IN 2022, OUR 432 MISSION-DRIVEN STAFF ACROSS 7 PROGRAM AREAS... • Provided loving foster homes and family reunification services to 346 children. • Helped 183 children and teens with treatment in our residential programs. • Kept 387 at-risk children out of foster care and at home safe with their families. • Provided 270 unaccompanied migrant children with safe shelter. • Celebrated the adoption of 6 foster youth into forever homes. • Kept 233 children with serious medical and mental health needs healthy and safe. • Taught 21 teen moms the skills needed to enhance their parenting skills and increase self-reliance.
SHIRT WITH A MESSAGE A recent art therapy session led one of our START with Hope youth (our program for unaccompanied migrant children) from Afghanistan to design a #LETAFGHANGIRLSLEARN t-shirt to express his belief that Afghan women need education and the same rights as Afghan men, which is not the case in his country of origin. During the shirt-making process, the youth, his translator and his art therapist discussed the changes since the Taliban took over, including women losing the right to go to school and work, and the feelings of sadness and despair around the loss of women’s rights in that part of the world. The youth is hopeful that his “t-shirt with a message” will help raise much-needed awareness for women in Afghanistan.
CARING FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES SINCE 1894 WINTER 2023 NEWSLETTER- PRINT EDITION A message of thanks from the CEO: Greetings Friends, We are pleased to bring you our annual “Thank You” winter newsletter following a busy season of giving. It is an opportunity to share our gratitude in writing with those who made donations of so many kinds over the holidays and beyond. It is because of your partnership and incredible generosity that our children, youth and families feel important, loved and celebrated each year. In addition to thanking you for supporting the good work being done at MercyFirst, we are also delighted to share a cross section of news from the agency. The articles enclosed spotlight several of our seven program areas across our fifteen locations, as we remain committed to serving children and families in need throughout Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island. I hope you enjoy the pictures and stories of success and hope, and for more MercyFirst news, make sure you are signed up for our digital newsletter (send an email to ksneden@mercyfirst.org) or follow us on social media. @MercyFirst
@mercyfirst_ny
@Mercy_First
Sincerely,
Renée Skolaski, President/CEO
MARCH 15, 2023: Youth Art Exhibit, MercyFirst Syosset Campus MAY 15, 2023: Fore the Kids Golf Outing, Brookville Country Club OCTOBER 26, 2023: Angel of Hope Gala, Rainbow Room, NYC
SCHOOL MURAL CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH Youth and staff from our Art & Creative Therapies Program collaborated on creating a chalkboard mural in honor of Black History Month and in celebration of some of the great black leaders of our time. The mural includes Katherine Johnson, Shirley Chisholm, Martin Luther King Jr., Chadwick Boseman, Madam C.J. Walker, Barack Obama, Ruby Bridges and Serena Williams, each of whom had people who believed in them and encouraged them to believe in themselves and go one to do great things. At MercyFirst, we believe in our youth and encourage them each day to shine brighter than the sun!
Join us! Contact: Kerri Sneden, ksneden@mercyfirst.org
Administrative Offices 525 Convent Road, Syosset, NY 11791 www.mercyfirst.org Follow us: MERCYFIRST, A SPONSORED MINISTRY OF THE SISTERS OF MERCY, INSPIRES HOPE AND PROMOTES HEALING FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES BY PROVIDING QUALITY HUMAN SERVICES AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES WHILE ADVOCATING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE.
CONEY ISLAND POLAR BEAR PLUNGE! Thank you to MercyFirst Board Member, Scott Gildea, and his friend Steve Kuhl, for completing their annual Polar Bear Plunge for MercyFirst! This year marked the 10th Anniversary of the first plunge which, combined, has raised over $200,000! Funds raised from the Polar Bear Plunge support MercyFirst’s range of programs that serve children and families in need across Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, and give them the tools and care for a brighter tomorrow.
Scott Gildea (left) and Steve Kuhl (right) at Coney Island.