Promise in Action
What’s Inside 2 From the CEO
3 Living the Children’s Aid Mission
4 Looking Ahead
5 Outside the Classroom
December 2025
From the CEO Dear Friends, As the year comes to an end, I am reminded of the growth, resilience, and possibilities that define our work at Children’s Aid. This month, we celebrate milestones that reflect the heart of our mission – giving children, youth, and families the support they need to thrive.
Phoebe C. Boyer Children’s Aid President and CEO
Promise in Action A publication of Children’s Aid, helping children in poverty to succeed and thrive.
Children’s Aid 117 W 124th Street, 5th Floor New York, NY 10027
Jill Olson Chair Phoebe C. Boyer President and Chief Executive Officer
Erica Jade Mullen’s remarkable 15-year journey with Children’s Aid exemplifies the power of committed donors and volunteers. From her early involvement volunteering at program sites to supporting our annual benefit, Erica’s dedication has made a lasting impact. This December, she and her husband began a new chapter as foster parents, opening their hearts and home to children in need – a true testament to the transformative power of generosity and care. Across our city, students are stepping up as changemakers. At Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, students are using their voices to advocate for their communities – from Albany advocacy trips to rallies at City Hall, and from student government leadership to organizing events like the Peace Block Party and Opportunity Fair. Their energy, creativity, and courage inspire all of us and remind us why our work matters. We look back on a remarkable night at our annual benefit, where the generosity of our supporters raised vital resources for children and families. And we look ahead to the East Harlem Center groundbreaking—a celebration of our enduring partnership with a community we’ve been proud to stand beside for 70 years. This new facility will open even more doors to education, health, and enrichment in one of our city’s most vibrant neighborhoods. Thank you for being part of this journey. Your support makes these stories possible and fuels our work every day. Together, we are helping children imagine – and achieve – a brighter future. With gratitude,
Caroline Gallagher Chief Development Officer Anthony Ramos Vice President, Marketing and Communications ChildrensAidNYC.org 212.949.4936 Children’s Aid | SPRING 2020 2 Children’s Aid | December 2025
Phoebe C. Boyer President and Chief Executive Officer
On the Cover: Students and staff celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Children’s Aid East Harlem Center.
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Living the Children’s Aid Mission
Promise in Action Erica Mullen with her husband Paul Mishkin and their three children.
At Children’s Aid, our work would not be possible without the amazing people who dedicate their time, energy, and resources to support our mission. Their generosity is at the heart of what we do, allowing us to support countless families and build stronger communities across New York City. Longtime supporter and advocate Erica Jade Mullen embodies the impact our committed partners have on our children and families. Erica and her husband, Paul Mishkin, first joined Children’s Aid more than 15 years ago, inspired by the organization’s history and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference for local families. Since then, her involvement has grown in remarkable ways. Erica has supported our programs as a volunteer, including the Thanksgiving dinner at our Dunlevy Milbank Community Center, and as a member of Children’s Aid’s former young professionals volunteer group, the Associates Council. As a committee member for our annual benefit, she helps to make the event a success every year. Most importantly, she has become a passionate advocate for our organization, sharing Children’s Aid’s mission with her friends, family, and professional network.
When asked about a particular program that inspires her, Erica points to our community school model, which brings families, educators, and community resources together to support students both inside and outside the classroom. “I love how it’s a truly well-designed team effort to meet families’ needs,” she says. Reflecting on what she has learned at Children’s Aid and her experience working for the Department of Social Services, Erica believes that education and opportunity are the most powerful tools we can offer young people. “Every child deserves the chance to dream and to build a better future,” she explains. “Just one opportunity can completely change the direction of a child’s life for the better, and we owe it to them to provide that opportunity.” Erica and Paul are taking another meaningful step toward supporting local families as they begin their journey as foster parents. In 2025, Children’s Aid provided stable homes for nearly 1,000 children and youth through our foster care program. We are grateful to have Erica and Paul join this program and offer critically needed support to young people in care.
Executive Update Phoebe Boyer was selected for City & State’s 2025 Women Power 100 list, for her positive impact and influence on the lives of New Yorkers as the president and CEO of Children’s Aid. Jagmeet Singh joined Children’s Aid as the new Vice President of Financial Systems. Jagmeet brings more than 12 years of nonprofit finance experience, specializing in financial operations, internal reporting, and leveraging technology to improve efficiency. Children’s Aid was recognized by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development during NYC Nonprofit Week for its impactful work serving nearly 50,000 children, youth, and families every year.
We thank Erica for all that she continues to do in support of Children’s Aid and her fellow New Yorkers! December 2025 | Children’s Aid 3
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A Center Built for the Future On October 20, Children’s Aid proudly broke ground on a new, state-of-theart East Harlem Center, a project years in the making and deeply rooted in our organization’s commitment to the community. For more than seven decades, Children’s Aid has served East Harlem families from this site. However, the nearly 100-year-old building required significant repairs and modernization. The new center will allow us to continue the legacy of the East Harlem Center in a modern, expanded space designed to meet today’s needs and tomorrow’s possibilities.
Children’s Aid leaders celebrate the groundbreaking with some of our partners.
At 19,000 square feet, the new center is nearly twice the size of the former facility and represents a tremendous expansion of the services we can offer the neighborhood. Once complete, the new East Harlem Center will provide young people and families a welcoming, vibrant environment featuring: • Modern classrooms for education and enrichment • A basketball court for sports and physical fitness • A gymnatorium—a flexible, multi-purpose space for performances, assemblies, activities, and community events This project is a shared community victory. It reflects the passion and dedication of countless partners, supporters, and community members who helped bring this vision to life. Their commitment ensures that East Harlem’s young people will have a place to learn, play, and grow for generations to come. We are deeply grateful to everyone who made this milestone possible.
Tune in to the official Children‘s Aid podcast for heartfelt stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and a celebration of lives transformed.
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Empowering Student Voices
At Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, our community school in the Bronx, empowering young people to speak up and speak out is at the heart of everything we do. From the moment students walk through the doors, they are welcomed into a culture that values connection and the idea that every young person has something important to say. Teachers and students greet each other by first name, creating a warm, community-focused environment that encourages authenticity and trust. This environment leads to something powerful: students who feel valued become students who get involved. Strong relationships built over time inspire young leaders to step forward, take initiative, and use their voices to shape their school experience. One of the clearest examples of this is the school’s active student government. Consisting of passionate youth leaders, the group advocates for their peers and represents the student body in meaningful ways. Every year, new students take on leadership roles, ensuring a continual cycle of fresh perspectives and growing confidence. Fannie Lou Hamer students lead a national workshop discussion on youth leadership.
These leaders are given the opportunity to take their voices into the world. During Advocacy Day in Albany, students meet with lawmakers to speak about the importance of community schools and the critical wraparound services they provide. They have also spoken on the steps of City Hall about how these programs benefit not only themselves, but their families and communities.
Student-led activities fill the school calendar. One long-standing tradition is the Peace Block Party launched to strengthen community bonds. Students bring the event to life by designing invitations, recruiting speakers, and partnering with local organizations. The annual Opportunity Fair draws representatives from trade schools and colleges. Similar to the Block Party, the students run the event from start to finish by designing flyers and invitations, setting up tables, and guiding visitors through the building. The fair provides a chance to demonstrate leadership in action, and it is changing the way students see themselves. These efforts often propel students into real-world success. One recent graduate took advantage of programs like the Summer Youth Employment Program and an internship at Madison Square Garden. He currently attends Babson College and earned a job with the Boston Red Sox through the connections he made. He credits his experience at Fannie Lou Hamer with helping him build confidence, network with mentors, and learn to put himself out there. Every event, every rally, and every accomplishment traces back to the same idea that students who know their voices matter will rise to meet extraordinary opportunities. At Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, Children’s Aid is proud to nurture a place where those voices learn to lead. Children’s Aid | SPRING 2020
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15th Annual Children’s Aid Benefit Highlights Children’s Aid hosted its 15th Annual Benefit at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan, where nearly 400 attendees celebrated the organization’s long legacy of service to New York City’s youth and families. The event honored The Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation for their century of support for the organization’s mission. This year’s Benefit raised more than $2.2 million – the highest in the event’s history.
Photo Key: 1. Guests from Visa hop aboard the subway-themed step-and-repeat for a memorable photo. 2. Keynote speaker and parent Fanta Fofana moves the crowd with her family’s Children’s Aid story and call to “give generously.” 3. From left, honoree representative William Dodge Rueckert joins youth cohosts Carlos Perez and Kamara Fields, keynote speaker Fanta Fofana, alumni speaker Brian Polanco, and Children’s Aid President and CEO Phoebe Boyer for a photo.
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4. From top left, Trustee Jose Tavarez, Board Chair Jill Olson, Brian Olson, Jordi Tarroch, Trustee Lauren Melkus, Dr. Saadi Ghatan, Courtney Carrera-Ghatan, Julie Kling, and Carlos Quintero are all smiles during the dinner break. 5. Go!Chefs students proudly serve their fresh Apple Pico de Gallo to guests. 6. From left, Jacob Tenner, Ana Zeigler, and Benefit Host Committee Members Lauren Miller and Patricio Barnuevo arrive in style at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. 7. Chris Bhutani, Sandy Coughlin, Benefit Host Committee Member Kevin Reda, Delaney O’Dowd, and Michelle Arechiga, strike a pose at cocktail hour. 8. Guests rally to auctioneer Lucas Hunt’s call, driving record-breaking fundraising.
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Photo Key: 9. The Dunlevy Milbank Community Center celebrates Lights On After-School, a national celebration of the power and promise of after-school programming.
13. A Goldman Sachs volunteer demonstrates the joys of reading to students at our Frederick Douglass Community Center.
10. Jay Ensor runs the TCS New York City Marathon as the top fundraiser of Team Children’s Aid.
14. Peter Cappio and Sonia Horton represent Team Children’s Aid in the TCS New York City Marathon.
11. Parents and children attend a family movie night at the Whitney Young Jr. Campus community school in the Bronx.
15. A student at the Lexington Academy in East Harlem displays their artwork at the “I Am NYC: Community Drawing Together” art show.
12. Students from Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, a Children’s Aid community school in the Bronx, talk with NBC’s Al Roker during the live broadcast of the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Ceremony.
16. The NYC Department of Youth and Community Development recognizes Children’s Aid during NYC Nonprofit Week for its work serving children, youth, and families.
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