Weekly Buzz 9/27: MercyFirst, Services for the UnderServed, Union Settlement

* MercyFirst welcomed Second Lady Karen Pence to its Syosset campus to see the work of its Art Therapy Department. She viewed the art exhibit, previously on display at the United Nations in June 2017, Hope Holds No Borders: Children’s Art of Compassion and Inclusion. After viewing the artwork, Pence participated in an art activity created by the youth. The image of a cardinal, representing the state bird of Pence’s home state of Indiana was painted alongside MercyFirst’s dove logo. Pence then joined Eileen McGann, Director of the Arts and Creative Therapies, in an art therapy experiential and reviewed a case summary to explore how our program positively impacts the MercyFirst youth. The visit concluded with Pence being led on a tour of the campus, including the recently created meditation labyrinth garden. Pence presented MercyFirst with a watercolor of the Capitol building that she painted herself. See a White House readout of her trip.

* Services for the UnderServed hosted its annual Luncheon to celebrate the harvest of its eight urban farms, which every year engage over 500 New Yorkers impacted by homelessness, poverty, addiction, and disability in New York City. Through their work on the urban farms and gardens, urban farmers gain employable skills, generate income, build self-esteem, and enjoy the nourishing health benefits of fresh, organic produce. At this festive event, the urban farmers shared their successful growing season through a meal, prepared and served by them, made from produce they grew on the farms.

* Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange and Sullivan is among the recipients to receive a share of $25.2 million in federal funding awarded to the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services, through the Opioid State Targeted Response grant program administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of the grant is to increase access to treatment, reduce unmet need, and reduce overdose-related deaths in 16 New York State counties identified as having a high need for response to the problem of opioid use disorder.

* GallopNYC announced the appointment of five new members of its Board of Directors and two new members of its Council of Advisors. Joining the Board of Directors are Gavin Case, Gregory Hackett, Paul Hinton, Natalia Kory, and Julie Napolitano. The new members on the GallopNYC Council of Advisors are Iris Gold and Ken Paterno. Case is the Director of Global OTC Regulatory Compliance at Macquarie Group, New York. Gregory Hackett is the head of Commercial Real Estate Principal Finance, RBC Capital Markets. Paul Hinton is the parent of a GallopNYC rider, Sammy. Natalia Kory is the Chief Technology Officer in the Legal Department of JP Morgan Chase. Julie Napolitano is a Cross Asset Solutions Strategist at Bunge, LTD. Iris Gold, Director of Compliance at Barclays, grew up in New York City and learned how to ride at Lynne's Riding School, now GallopNYC Forest Hills. Ken Paterno is a Strategist in Financial Services at Barclays.

* Gay Men’s Health Crisis honored multitalented performer Kathy Najimy with the 2017 Howard Ashman Award for her contributions to the LGBT community and the fight against HIV/AIDS at Joe’s Pub in New York City. Najimy has been an outspoken advocate for more than three decades and has promoted social justice throughout her career, which includes the films Sister Act and Hocus Pocus and Off-Broadway acts including Kathy & Mo. Proceeds from the cabaret will directly support GMHC’s programs and services, which benefit more than 12,000 clients living with or affected by HIV/AIDS every year.

* More than 4,000 New Yorkers laced up their running shoes on Sept. 16 to support New York City children at the 13th Annual Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City Race for the Kids – part of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play. Avid runners, beginners and walkers hit the pavement in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park at the USATF-certified 5K run/walk. The family-friendly race raises awareness of the importance of mentoring and generates critical funds to support the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City. BBBS of NYC raised nearly $500,000 at this year’s Race for the Kids – part of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play. The funds will help provide one-to-one mentoring relationships for at-risk youth throughout the five boroughs who need positive role models in their lives. Since its inception in 2004, the race has raised more than $7 million, enabling BBBS of NYC to provide mentors and resources to thousands of young people throughout the city each year.

* To improve their ability to support people with developmental disabilities in Orange and Sullivan Counties, The Arc of Orange County (Newburgh, NY) and Sullivan Arc (Monticello, NY) announced that a resolution was approved during a board meeting on Sept. 20 to merge in 2017. The unification will help both organizations respond to a difficult economic and public policy environment that has placed new demands and fiscal constraints on all organizations that support people with developmental disabilities. The Arc of Orange County and Sullivan Arc are both Chapters of NYSARC, Inc. NYSARC is the largest family-governed nonprofit organization supporting people with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities in New York State.

* The Office of Mental Health announced that New York is the only state in the nation to have received a grant award from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Zero Suicide grant program. The award of $3.5 million over five years will help implement and strengthen the state’s suicide prevention efforts. SAMHSA received more than 120 applications from eligible parties, which included states and US territories, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, community-based primary care or behavioral health care organizations, emergency departments and local public health agencies. Only three applications were approved for awards; New York was the only state to win an award, the largest of $3.5 million.

* On Thursday, Oct. 5, the Women’s City Club of New York will host a forum to discuss the implications and consequences of the New York Constitutional Convention, which is on the general election ballot in New York this November. In advance of Election Day on Nov. 7, WCC is hosting this program to help the public better understand the implications of a Constitutional Convention which would revise the founding document of New York State. Panelists at the forum will discuss the implications of the ballot, such as the fact that a convention allows for elected officials to propose amendments or even rewrite the entire state constitution. Supporters maintain the convention would allow thorny issues avoided by the state Legislature to be addressed, while opponents maintain it could chip away at revered protections.

* Last weekend, 24 teams from the biggest firms on Wall Street took part in “Compass,” a highly competitive, puzzle-solving scavenger hunt across New York City, to benefit the youth served by Good Shepherd Services. The event, organized with Pine River Capital, raised approximately $750,000 to support Good Shepherd’s youth programs serving 30,000 NYC children and families each year. “Compass,” formerly known as “Midnight Madness,” began at Pier 46 and sent twenty-four teams from Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, JPMorgan, Barclays, Credit Suisse, Citi, Bridgewater Associates, BNP Paribas, SECORr, Bloomberg LP, and others throughout Manhattan and on to the Intrepid to solve mind-bending location-based puzzles.

* Innovative approaches to economic development, cultural expression and health are at work in 23 U.S. communities with The Kresge Foundation’s investment of $4.6 million in grants to develop pioneering food-oriented initiatives, which included a grant to Placeful Company in New York. Nonprofit organizations and coalitions from across the nation will be awarded $200,000, two-year grants to implement neighborhood-scale projects that increase equitable economic opportunity for residents by using an approach that blends health, community development and Creative Placemaking.

* Flood resiliency in New York City took a big step forward as a $40-million resiliency project broke ground in Manhattan’s West Village. Westbeth Artists Housing, the Greenwich Village “home to the arts,” and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and the Community Preservation Corporation announced the start of construction on a massive project to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy and to fortify Westbeth for future natural disasters. Westbeth provides artists affordable live and work space at its historic site at the former Bell Laboratories campus in the West Village, on the corner of Bethune and West Streets.

CAREER MOVES:

* Union Settlement, the oldest and largest social service provider in East Harlem, announced three new senior staff appointments – Rich Bengloff as the new Chief Financial Officer, Chanda Hill as the new Director of Early Childhood Education, and Bonnie Miller-Ladds as the new Director of Mental Health. Bengloff most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer for Goddard Riverside Community Center and also previously served as Chief Financial Officer for WNYC Radio. He is currently an Adjunct Instructor at both Hunter College and at the Fordham University Graduate School of Business. He served on the Union Settlement Board of Directors from 2001 to 2009, including a period as Assistant Board Treasurer, and has worked at Deloitte, Sony Music and Time Warner.

GRANTS AND FUNDING:

* The Dammann Fund is accepting applications from Mental Health, Teen Pregnancy organizations. Established in 1946, the Dammann Fund is committed to using its resources for the support of qualified charitable organizations operating programs in New York City, southwestern Connecticut, and Charlottesville, Virginia, with a focus on mental illness or teen parenthood. Mental Health grants support programs that foster living or independent living for the mentally ill. Teen Parenthood grants support programs that enable development of parenting skills in young parents. Three-year grant amounts are determined on a project-by-project basis. Grants are not made to individuals and they are not made for capital or annual campaigns, endowments, loans, conferences or travel. See the Dammann Fund Foundation for complete program guidelines, information about previous grant recipients, and application instructions.

* Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation announced the fourth and final round of deadlines for competitive grants in 2017. Covering the period from Sept. 15 through Dec. 31, the fall cycle of deadlines is open to regional nonprofits, schools and individuals. The Wassermann-Streit Y’diyah Memorial Fund supports projects that encourage learning about Judaism and help dispel religious intolerance. Grants of up to $500 will be awarded. Applications are due Nov. 1. The application process for all grants is online at www.berkshiretaconic.org/SearchGrants.