fbpx

Nicole was 14 years old when she entered The Foundling’s Young Mother’s Program. Unsure of her future, Nicole credits The Foundling for teaching her how to be the best mom possible.

 

Today Nicole has a successful career as a property administrator in New York City and her son is in college while working part time. And in 2012 Nicole joined The Foundling’s Junior Board to give back to the organization that supported her and her son 20 years ago.

 

 

Stories like Nicole’s demonstrate courage, strength and resiliency. They keep us inspired to work harder so we can continue to reach more families, more children, and more individuals in need of our services.

 

Please donate to our 2015 annual appeal so we can keep helping people like Nicole.

We owe our success to you and need your support now more than ever.

 

On behalf of the 30,000 children and families we proudly serve each year, thank you for your support!

Jake is a tutor with The Foundling’s Road to Success program, which was created in response to the growing need for tutors to help children in foster care stay engaged in school despite challenges at home.

 

Thanks to committed donors like you, Road to Success tutors have provided over 2,900 hours of private tutoring throughout New York City at no cost to foster parents.

 

Your contribution to our 2015 annual appeal gives children in foster care what they need the most: stability.

 

In the video below, Jake explains how Road to Success works and the admiration he feels watching his students show up with enthusiasm each week, even when the going gets tough.

 

 

Please add a donation to The Foundling to the list of gifts you’ll be giving this holiday season. We owe our success to you, and need your support now more than ever.

Today is #GivingTuesday, a worldwide celebration of generosity and telling others what causes and organizations matter to YOU!

 

The Foundling has a long history (146 years) of giving back to the community and helping children, families and individuals. Whether it’s placing a child into an adoptive home or ensuring that a struggling student doesn’t give up on themselves, The Foundling offers help where it is needed the most.

 

As The Foundling’s annual appeal video series continues, we invite you to meet Tajuana, a foster parent to her younger cousins with special needs. Please click on the image below to watch this short video.

 

 

Join The Foundling Family this #GivingTuesday and be a part of an organization that has been transforming lives every day since our founding in 1869.

 

 

Spread the news that you donated to @TheNYFoundling this #GivingTuesday with an announcement on your favorite social media page!

Thanksgiving is a time when family and friends gather to continue old traditions, start new ones and create memories that will last a lifetime. It’s a day filled with love, warmth and gratitude.

 

In the next installment of our video series, you’ll meet a woman named Judy and her son Manuel, age 14, who she recently adopted and hear about Manuel’s very special act of thankfulness.

 

 

We hope you’ll be inspired by Manuel’s act of kindness and contribute to our 2015 annual appeal.

 

The NY Foundling 2015 Annual Appeal Make a Donation

Blog Post 2

In this 6-part series, Dr. Baker will provide a summary of the topics discussed in the book.

 

Bonded to the Abuser: Part 3

 

Not all childhood maltreatment is physical or sexual. Some parent hurt their children’s bodies and some parents hurt their children’s psyches. The third type of childhood maltreatment discussed in Bonded to the abuser: How victims make sense of childhood abuse” is emotional abuse. According to the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children there are six types of psychological maltreatment, four of which are forms of emotional abuse. These are caregiver behaviors that result in a child feeling unloved, of no value, and only of worth in meeting another’s needs. Twelve memoirs written by adult survivors of childhood emotional abuse were summarized and analyzed for this chapter of “Bonded to the abuser.”

 

At the heart of each story of emotional abuse is a parent whose heart is not in the right place, a parent who – because of depression, mental illness, or addiction is too self-absorbed to be emotionally present and consistently loving to her child. In these stories the emotionally abusive parents varied in their educational background, socio economic status, cultural affiliations, professions, and lifestyles. What they shared, however, was their overwhelming inability to recognize and act on the fact that their children were separate people with their own experiences, perceptions, and subjectivity. In other words, they met the definition of a “traumatizing narcissist.”

 

As a result of the emotional abuse by a parent, the children absorbed three important lessons about themselves and their place in the world: I am not accepted for who I am, I am not safe, and I am not important. In this way, parental acts that fall within the category of emotional abuse can penetrate the very being of the child and shape their sense of who they, casting a long shadow on their lives.

 

The New York Foundling’s Dr. Mel Schneiderman and Dr. Amy Baker are the authors of “Bonded to the Abuser: How Victims Make Sense of Childhood Abuse” – available May 16th. To purchase or view the book on Amazon.com please click here: Bonded to the Abuser: How Victims Make Sense of Childhood Abuse

 

To visit the author’s website: http://www.amyjlbaker.com/

 

Acknowledgments: Selected by Rowan and Littlefield for a book signing at the 2015 Book Expo of America

Blog Post 2

In this 6-part series, Dr. Baker will provide a summary of the topics discussed in the book.

 

Bonded to the Abuser: Part 2

 

The second set of memoirs summarized and analyzed in “Bonded to the Abuser: How Victims Make Sense of Childhood Abuse” focus on sexual abuse of a child by a caregiver. Sexual abuse is both a criminal act and a child protection concern. From a child protection perspective, sexual abuse is defined as A) the employment, use, persuasion, inducement, enticement or coercion of any child to engage in or assist any other person to engage in, any sexually explicit conduct or simulation of such conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct or B) the rape, molestation, prostitution, or other form of sexual exploitation, or incest with children. It is this last part of the definition that is reflected in the memoirs reviewed: sexual acts between a parent and a child.

 

An analysis of six memoirs written by adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse reveals that – in addition to often being frightening and painful – the most profound aspect of the experience is that it violates the child’s basic sense of trust and safety. The parent who should be protecting the child takes advantage of the child’s trust in him. In involving the child in sexual acts, the parent is warping the child’s identity as damaged and dirty, guilty, and shameful. According to the adult survivors, while the sexual abuse event may be of limited duration, the “stain” of the abuse can last for years if not decades. The desire for the atonement of the abusive parent is in many respects an illusion which maintains that parent’s power and control over the abuse victim. Healing begins when the abuse victim (as a child or as an adult) forgives and accepts him- or herself and no longer needs the abusive parent to serve that function.  

 

The New York Foundling’s Dr. Mel Schneiderman and Dr. Amy Baker are the authors of “Bonded to the Abuser: How Victims Make Sense of Childhood Abuse” – available May 16th. To purchase or view the book on Amazon.com please click here: Bonded to the Abuser: How Victims Make Sense of Childhood Abuse

 

To visit the author’s website: http://www.amyjlbaker.com/

 

Acknowledgments: Selected by Rowan and Littlefield for a book signing at the 2015 Book Expo of America

 

You, members of The Foundling community, have stood up and supported our kids, teens and adults this year in an unprecedented way. Thank you for helping to ensure that each of them knows success in their education and beyond. 

 

Header-image 

If you missed any of our featured individuals, or just want to re-watch your favorite, check out our blog or click below!

 

Jayana – A happy 4th grader at Haven Academy, who wants to be a surgeon when she grows up.

 

Tatyana – Jayana’s sister, also in 4th grade at Haven Academy, Tatyana plans to be a social worker so she can help people.

 

Jamel –  Already a leader at 16, Jamel has a bright future ahead of him. 

 

Keydra – A 19-year-old high school student in the Bronx looking to make herself a career in clinical psychology.  

 

Jennifer – A Foundling tutor and mentor, making a difference in the lives of her students, like Emely.

 

Emely – A college freshman taking care to find the path meant for her…with some help from her Foundling tutor Jennifer.

 

Today is your last chance to make a donation in 2014!

 

Meet Keydra. A 19-year-old high school student in the Bronx, Keydra struggled academically but with the help of Lauren, her Foundling tutor, Keydra improved her grades, earned good scores on her Regents Exams and enrolled in an SAT class at Fordham University. Keydra says that Lauren has been really helpful in all areas of her life.

 

The Foundling’s tutoring program has given Keydra the motivation to further her education. She is considering several colleges and has high hopes for her future. In fact, Keydra wants to become a psychiatrist because “she loves kids and helping people.”

We hope you’ve enjoyed meeting Jamel, Tatyana, Jayana, Emely, Jennifer and Keydra through our appeal this year. you can see all of their videos here – /tag/annual-appeal-2014/

If you’re as impressed as we are by the courageous individuals featured, now is the time to make a gift to The Foundling’s Annual Appeal.

Remember, TODAY IS YOUR LAST CHANCE to make a contribution and receive a 2014 charitable tax deduction. All donations made today will be matched dollar for dollar up to $150,000 by a Foundling board member AND matched again by a Foundling junior board member up to $5,000.

 

Happy New Year!

4th and 5th grade scholars from Haven Academy are featured in a commercial for the New York Lottery as part of the Gamble for Good campaign

Skip to content