and Behavioral Health, Media Coverage

City & State: Ruth Gerson Featured in 2021 Nonprofit 40 Under 40

Ruth Gerson, MD – Senior Vice President of Mental Health Services at The Foundling – was named one of City & State’s 2021 Nonprofit 40 Under 40 Rising Stars!

Read about her successes below:

After working in the children’s psychiatric emergency room at New York University Langone Health for many years, Ruth Gerson says she transitioned to The New York Foundling because she wanted to prevent the kinds of crises that were landing kids in the emergency room.

When she joined The New York Foundling, Gerson started out supervising the psychiatric services for children in foster care and has since helped oversee the organization’s clinic in East Harlem that provides resources for children not in foster care as well.

“It’s not just ‘Come into my office for 45 minutes a week and I will support your child.’ It’s let me support the whole system that’s surrounding you and all of the places that you go,” says Gerson, who describes the organization’s approach as holistic.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Gerson says The New York Foundling has expanded its grief services and provided more services available directly within the community.

“We went from being an organization that had done almost no telehealth, to providing almost all of our services via telehealth in an incredibly short amount of time,” Gerson says.

Outside of her work with The New York Foundling, Gerson has co-edited two books, “Beyond PTSD: Helping and Healing Teens Exposed to Trauma,” and “Helping Kids in Crisis: Managing Psychiatric Emergencies in Children and Adolescents.” Gerson also teaches at NYU School of Medicine, where she is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Read more on City & State

April 26, 2021/by Elefant Design