Fundraising and Fun

The Associates Council Events Committee has started off 2009 in style! Our "Love's Hangover" happy hour at Union Bar (NYC) served as a mini fundraiser and brought out members of the volunteer community and the CAS executive office, staff and board members. Thanks for all the AC members who helped get the word out and brought friends. Thanks also to all those who manned the door and greeted potential new members. Happy Hours are a great opportunity to introduce CAS to the community and to meet up with your friends from the AC who you might not get to see as much as you would like.

Please check out the CAS website for the next happy hour and come out for a great time for a great cause! We party with a purpose!

Looking ahead, we are in the midst of planning our Spring Fling event. We are gearing up for a great event, much like the Toy Drive in 12/08. We're in the planning stages, but there's still time to join the planning committee. Maybe you can secure a great venue, a great raffles prize, or other sponsor. In this difficult economy our fundraising efforts are even more important to the continuation of CAS efforts. We're looking for creative people who have creative ways to fundraise while having fun. If you'd like to help, please contact: scottm@childrensaidsociety.org or maliap@childrensaidsociety.org.

Get ready for a great events year with CAS and the Associates Council!

Contributing Writers: Amy Kohn, Meita Harahap

AC President Speaks

The Associates Council is constantly changing. So much so that it seems hard to keep up when you turn away for just a moment. We are a dynamic group of volunteer leaders inspired to make a positive impact in the lives of NYC kids, teens, and young adults, and our diverse passions and interests drive the AC forward in myriad directions.

Already this year we’ve partied in Union Square and learned about the “foster care to prison pipeline” and what one ambitious CAS center in the Bronx is doing to combat this tragedy. We’ll next tackle the housing crisis that has gripped the nation, clean up our schools and community centers, and wrap up the season with a Spring Fling celebration.

As stewards of the Children’s Aid Society, AC members are always ready to pitch in and answer CAS’s call for help. Often times, what CAS needs most is money to run its programs and support its children and their families. This has never been more true than now. Whether we’re reaching into our own pockets, hosting fundraisers for our friends, families, and colleagues, or reaching out to those who can donate in-kind goods and services, we’re always looking for fun and innovative ways to champion the spirit of CAS and ensure that every child has the opportunity he or she deserves to flourish.

The AC has something for everyone, and we welcome you to join us at any of our events or monthly meetings. We’ll see you soon!

Cheers,
Hannah Thonet
AC President

Photograph Contributed by Devyn Fomer.

Aging Out of Foster Care

If you are looking for a glimpse of hope in the fight to help the 20,000 youth that will be released from foster care system this year, you need look no further than The Children’s Aid Society’s Next Generation Center (NGC). On Thursday, March 5, 2009, the Associate Council’s Social Issues and Advocacy Committee hosted a forum on the topic of Aging Out of Foster Care, with NGC’s director, Lynne Echenberg as the keynote speaker.

Youth aging out of foster care face poverty, homelessness and the criminal justice system. NGC, is a one-stop center designed to meet the needs of young people transitioning to adulthood and self-sufficiency. The mission of NGC is to provide support, guidance, training and opportunities to young people, ages 14 to 24, in the Bronx — with a special focus on youth in foster care and those who have aged out of foster care. These youth often struggle with homelessness, have trouble accessing healthcare and experience extreme financial hardship. As Lynne explained, the child welfare system is often not equipped to address the needs of those young people not connected to either school or labor force and who have no social safety net.

However, through the work of NGC and passionate leaders like Lynne Echenberg, foster care children are making smoother transitions to adulthood. NGC assists this target population through housing assistance, job placement, access to its lending library, college counseling, youth leadership programs, health services, culinary arts, dance, vocal coaching, spoken word/creative writing, among others. The center currently services over 1,000 young people and its focus is on comprehensive one-on-one engagement, whereby these young people form a personal and lasting relationship with staff. One of the main objectives of the center is to always be there for these young people no matter the situation they find themselves in.

At the end of the discussion, a couple of action points were introduced such as 1) becoming a foster care parent, 2) hiring these young people if an individual is an employer capable of doing that, 3) as well as donating to the center or supportive housing programs.

If you are interested in helping children in foster care visit the Children’s Aid Society’s website at http://www.childrensaidsociety.org/.

- To learn more about becoming a foster parent:
call 212-949-4962; in Spanish 212-949-4905.

- To Hire a Teen - contact Unique Morris, Employment Coordinator.
uniquem@childrensaidsociety.org or 718-589-4441.

- To make a donation:
call 212-494-4936 or visit us online at www.childrensaidsociety.org/donate.

Also, remember to check the Children’s Aid Society’s website to hear about more events hosted by the Associate Council’s Social Issues and Advocacy Committee.

Contributing Writers: Devyn Fomer and Alma Subasic.

Photograph Contributed by Ben Russell.