A generous Challenge Grant of $1,000,000 from The Lanza Family Foundation has launched THE CENTER FOR ALL AGES CAPITAL CAMPAIGN.  FSW seeks donors who share our vision and a love of innovation to help us meet this challenge.

Family Services of Westchester’s Center for All Ages will break new ground as a multigenerational center bringing children, teens and seniors together at one site to participate in programs and share experiences, just as they would in a family.  Located in White Plains, NY, our Center will be an Early Learning site where toddlers and pre-schoolers will be prepared to start school ready to learn and parents will develop strategies to help their children succeed.  For teens, it will be a home base where they can enjoy healthy recreation after school and on weekends, engage in community and hone their leadership skills.  And for older adults, it will provide socialization and stimulation in a homelike, safe environment, answering the growing need in Westchester for quality programs that keep older adults healthy, safe and active in their home communities.

 But in addition to the individual components, complete in and of themselves, the Center for All Ages will replicate the award-winning Intergenerational Community we helped create in Mount Kisco, NY, to bring diverse age groups together, fostering opportunities to make cross generational connections, new friends and create fond memories. Participants interact during regular planned intergenerational activities, as well as through informal encounters during the course of the day.  Children, teens and older adults garden together, sing songs together, enjoy occasional meals and special events together and take pleasure in a wide variety of activities that allow them to break down age barriers and form lasting impressions.   

Download the Center for All Ages Brochure

Yes, I would like to contribute to the Campaign.  Download the Pledge Card.

For more information about The Center for All Ages, please contact
Lynn Green, lgreen@fsw.org or 914-305-6875

To read the article, click here

To read the article about Susan Wayne, click here
To read about Tony Lembeck, click here

YOUTH LEADERSHIP (led by Youth Council teens)                                                                     
COLLEGE & CAREER  (led by PACE)
SEXUAL HEALTH (led by Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic)                                                   
MEDIA & SELF-IMAGE  (led by Youth Council teens)
NONVIOLENCE   (led by Westchester Dr. Martin Luther King Institute for Nonviolence)                

                                                                              HEALTHY DATING/DATING ABUSE (led by My Sisters’ Place)
                                                                              EMOTIONAL HEALTH (led by Youth Council Teens)
                                                                              ANTI-BULLYING   (led by Youth Council teens)
                                                                              ENDING “ISMS” & STEREOTYPING  (led by Youth Council teens)

 Deadline to register is by April 25^th.  Please note: Pre-registration is required in order to participate.  Youth Action Convention Flyer. Free lunches will be provided.  Please call (914) 872-5224 with any questions. 

 FSW receives no government funding for this program and relies solely on the contributions of individuals as well as private and corporate foundations for its support.  With increasing competition for private foundation and corporate dollars, this year we are eager to increase the proportion of funding from individuals donors to fill a projected budget shortfall.  Won’t you help us?  The cost for one individual to attend camp for one week and to participate in year-round follow-up activities is $1,200—a cost that has not risen in many years thanks to the commitment of our dedicated volunteers.  Your contribution today will support a life-changing opportunity.

 Camp is held at  Ramapo Anchorage Camp in Rhinebeck, New York– a year-round camp for special needs children with superb facilities including a brand new arts and crafts center, a state-of -the-art indoor gym (complete with a rock climbing wall, several ropes challenge courses, basketball courts and a large general space for competitive games), as well as refurbished living facilities. All of the typical camp activities are available: arts and crafts, sports, games, nature walks, treasure hunts, swimming, and boating.   Campers also participate in numerous activities that build team spirit and a sense of accomplishment including water sports, team sports and a sophisticated ropes course. Many of our campers have never experienced these kinds of outdoor activities, having lived most of their lives in inner city environments.  In addition, Camp Viva offers an opportunity to participate in educational support programming tailored to our campers’ special needs, which enables them to live more healthfully and to become advocates for behavior that reduces the spread of HIV/AIDS. 

 We are thrilled that Camp Viva’s On-Site Activities Director, Tony Lembeck, one of the camp’s founders and a tireless volunteer ever since, is to be honored at our upcoming STAR Gala on April 25^th.   Tony’s strong commitment, powerful example and unbridled enthusiasm have earned him the nickname, Papa Viva. Please help us honor Tony by making a donation to Camp Viva and enable an individual in need to attend and benefit from camp this summer.

On March 24, nearly 160 guests attended “La Dolce Vita,” a fundraising dinner for Family Services of Westchester’s My Second Home, an award-winning intergenerational adult day program.    “We are so excited about the success of this wonderful dinner, which exceeded our wildest expectations,” notes Rina Bellamy, Director of My Second Home.  The $70,000 in proceeds from the event will enable more older adults with Alzheimer’s and other aging challenges to

Co-Chairs Stephen and Christy Ruvituso

benefit from this intergenerational program, which brings them together with the children in the adjacent Mount Kisco Child Care Center  several times a day for arts and crafts, music, cooking, etc. “The dinner co-chairs, Christy and Steve Ruvituso, did a fantastic job securing wonderful auction items, and our honorees, Frank and Cassie Kernan, were so deserving of the recognition they received,” adds Bellamy. Churchills, an upscale boutique in Mount Kisco, was the Grand Sponsor of this successful event.

                Highlights of the dinner included a suspenseful “Key” raffle for a one –week vacation in a stunning Nantucket home along with several exciting Live and Silent Auction items, including Meet and Greets with Mets’ star David Wright and Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, a pair of $3,500 diamond Charriol earrings, a one-week stay in an Auckland, New Zealand Cliff Top House and a private plane ride to the Hamptons.    

The enthusiasm for the event was particularly appreciated in light of the lack of funding for programs geared to older people. “Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in this country and yet so few dollars are allocated to researching a cure or prevention for this disease,” notes Christy Ruvituso, co-chair of the dinner and an intern at My Second Home. Indeed, less than three percent of all philanthropic support in the United States goes to supporting the country’s aging population.

                My Second Home was established in 1998 as a social model adult day program, one that offers a joyful, cost-effective alternative to nursing home care.  The program has won six national and local awards in recent years and has been applauded by researchers at Fordham University for the benefits it offers both the children and older adults who interact with each other every day.   

All of the La Dolce Vita photos are available at Fairfield County Look

Michael Kernan, Steve & Christy Ruvituso, Assemblyman Robert Castelli, Honorees Cassie & Frank Kernan

Congresswoman Sue Kelly, Ed Kelly

 

Lorraine DeMaio, Anthony & Meg Domino, Joni Ehrlich

FSW Chairman Ed Foley, Christy Ruvituso, Marie Foley, Steve Ruvituso

Junior Board Schedules Wine Tasting Fundraising Event for March 29^th at Tarry Wine Merchants in Port Chester

 Family Services of Westchester (FSW) announced today that its Junior Board has awarded $5,500 in grants from its Youth Enrichment Fund to three deserving FSW youth programs: Community Residence for Children and Adolescents, the Westchester County Youth Council, and Social Stars.  The funds were raised by the Junior Board members and donations from Westchester County residents and corporate partners. 

 Founded in January 2011, the FSW Junior Board is a group of Westchester County residents dedicated to promoting the FSW mission and increasing awareness of the organization’s youth programs through a variety of educational, entertaining and service initiatives.  The Junior Board also manages a Youth Enrichment Fund, which provides supplemental funding to FSW’s youth programs.  In its inaugural year, the Junior Board raised over $20,000 for the Fund.  Grants are awarded to FSW programs several times a year. Following are details on the Fund’s three inaugural grants:      

• Community Residence for Children and Adolescents consists of eight emotionally disturbed adolescent males (ages 12-19).  FSW’s Junior Board’s grant of $2,500 funds an educational and fun filled weekend trip to Washington DC for the eight residents and four staff. 

• Westchester County Youth Council is a countywide, youth-led, multi-issue volunteer program for youth ages 10-14.  FSW’s Junior Board grant of $2,500 funds the Youth Council Mentorship project, which links members of the Junior Youth Council (ages 10-14) with 10 young leaders (ages 14-18) who are active members of the Senior Youth Council and organizes activities for the mentors and mentees.

• Social Stars is an after school program designed specifically for children between the ages of 5-12 who struggle with serious mental disorders.  FSW’s Junior Board mini-grant of $500 funds field trips for seven children in the Social Stars program to go to the Bronx Zoo and the Queens Hall of Science.   

“On behalf of these program leaders and the many youth who participate in them, we thank the Junior Board and their supporters for their generosity,” said Susan Wayne, President and CEO of FSW. “There is a significant need among the youth of Westchester for social and mental health services, and we are pleased to help meet that need with innovative and engaging programs.  These are meaningful gifts that will have a real and positive impact on each of the children in the programs.”   

 ”We are thrilled to support these tremendous youth programs and enable them to give the children a unique, special experience,” said Amy Kerrigan Cole, Co-Chair of the Junior Board.  “For a county with so much wealth, it is disturbing how many Westchester youth are living at or below the poverty line and suffering without the support of their community.  FSW helps fill that void with enriching programs – from gang prevention to mentoring services.  We are very grateful to all of our supporters, and we look forward to awarding more grants to FSW’s youth programs in 2012 and the years ahead.” 

 The Junior Board’s next fundraising event will be on Thursday, March 29^th.  The Junior Board will host a wine tasting at Tarry Wine Merchants at 179 North Main Street in Port Chester, NY.  Tarry Wine Merchants, adjacent to Tarry Lodge, is Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich’s market that specializes in European wines with a strong focus on the wines of Italy.  All members of the Westchester Community are invited to attend.  Tickets for the event are $35 per person. Anyone interested in attending the event can contact Deborah Wilson at 914-305-6876 or dwilson@fsw.org.

 About the Junior Board of FSW

The Junior Board of Family Services of Westchester (FSW) is comprised of volunteers who support the Board of Directors and promote the mission of FSW through educational, fundraising and service initiatives. With a focused outreach toward the younger population of Westchester County, the Junior Board helps to raise FSW’s visibility as well as identify and connect resources to the organization.  FSW was founded in 1954 and runs more than 50 social service and mental health programs for all ages, including Head Start, Big Brothers, Adult and Youth Residences and AmeriCorps. Visit www.fsw.org for more information.

                When Christy Ruvituso, a Westchester mother of three teen-aged girls, decided to get a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Fordham University, little did she know that she would soon be implementing innovative programming at My Second Home, FSW’s intergenerational adult day program.  My Second Home shares an innovative facility with Mount Kisco Child Care Center, and the participants from both programs interact three times a day, through music, gardening, dance, and arts and crafts.  Christy had heard from Fordham faculty members that My Second Home would be an ideal internship placement. When she met Director Rina Bellamy at a statewide intergenerational meeting, the two women instantly connected.    

                In September 2010, Christy began her first internship with Margaret DeRose, a Social Worker at MSH who encouraged Christy’s efforts to initiate therapy sessions with high-functioning participants. Christy was so impressed with the program that she created a video using iMovie on her Apple computer depicting what she calls “the magic of the intergenerational approach.”  The movie was shown to scientists at the American Society of Aging National Conference in 2011, when Rina Bellamy and Dottie Jordan, Director of Mount Kisco Child Care Center, won the organization’s Mind Alert Award for their intergenerational program. 

Christy began a second internship at My Second Home this year, working with Rina and  reaching out to caregivers and families, helping them become educated about Alzheimer’s disease and their advocacy role. One characteristic that has made Christy such a stand-out intern and team member is her ability to see the need for a change and then find a way to make it happen, notes Rina.  For instance, when she saw the drivers rifling through the medical records of the participants they pick up, she thought they needed iPads so they could access any information they needed electronically. Christy held a holiday gift sale in her home and raised $5,000, enough money to purchase six iPads for the drivers. “The old approach was such a waste of paper and cumbersome for the drivers,” notes Christy.

                When Christy discovered through her academic research that older adults are more likely to remember information when they see a visual that reinforces written material, she created a “News Update” program on her iPad, using newspaper headlines and graphics she could discuss with My Second Home participants. She created another program called “America through the Decades,” which pairs historical information about a time period with easily identifiable photos from that era.
“Participants will see photos from a particular decade, and say ‘I remember that.’  It’s exciting. Even people who don’t often speak up will have that recall and become interested in the conversation,” she notes.  At a recent “News Update” presentation, Christy roamed the room Oprah-like and informed the dozen participants present about the news of the day. She also shared stories about the careers of songwriter Irving Berlin, who wrote “God Bless America,” and Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, who believes his prayer huddles with teammates have led to the team’s last-minute victories. Christy’s background and training in advertising sales make her a natural at public speaking and advocacy work.

                Christy’s latest efforts involve selling tickets and finding auction items for a fundraising dinner for My Second Home called La Dolce Vita. She and her husband, Stephen Ruvituso, are co-chairing the event, which will honor loyal supporters of MSH, Cassie and Frank Kernan.  Designed to raise money for participant scholarships, the dinner is already more than half sold even though the invitations have yet to be mailed. Christy has brought her hallmark energy and enthusiasm to the task of seeing that the dinner succeeds, lining up such exciting auction items as batting practice with Mets’ star David Wright and a private plane ride for two to Martha’s Vineyard.

                “Christy brings hope, compassion, joy, a sharp intellect and a desire to serve every time she walks through the doors of My Second Home,” says Rina Bellamy. “Christy is a change agent, and we are so blessed and grateful that she is sharing her passion for helping older adults with us at My Second Home.”

Christy’s involvement with FSW’s intergenerational program has become a family affair. Her three daughters often volunteer there on the weekends; they even created their own MSH iPad program around the holidays called “Christmas Movie Trivia.” Her husband is working alongside Christy championing the dinner and soliciting auction items from his friends and colleagues. “He is equally involved,” notes Christy.

Interestingly, Christy’s own volunteer efforts began when she attended Dominican Academy in Manhattan, when she helped out at a nursing home during her senior year.  Her grandmother developed Alzheimer’s and observing her mental decline was a catalyst for Christy’s interest in helping older adults.  “There is not enough education about Alzheimer’s, and research into the disease is so underfunded,” notes Christy.  “Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in this country and yet so few dollars are allocated for finding a cure or promoting prevention of this epidemic. If we had more early intervention through intergenerational programs like My Second Home, nursing home placement would decrease,” she notes. 
                 Christy is set to finish her Master’s Degree in Social Work in May and would like to continue her work with older adults. “I am really enthusiastic about the work at My Second Home,’’ notes Christy, who credits Director Rina Bellamy with encouraging her ideas and creating a supportive work environment.  “Rina is so gracious, and really every individual who works here is special.”

                Seventeen-year-old “Anna” was acting out, stealing and skipping school when she was placed in a girls’ group home. When she turned 18 and was released from the home, she was referred to After Care, one of three components of an important new FSW initiative called Launching Pad, designed to provide support to older adolescents and young adults (16 to 24) in Westchester who have been involved with mental health and social service programs. The goal of Launching Pad is to help these teens and young adults transition successfully to independent living. Anna’s case worker developed an excellent rapport with the teen, and helped her graduate from high school with a Regents diploma. The social worker took Anna to a college Open House and drove her to take the placement exam for the school. Anna is now registered to attend this college in the spring, an accomplishment Anna claims would not have been possible without the help of her After Care case manager. 

                “We know there is a real void in services for adolescents aging out of foster care and residential living,” notes Susan Wayne, President and CEO of FSW.  “Launching Pad provides a supportive bridge for these adolescents and young adults. It offers them the support and resources to attend college and avoid risky behaviors, such as early pregnancy, gang involvement or substance abuse.”

Family Services of Westchester recently received grants from the New York Life Foundation, the Marion E. Kenworthy-Sarah H. Swift Foundation, and the Viola W. Bernard Foundation to enhance and expand the agency’s resources for these young adults, which now fall under the umbrella program, Launching Pad. Three components comprise Launching Pad:  Aftercare, which provides counseling services for youth and their families to ease the transition out of group residences, foster care and mental health support programs to independent living; Youth Forum, a twice-weekly support group for young adults who have received mental health services. Youth Forum encourages participants to gather information and tap into resources that will help them achieve independence; and a Special Assistance Fund to allow participants to take advantage of opportunities to help them succeed in life.  This fund  covers such items such as fees for SAT/ACT college preparation courses, GED courses and tutoring; appropriate clothing for job/college interviews; and transportation costs for work or education-related travel. 

“We are so grateful to these three foundations for helping FSW create Launching Pad, which will provide much-needed support and resources to this often overlooked population,” notes Wayne. “We know this is a successful model, so we are hoping to see real benefits to the young adults served through this program.”  

 Eagle Scout Jeffrey Bosmediano knows the meaning of “giving back” to his community. For his service project for Troop 73, he chose to conduct a Holiday Toy Drive for the children in FSW’s Head Start, a program he himself enjoyed as a pre-schooler. “I still remember some of my teachers from Head Start and wanted to give back to the program,” notes Jeffrey, now a senior at White Plains High School.

 With help from his parents and Scoutmaster, Jeffrey started planning the Toy Drive in August. He and his fellow Troop members decorated several donation bins, which were strategically placed around White Plains.  He also distributed a flyer so residents could call a number and have Scouts pick up their toy donations, while 43 Eagle Scouts scoured their own homes to find toys for the cause.

“I was able to collect more than 200 toys,” notes Jeffrey.

 “The fact that after 13 years, Jeffrey chose Head Start for his Eagle Scout project is indicative of the positive experience he had when he enrolled in the program,” notes Barbara Sommer, Senior Program Director. “Because of the solid foundation Head Start had on his development, Jeffrey has become an outstanding citizen with a very bright future.”

FSW serves 194 pre-school children in its Head Start program and another 40 babies and toddlers in its Early Head Start initiative. The agency’s Prime Time program offers Speech, OT, PT, psychological and education services as well as special education evaluations to 350 pre-school children annually. This year, FSW collaborated with the White Plains City School District to offer a Universal Pre-K program that accommodates 72 children. “The need for our pre-school programs keeps growing, and luckily we have been able to meet the needs of the community and expand our offerings,” notes Sommer.