Happy New Year! On behalf of Children’s Aid, I hope that you all had a peaceful holiday with friends and loved ones. As we close the door on 2008, this past year proved to be a banner year for the Associates Council. With each passing month, our members reignited the flame of leadership and innovation as they enthusiastically announced to the world that the AC was here to stay and firmly re-established Children's Aid at the forefront of developing leaders for the 21st century. Some highlights included:
The AC Goes Viral: Using online networking communities such as Facebook, Idealist, and LinkedIn, along with creating videos for sites such as YouTube, the Council continued to recruit individuals interested in becoming “CAS champions”.
Getting Serious with the Social Issues & Advocacy Committee: This committee allowed the Council to educate the public about key issues directly affecting the children and families served by The Children's Aid Society. In October 2008, a forum was held to discuss the topic of NYC Teens Living in Poverty. Experts from the areas of Education, Medicine, and Advocacy gathered to discuss this serious problem and provide both solutions and ways for the public to get involved to affect a change. Past topics have included: “The State of Education in NYC” and “Early Child Care in NYC”.
The Tradition Continues…Annual Toy Drive Party & Happy Hours: The Associates Council continued the rich tradition of past members by taking the lead in organizing various events to serve as fundraisers supporting the work of some of our programs. This included hosting the Annual Toy Drive Party that provides toys and gifts for hundreds of children during the holiday season. Since 2007, more than $10,000 in donations has been raised and over 700 new toys collected and distributed to the kids. Also, the Associates Council organized a series of successful Happy Hour Mini-Fundraisers to benefit the popular Saturday Outings program. In that time, over $6,000 was donated by friends and supporters to continue this program at three Harlem locations.
“The New Fall Classic”: 1st Annual Back-to-School 3-on-3 Youth Basketball Tournament: This newly conceived event drew over 150 teen boys & girls representing several CAS locations, along with teams from the Boys Club of New York, Alianza, and Harlem Children’s Zone. The event raised over $4,000 to support Children’s Aid youth and teen programming.
While this was a fantastic year...2009 promises to be even better!
This year we are going to be taking our mission "to develop champions that will convey the mission of the organization through both their words and deeds” to the next level and engaging our members in a wider variety of projects and signature events...such as:
KidVisits: Spend a few hours in the company of new friends and colleagues enjoying a show or concert featuring the kids of Children's Aid.
InsideCAS: Visit a Children's Aid location and gain in-depth knowledge & information about the various programs and services offered by Children's Aid..directly from the people in the field.
We will also be bringing back a few of our signature events such as:
Social Issues & Advocacy Forums: In early March, we are planning a discussion on the challenges facing "Teens Aging Out of Foster Care". We will spotlight this issue and offer the a series of solutions for the pubic to get involved in making a difference in the lives of these young adults.
Themed Mini-Fundraisers: These smaller social networking events offer you the opportunity to support Children's Aid programs while spending a few hours laughing, smiling, dancing, eating, drinking and having a fabulous time.
Whether you have not attended a meeting in a while or not at all...I invite you to attend our next meeting on Tuesday, January 13th and hear about all of the great things in store for 2009.
See you then!
Scott J. McLeod
Director, Office of Volunteer Services
The AC Goes Viral: Using online networking communities such as Facebook, Idealist, and LinkedIn, along with creating videos for sites such as YouTube, the Council continued to recruit individuals interested in becoming “CAS champions”.
Getting Serious with the Social Issues & Advocacy Committee: This committee allowed the Council to educate the public about key issues directly affecting the children and families served by The Children's Aid Society. In October 2008, a forum was held to discuss the topic of NYC Teens Living in Poverty. Experts from the areas of Education, Medicine, and Advocacy gathered to discuss this serious problem and provide both solutions and ways for the public to get involved to affect a change. Past topics have included: “The State of Education in NYC” and “Early Child Care in NYC”.
The Tradition Continues…Annual Toy Drive Party & Happy Hours: The Associates Council continued the rich tradition of past members by taking the lead in organizing various events to serve as fundraisers supporting the work of some of our programs. This included hosting the Annual Toy Drive Party that provides toys and gifts for hundreds of children during the holiday season. Since 2007, more than $10,000 in donations has been raised and over 700 new toys collected and distributed to the kids. Also, the Associates Council organized a series of successful Happy Hour Mini-Fundraisers to benefit the popular Saturday Outings program. In that time, over $6,000 was donated by friends and supporters to continue this program at three Harlem locations.
“The New Fall Classic”: 1st Annual Back-to-School 3-on-3 Youth Basketball Tournament: This newly conceived event drew over 150 teen boys & girls representing several CAS locations, along with teams from the Boys Club of New York, Alianza, and Harlem Children’s Zone. The event raised over $4,000 to support Children’s Aid youth and teen programming.
While this was a fantastic year...2009 promises to be even better!
This year we are going to be taking our mission "to develop champions that will convey the mission of the organization through both their words and deeds” to the next level and engaging our members in a wider variety of projects and signature events...such as:
KidVisits: Spend a few hours in the company of new friends and colleagues enjoying a show or concert featuring the kids of Children's Aid.
InsideCAS: Visit a Children's Aid location and gain in-depth knowledge & information about the various programs and services offered by Children's Aid..directly from the people in the field.
We will also be bringing back a few of our signature events such as:
Social Issues & Advocacy Forums: In early March, we are planning a discussion on the challenges facing "Teens Aging Out of Foster Care". We will spotlight this issue and offer the a series of solutions for the pubic to get involved in making a difference in the lives of these young adults.
Themed Mini-Fundraisers: These smaller social networking events offer you the opportunity to support Children's Aid programs while spending a few hours laughing, smiling, dancing, eating, drinking and having a fabulous time.
Whether you have not attended a meeting in a while or not at all...I invite you to attend our next meeting on Tuesday, January 13th and hear about all of the great things in store for 2009.
See you then!
Scott J. McLeod
Director, Office of Volunteer Services
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