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Newsletter Winter 2012

  RideConnect

 Staff members from RideConnect serve as personal assistants and direct callers to the fastest, most cost-effective transportation option that will meet their needs. The call center, (914) 242-7433, is staffed from Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm. In addition, the program’s website, www.rideconnectwestchester.org, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.   To learn more about the program or volunteer to drive, call Karen Ganis at (914) 864-0955 or email kganis@fsw.org

Read article from the Journal News

The Junior League of Central Westchester  (JLCW) has chosen FSW to receive its Community Partner Award at their 65^th Anniversary Gala on March 16, at Lake Isle Country Club.  Lights, Camera, ACTION! is the title of this red-carpet themed event and will feature dinner, dancing, and an auction. 

Since 2003, JLCW has been an active partner with FSW.  Under the leadership of their presidents and community development directors they have focused the energies of their talented members and material support on a range of targeted projects.  In 2007 they initiated the Head Start- Family Literacy Fair that built children’s literacy, engaged parents and grandparents in the excitement of reading and learning and created amazing opportunities for family education.  Hundreds of volunteer hours have gone into the planning and implementation of these events.  In typical Junior League style, committee and subcommittee members, chairs and co-chairs create, outreach, write, plead, build, move, manage and donate to produce spectacular experiences for children and their families.

For more information about JLCW and the benefit, visit their website at www.jlcentralwestchester.org

Read the recent article appearing in Scarsdale 10583

The Junior League of Westchester on the Sound (JLWOS) is holding a special Spring Fling fundraiser on March 31st honoring five Sound Shore Superwomen and we are proud to include Deborah Blatt of Family Services of Westchester in this prestigious group.  Her tireless volunteer work as founder and coordinator of The Sharing Shelf reflects our belief statement of improving the lives of women and children in the Sound Shore communities. The program has grown over just a few years to provide clothing to more than a hundred children each month from more than 20 different programs and social service agencies in our area.  JLWOS is pleased to recognize the outstanding achievements of inspiring women like Ms. Blatt.

 To find out more about JLWOS go to www.jlwos.org

 Family Services of Westchester extends its deep appreciation to the Junior Leagues for their service to the community and our heartfelt thanks for recognizing the work that we do as well.

                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.

The Sharing Shelf Relocates to Port Chester;

Now Supplies Clothing to 115 Children Monthly

 The Sharing Shelf, a clothing distribution program run by Family Services of Westchester, has relocated to a new site in Port Chester. The new location, a warehouse at 47 Purdy Ave., provides a loading dock, parking lot, more storage space and a real sign, notes Deborah Blatt, Coordinator of The Sharing Shelf. “I am thrilled that the program is now located in a centralized, accessible location, making it easier for parents to drop off their gently used clothing and for social workers from FSW and nearby agencies to  pick up sorted packages of clothing for their clients,” adds Blatt. Shortly after the move to the larger site, FSW and The Sharing Shelf received an offer of 40,000 new diapers. “We can accommodate this type of donation in our new site,” notes Blatt. “It’s our goal to be able to distribute large donations like this and become a program that agencies can rely on to provide clothing and other basics for children in need.” 

When Blatt began operating The Sharing Shelf in October 2009, the program was operating out of a basement in a building in Rye, serving about 30 children a month mostly through social workers in three agencies. Last January, the program began operating out of classrooms in the basement of Young Israel of New Rochelle and steadily grew from there. By December 2011, the program was providing clothing to 115 children a month, working with more than 20 social service agencies in the distribution process. During August and September of 2011, Blatt and her volunteers also packed and distributed 200 supply-filled backpacks to needy students around the county.

“We are really pleased with the number of families The Sharing Shelf is able to help,” notes Lynn Green, Vice President of Development for FSW. “Poor families often can’t afford new clothing for their children as the seasons change or as the kids outgrow their wardrobes, so Deborah and her team of volunteers are really serving a need.”

Right now, The Sharing Shelf is in need of winter coats (all sizes) and of winter clothing sized 4T through 7. Several items are needed for the new space, including heavy duty shelving; rolling coat racks, garment boxes and strong hangars (plastic or metal). “Finally, we need to pay our rent – it’s our largest and most basic expense,” says Blatt, who volunteers more than 20 hours a week to run The Sharing Shelf.

To donate clothing or volunteer to sort clothing, you can contact Blatt at thesharingshelf@fsw.org. To make a financial contribution to The Sharing Shelf, follow this link: http://www.fsw.org/about-us/info/donate.

                RYE  — Approximately 150 people attended a recent lecture and luncheon at the Coveleigh Club hosted by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Family Services of Westchester.  Author Lucia Greenhouse read from her book, “fathermothergod: My Journey out of Christian Science” at the luncheon. Greenhouse talked about the challenges of growing up in a home with two Christian Science parents who did not see the need for medical assistance even when her mother developed cancer.   “Christian Scientists believe that the material world is not real and that includes physical illness,” noted Greenhouse.

                Another highlight of the luncheon took place when Barbara Mautner of Ossining and Nancy D’Alessandro of Tarrytown talked about being matched as “Big” and “Little” sisters, respectively, by BBBS of FSW in 1974. Both women talked fondly of the lifelong bond they have shared since that point.

                Family Services of Westchester established the county’s Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate in 1958. Operating out of five locations in Westchester, BBBS oversees more than 200 matches. The program runs innovative school and workplace mentoring sites that serve 95 young students. In addition, approximately 10 children of incarcerated parents are mentored through NYCOP – New York Children of Promise.  In 2006, BBBS of FSW was one of 35 chapters out of 471 to receive a “Best All-Around Performer” award.

                As with many chapters, BBBS of FSW has a wait list of children hoping to be matched with a mentor. Male mentors in particular are needed for the approximately 50 children on the agency’s waitlist. Each match costs $2,300 to implement so donations are also needed.   Marsha Tom, Director of BBBS of FSW, encouraged the audience members to work with the organization to improve the lives of children in the county. “Accept the responsibility for just one child,” urged Tom.   

 You can show your support of Big Brothers Big Sisters by taking part in the bookfair at Barnes & Noble on December 14.  If you can’t go to the store on Central Ave. in Yonkers, you can participate online.

Pelham Churches and Synagogue Create 300 Thanksgiving Boxes for Family Services of Westchester Clients

                PELHAM – Members of three churches and one synagogue in this town have banded together to collect food and create 300 Thanksgiving Boxes for needy families working with Family Services of Westchester.  Members of Huguenot Memorial Church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH), St. Catherine’s Rectory and Pelham Jewish Center worked together this year to collect the Thanksgiving Boxes, which provide enough food for a family of eight. This Pelham Thanksgiving Drive began five years ago when parishioner Tina Constable of the Huguenot Memorial Church spearheaded the effort. Members of Pelham Jewish Center and OLPH joined the campaign last year and this year,  parishioners from St. Catherine’s participated as well.

                On Wednesday, families from FSW’s locations in Pelham, Mount Vernon, Port Chester and Yonkers lined up eagerly awaiting their Thanksgiving Boxes.  “We are humbled by the willingness of so many members of the Pelham community to participate in this annual Thanksgiving Drive,” says Susan B. Wayne, President and CEO of Family Services of Westchester.   “In this tough economy, we see poverty levels in so many communities rising so we are particularly grateful to those who provide these wonderful meals for our clients.”

                Family Services of Westchester is a non-profit agency founded in 1954. Through its 50 social service and mental health programs, the organization serves 30,000 people a year. To learn more about the agency’s services, check out its website at www.fsw.org.

Press Contact: Colleen D. Gardephe, cgardephe@fsw.org, (914) 305-6836

Swiss Re Donates 314 Thanksgiving Boxes to Family Services of Westchester  Clients

                ARMONK – For the sixth year in a row, employees at Swiss Re, a global reinsurer with headquarters for the Americas in Armonk, worked together to create hundreds of Thanksgiving Boxes for needy families served by Family Services of Westchester.  165 employees created 314 boxes for this year’s drive, which was spearheaded by Deborah Bernard, Vice President of Finance, and Leslie Cassale, Vice President of IT. The two women started collecting donations and planning food purchases in August. Swiss Re made a corporate contribution of $4,000, which was supplemented by $3,300 in food and cash donations from individual employees. Each box costs about $23 to put together and included enough food to feed a family of four for the Thanksgiving Day weekend.  Four boxes of food, formula and paper goods were also given to Head Start families, who along with program participants in Early Head Start, Universal Pre-K and Prime Time Special Ed Preschool in White Plains as well as Early Childhood Respite in Yonkers, were the beneficiaries of the Swiss Re Thanksgiving Drive.

“We are thrilled that so many Swiss Re employees are willing to participate in this worthwhile effort  every year,”  says Bernard, who began the initiative in 2005 with the collection and purchase of enough food to fill 85 boxes.  “I think our employees realize how this tough economy has had a negative impact on needy families and are grateful to have the opportunity to make a contribution,” adds Bernard.    

                “In these difficult times, when corporations, like families and nonprofits, are facing financial challenges, job lay-offs and budget cuts, the generosity of Swiss Re employees in the Thanksgiving Day drive for FSW families is inspiring and humbling,” says Gerry Goldberg, Director of Volunteers and Development Outreach.

Family Services of Westchester is a non-profit agency founded in 1954. Through its 50 social service and mental health programs, the organization serves 30,000 people a year. To learn more about the agency’s services, check out its website at www.fsw.org.

Press Contact: Colleen D. Gardephe, cgardephe@fsw.org, (914) 305-6836