News 12 Brooklyn reported on Vital Brookdale, our new supportive housing complex serving those aging out of foster care and those with developmental disabilities.
In their video report, the news crew speaks to Foundling staff member Cathy Branche and resident Patricia Jackson – who speaks to the complex’s focus on accessibility and best serving the needs of its community.
Since 2006, Camp Felix – our overnight summer camp – has provided a safe space for those in our programs to explore, grow, and learn. As our experts have stated, camp provides an invaluable opportunity for children and teenagers to navigate social interactions, learn to problem solve, get physical exercise, and have new experiences. For young people in the child welfare system, camp also provides an opportunity to get away from the pressures of their daily lives – and to simply be a kid.
Even during the height of the pandemic, we never stopped providing camp magic for the young people we serve: we created the virtual Camp Felix @ Home in 2020, and hosted a limited half-capacity season in 2021. These were wonderful experiences that allowed our campers to enjoy activities and camaraderie while staying safe and healthy – yet nothing can compare to the experience of staying in a cabin away from home, participating in a variety of activities, and bonding with fellow campers.
This year, we’re proud to share that Camp Felix has returned to its former glory, with a full camp season serving 140 campers!
Because camp was held at a new location this year – Camp Linwood MacDonald in New Jersey – Camp Felix campers were able to enjoy the amenities and perks of a larger campsite. Campers used their journalism skills to publish a newsletter for the first time, and had the opportunity to try new on-site activities, such as lake swimming, kayaking, ziplining, fishing, archery, rock climbing, and more!
Camp Felix’s annual Open House – where Foundling staff and stakeholders tour the grounds, enjoy a meal, and watch a talent show created by the campers – returned this year, allowing campers to show off their singing, dancing, and poetry skills.
Both staff and campers enjoyed the experience. “I loved seeing the kids have fun this summer,” said one camp counselor. “It was a great experience to be around kids that [may have not had] a positive role model in their life, and be that person that they look up to.” As one parent shared, “[My daughter] enjoyed every part of [camp], and talked about it for days after coming home.”
Additionally, we launched a new specialty camp this year – Camp Felix Pride! Designed to be an inclusive and enriching experience for LGBTQ+ youth, 22 campers attended the 1-week session in Connecticut. Special activities included karaoke, biking, yoga, and a dress-up drag night.
We have high hopes for the future, and are excited to provide even more Camp Felix programming in the months ahead. This year, we will be hosting year-round recreational activities, field trips, holiday celebrations, a Youth Council, and other events to provide meaningful opportunities for our young people to connect with each other throughout the school year.
Camp Felix is made possible with the support of our partners at The Felix Organization, with special thanks to the American Foundation of Savoy Orders.
ABC 7 recently covered the opening of our Vital Brookdale supportive housing complex, highlighting the project’s role in providing housing for people with developmental disabilities and young adults aging out of foster care – allowing them to live independently and thrive.
Watch the video below to see the units and hear from Anthony McQueen, a resident with developmental disabilities who is proud to have moved into his new home.
At The Foundling, we believe that anyone – regardless of age, circumstance, or location – has the potential to make a difference in the world.
Lucy Musler, a 14 year old student from Issaquah, Washington, is a shining example of this. This past spring, she was assigned a school project in her 8th grade Language Arts class – prompted by the book “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton – to create a plan to help those who lack support systems within their communities. The project resonated deeply with Lucy, and she created a detailed plan to raise money to donate supplies to children in foster care. While her teacher did not expect Lucy to execute her plan, Lucy was determined to see it through. Lucy created a GoFundMe, shared her story, and set a goal of $400. Ultimately, she far exceeded her goal, raising a staggering $3000, which she donated to The Foundling and other organizations that support children in foster care and preventative services.
Lucy and her family are overjoyed by the success of the campaign, and grateful for the generosity that has come out of this project. She recently visited New York City for the first time on a family vacation, allowing Lucy to feel a deeper connection to her fundraising work. As she prepares to enter high school this fall, she looks forward to using her compassion and motivation to help others in the future.
We did a short interview with Lucy – read more about her experience and connection to The Foundling below!
For your school project, you created a plan to help kids in foster care, and then you made it happen! Why is this cause important to you?
I’m lucky to have a happy family and a roof over my head, but I’m a teenager; a lot of the foster kids I read about are my age. It could easily be my friends or my classmates. That’s what makes this important to me.
After you decided you wanted to support foster youth, what next? What were your steps for starting this fundraiser and reaching out for support?
My initial aim was a fundraiser held inside of my school, so I pitched my ideas to the school fundraising committee. When that turned out to be a dead end, I decided to take the project to the internet. From there, I selected the organizations, formulated a budget, and set up the GoFundMe.
What advice would you give to someone else trying to fundraise for a cause they care about?
Cliché, but my advice would be to not give up. I felt pretty stuck after my first plan failed, but if I’d quit then, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what I have.
You recently found out you have a family connection to The Foundling. Did you know that when you first decided to start this fundraiser? Did learning about your family history change your perspective?
My Gruncle (great uncle) Tom told me that my great, great grandpa was cared for by The Foundling after I had already chosen it as one of my organizations, and I found it to be a pretty beautiful coincidence. I hope my donation to The Foundling can also be a thank you for creating my family, as well as many others.
Have you been involved in community service in the past, or is this the first time you’ve done a project to help others? Would you do other things like this in the future – and if so, do you have any ideas of what you’d like to try next?
I haven’t been involved in community service in the past, but I plan to in the future. I’m a strong writer, so I’ve thought about doing some essays. However I do it, though, I definitely want to use my skills and privileges to help others. Making an impact in the world is important to me.
Is there anything else that you would like people to know about you or this project?
I just want to shout out Ms. Kwok, the teacher who assigned this project and made it all possible. She’s a great teacher and a truly kind person.
Inspired by Lucy’s story? You too can support the children, adults, and families in our programs:
Peer to Peer (P2P) fundraising allows passionate individuals to raise money on behalf of an organization through personalized giving pages that they share with peers – friends, family, coworkers, and other contacts.
There are many reasons to create a P2P fundraising page, including:
Join other fundraisers on The Foundling’s dedicated P2P platform– JustGiving – by clicking ‘Fundraise for Us.’
For questions or additional information on P2P fundraising for The Foundling, reach out to Laura Wright at Partners@NYFoundling.org or 212-886-4087.
The news coming out of the Supreme Court regarding gun rights is difficult to process. At The Foundling, most of us have spent significant time and resources trying to combat our city’s growing gun violence crisis, whether it be here at work, or at home in our own communities. Many of us have been directly affected by New York’s gun violence epidemic, making this all the
more personal and painful; the communities we hail from, and the communities we serve, are often the most impacted by violent crime, and gun violence is no exception.
We can all agree that what this city needs is less access to firearms, not more. And we can all agree that, as we continue to experience increased instances of unprovoked and often hate-driven violence, the knowledge that there might be more guns on our streets is unsettling.
We stand with Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams in opposition to this ruling, and will continue to fight to combat gun violence and violence in any capacity in our city’s streets. At The Foundling, we know how much we can accomplish through anti-violence initiatives at the community level, and how much good can come from getting people the support and resources they need to be able to thrive. We will continue to serve our communities and find creative solutions to the many public crises we currently face, in an effort to make New York City safer for everyone.
In an editorial co-written by our CEO and President, Melanie Hartzog, and Jennifer Geiling, CEO of Union Settlement, these two nonprofit leaders make the case for a greater investment in the city’s social service workers. They note that “Contracted nonprofits rely on government funding, with contract revenue representing upwards of 90% of many budgets….And without our hardworking and highly-skilled team members- our counselors, our health workers, our classroom teachers and aides — nonprofits and the city have no ability to deliver. Humans are of course at the core of human services.”
“With growing inflation and compressed salaries, our workforce is facing an increasingly steeper climb to build a better future for themselves and their families,” they write. “Wage increases for the social services workforce in New York City is a critical step toward wage equity and financial stability.”
Skye Ostreicher speaks to our CEO & President, Melanie Hartzog. They disucss how she parlays her government experience into the nonprofit sector to help provide social services in New York City, the upcoming opening of our Vital Brookdale supportive housing, and more.
Read more on City & State, or watch the video below:
Bill Baccaglini, The Foundling’s former President & CEO, appeared at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service this week. He was conferred an honorary doctorate of humane letters, as well as gave a commencement address to this year’s class of nearly 500 graduates.
“You don’t do this because it’s easy. You’ve chosen to do this because it needs to be done,” he said in his address. “We’ve seen enough suffering to know that the true heroes are those individuals who believe that the highest calling and greatest gift is to have the opportunity and ability to improve the lives of those around them.”
Mentors Taina and Thania have led Youth on the Rise participants on excursions to mini-golf, bowling, restaurants, and more – facilitating powerful bonding experiences.
The Foundling’s Youth on the Rise program allows young people in foster care to create transformational relationships with caring mentors – and create strong bonds that can last through high school, college, and beyond.
The program is novel in a few key ways: young people not only meet regularly with their mentor one-on-one for support and guidance, but have the opportunity to collectively decide upon and participate in enriching group excursions throughout the city.
Adolescents and young adults in care often need support, guidance, and community. The program is tailored to the unique needs of this population, and provides encouragement and resources so these young people can achieve academic, vocational, and personal goals – while also immersing them in new experiences and building a strong peer community.
January is National Mentoring Month – we’re excited to take the opportunity to highlight this amazing program, and showcase the dedicated staff and participants that make Youth on the Rise possible.
What does mentoring mean to them? Hear in their own words:
“Mentoring means being able to build a relationship with youth and being able to provide them with resources they might not usually have access to. We specifically assist youth transition into young adults through advocacy and helping them learn to advocate for themselves.”
– Tiana, Mentor
“For me, being a mentor means being a positive role model who helps youth both see and achieve their full potential. It means that regardless of what is going on in the world around us, I am a safe space that will listen without judging, educate without belittling, and advise without parenting. In my role, I’ve had the opportunity to advocate for specialized services for my youth, ensure that students graduated on time/were promoted to the next grade, and offer support throughout the pandemic. I help youth navigate through adulthood and growing pains, while providing them with the cheat codes to success.”
– Ayana, Mentor
“Being a mentor means being able to give to the youth of today what I received when I was their age. For me, it’s all about the ability to help guide them, instill wisdom, be understanding, and provide consistency and acceptance. Every day, I assist in shaping the youth of today, one person at a time. I allow them to make their own decisions based on what’s best for them and advocating for them where needed. I once had a mentor during my time in high school and they guided me through so many rough patches. Without them, I would have gone into social services or would have found the career I have. I owe everything to my mentor for believing in me and providing me with wisdom.”
– Jose, Mentor
“A mentor to me is an individual who provides guidance and support in developing the mentee’s goals and skills. However, being a mentor in foster care, you are that and much more. Since you are able to connect with the youth consistently, it helps promote a positive role model in their life. Many of our youth have not experienced a consistent adult in their life, so for our youth we are more than a professional development resource point. We are their safe space that helps them strengthen their voice and be heard.”
-Thalia, Mentor
“As a mentor, I have been able to embrace our youth on a different level that has taught me more about myself. We all need support from time to time and our kids are no different. Being their mentor has taught me to be patient and loving.”
– Khristian, Mentor
“Having a mentor means that there will always be someone there to help you with your work, support you, and give you fun activities.”
– Michael, Participant
Nehemiah
“Having a mentor means having someone who guides me, gives me advice, and helps me with my goals and future.”
-Nehemiah, Participant
Cassandra and Marquise
“Having Khristian as a mentor is inspiring and beneficial because Khristian is another support system. [With Youth on the Rise], I’ve went to American Dream Mall, bowling, cooking class, and to Prospect Park. When we were on these trips, Khristian took time to get to know me more and check on me to see how my week had been.”
– Marquise, Participant
“Khristian has been a great inspiration for Marquise. Khristian is kind, easy to talk to, and a young man I admire. I wish we had more young men like him (he reminds me of my son).”
– Cassandra, Foster Parent
When Nina opened her home as a foster parent to two siblings, she committed to making them feel safe, secure, and loved. The Foundling provided guidance, intensive therapy services, and more to support her and the children as they healed from past trauma and adjusted to a new environment.
Nina, Grace, and Logan are now a thriving family – and with adoption paperwork finalized last year, they will have each other for a lifetime. “They’re biological siblings, and it’s amazing that they get to be together – I think they feel blessed, and I also feel blessed,” says Nina.
But they couldn’t have reached this point without supporters like you. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on the generosity of our community to fund our vital services. We provide tools, resources, and support to 30,000 children, adults, and families across New York City and Puerto Rico – and with the events of the past year, this support is more crucial than ever as we work to move forward.
This is what supporters like you make possible – ensuring that children, adults, and families across New York City and Puerto Rico have the safety, support, and resources to succeed. We help our community overcome challenges – from new foster parents opening their homes to adults with developmental disabilities seeking employment – and your help is what allows us to guide these neighbors along their paths to success.
Today is Giving Tuesday – a global day of giving to charitable causes. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on the generosity of our community to make our vital programs possible. And with the events of the past year, this support is more crucial than ever as our neighbors work to recover and move beyond the pandemic. Donations are tax-deductible, and every dollar can provide crucial support to a family in need. Together, we can partner to make a difference.
Make a donation today and give children, adults, and families across New York and Puerto Rico the gift of opportunity:
$1,000 can fund 4 months of therapy for a family in need
|
 $500 can underwrite a day-long group outing in the community for adults with developmental disabilities
|
$100 can provide holiday gifts for 10 children attending Haven Academy
|
Interested in other ways to support The Foundling this holiday season?
© 2023 New York Foundling, Inc • 501(c)(3) • Tax ID #13-1624123
Terms of Use • Internet Privacy Policy • Notice of Privacy Practices • Financials • Report a Concern • Spanish • Website by Elefant
