Getting Results | October 2010 by The New York Community Trust

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RESULTS

October 2010 NEWSLETTER

The October issue of our newsletter reports on the results of past grants. Most of them were made possible by individuals who set up charitable funds with us during their lifetimes or through their wills. If you would like to learn more about how to do this, please contact our general counsel, Jane Wilton, at 212.686.2563. We’ve also included reports on grants made by our divisions on Long Island and in Westchester.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 Life-Saving Drugs or Animal Feed?

4 From Convict to CEO 5 Reaching New Heights 6 Child Care Means Business 6 Winning Parity for Mental Health Coverage

7 Results In Brief 8 Striking a Chord for Children with Special Needs

9 Sharpening Seniors’ Skills, Opening Students’ Minds

10 Peconic Baykeeper:

Lifeguard of the Water

Making the Ennis Francis Houses Livable Again

he residents of the Ennis Francis Houses in Harlem had had enough. After years of neglected repairs, hazardous conditions, and rampant drug-dealing on the grounds, they convinced the U.S. Department of Housing to turn the properties—built with government money, but under private management—over to the Abyssinian Development Corporation. Grants totaling $70,000 in 2006 and 2007 to Abyssinian helped it renovate apartments and common areas; the modernization of the high- and low-rise buildings is now complete. Next, Abyssinian is planning to construct 60 units of affordable housing on a parking lot on the property. (cont. on pg. 3) A kitchen in the Ennis Francis Houses before the gut-rehabilitation led by Abyssinian Development Corporation (left), and after (right).

Life-Saving Drugs or Animal Feed? A Decade of Arming the Fight to Keep Antibiotics Working Antibiotics don’t show up on menus or food labels, but for more than two decades they have laced the food on dinner tables across the nation. Eating chickens, pigs, and cows that have been raised on feed filled with antibiotics is correlated with the development of human resistance to the drugs. After nearly a decade of advocacy by Keep Antibiotics Working: the Campaign to End Antibiotic Overuse (KAW), livestock are fed far fewer antibiotics. There is still much work to be done. When the Campaign coalesced in 2001, The Trust was there to propel its early work. Eight years and $360,000 in grants later, KAW is still the leader on this issue, and its media, advocacy, and education campaigns continue to pay off. (All Trust grants noted in blue.)

•1988

Antibiotics for breakfast, lunch & dinner As factory farms replace family farms, adding millions of pounds of antibiotics to livestock feed becomes common practice. Because of crowded and unsanitary conditions, antibiotics begin to be used to prevent, as well as treat, disease. In addition, the drugs make the animals gain lucrative weight.

•2002 •2001

Growing concern Groups including the Union of Concerned Scientists, Food Animal Concerns Trust, Environmental Defense, and Natural Resources Defense Council start Keep Antibiotics Working: The Campaign to End Antibiotic Overuse.

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Getting the ball rolling $10,000 The Trust makes its first grant to the Campaign to bring together doctors, public health experts, and veterinarians in New York and Chicago to take action.

•2002

A winning media campaign $75,000 KAW begins to bring the issue to the fore through a media campaign that results in hundreds of TV, radio, and print stories on the agricultural overuse of antibiotics. This exposure leads to six of the top ten poultry producers committing to reduce the amount of antibiotics used in their operations.

•2003

Protecting the effectiveness of life-saving drugs $75,000 The Campaign gets 340 environmental and health groups to sign a statement calling for the elimination of antibiotics in animal feed. It works with the FDA to develop a poultry industry ban on the use of Fluoroquinolones, the class of antibiotics that includes Cipro, an antibiotic used to treat anthrax. The ban goes into effect in 2005. KAW also convinces national food-service chain Bon Appétit to buy antibiotic-free meat and helps San Francisco become the first city to adopt an antibiotic-free purchasing policy.

•2004

Resistant bugs, ineffectual drugs $75,000 • Compass, the second largest U.S. food-service company, begins prohibiting its pork and chicken suppliers from using antibiotics to promote growth—the first such policy on pork production. • KAW member Environmental Defense issues the widely read report, Resistant Bugs and Antibiotic Drugs: Local Estimates of Antibiotics in Agricultural Feed and Animal Waste.

“As a single father with a 17-year-old, I have to provide for her and a safe environment is a must. After the whole renovation process, I know that when my daughter walks out the door, she’s safe.” — Gary Coppedge, Ennis Francis Houses tenant (cont. from pg. 1) “The building compared to how it was before . . . I would say it’s a 110 percent better. I mean going from no heat, no hot water . . . I would say there’s been a big improvement,” said Gary Coppedge, a tenant for seven years. The grants also paid for a maintenance crew, a security team, and new property-management software.

They also supported tenant organizing, job listings, health screenings, and free eyeglasses. Coppedge continues: “As a single father with a 17-year-old, I have to provide for her and a safe environment is a must. After the whole renovation process, I know that when my daughter walks out the door, she’s safe.”

•2005

Big names pledge to drop some uses of antibiotics $50,000 • The European Union bans non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in farm animals. • Chicken growers Tyson and Perdue agree to phase out the routine use of antibiotics for prevention of disease. • McDonald’s approves a policy of buying chicken only from growers that do not use antibiotics for growth.

•2010 •2008

Getting safety laws passed $75,000 The Campaign wins inclusion of a requirement in the Animal Drug User Fee Act that drug companies publicize annual sales to animal producers. This law went into effect in March, 2010.

2008 •- 2009 Fighting for federal legislation KAW helps get the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA) introduced in Congress in the spring of 2009. It would ban the use of antibiotics to promote growth or prevent disease.

•2009

The FDA comes around After years of lobbying by KAW, the Food and Drug Administration testifies before Congress against the routine use of antibiotics in livestock.

Moving forward

…And so does the USDA After years of no comment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a representative finally admits that the use of antibiotics in farm-animal feed is contributing to the growing problem of deadly antibiotic resistance in America.

• Keep Antibiotics Working will continue to pressure the FDA to use its authority to withdraw antibiotic approvals for food animal uses that threaten human health by increasing antibiotic resistance. • KAW will continue to build support in several states for the passage of PAMTA.

October 2010 3

“No one in my family woke up and went to work. I didn’t know any adults who actually did anything.”

Jessica Bachman and Kenneth Harwick, both formerly incarcerated, now work to help others find jobs after doing time. Photo by Ezinma Oguagha.

The following two articles were written by Ezinma Oguagha, a student at Brooklyn College, who interned at The Trust this summer through the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women.

From Convict to CEO After losing his job as a security officer—and with no money and no prospects—Kenneth Harwick turned to crime. He was arrested in August of 2006 for selling drugs and spent 14 months in prison. At 19, Jessica Bachman was arrested for possession of stolen property and served a four-year term. But beyond their prison experience they share a powerful bond: the ability to take what for many is a societal death sentence and turn it into opportunity. Jessica and Kenneth are now working at the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), where they both took a mandatory course as a condition of their parole. The Trust has given the organization $120,000 since 2006 to improve its job placement programs, which have helped hundreds of ex-cons find and keep living-wage jobs. But re-entry is a slow process. Manners, habits, priorities, and perspectives all have to be relearned so that the individual can thrive. For Kenneth and Jessica, it wasn’t about justifying their crimes but about understanding why they had committed them. Jessica describes her childhood as dysfunctional:

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Kenneth attributes his actions to a combination of selfishness, poverty, and lack of hope in his neighborhood. He believes that “not all criminals are bad,” but most lack the opportunity to do something better. CEO immediately found jobs for both Jessica and Kenneth after they were released. Kenneth worked at Krasdale Warehouse and later at a men’s shelter, where he worked with mentally ill substance abusers. Jessica was placed in a job with City Storage Company. CEO taught them business skills including how to write a résumé and do well in job interviews. Now both are working at CEO, where Kenneth teaches the life-skills classes and Jessica is a job search specialist. Both have come full circle. Kenneth sees his former self in those he mentors, and begins his lectures with, “I was sitting in those very same seats not too long ago . . .” When asked about how he has changed, Kenneth responds that he is “not being as selfish I was before . . . it’s not all about me. My daughter has to grow up in a place that is stable and my wife has to be cared for. It all goes back to having a sense of responsibility and purpose, which I didn’t have before.” In a phone interview, Jessica exclaimed: “I’m working! I no longer have the craving to do illegal things to get money. I’m in an environment with working people who do the right thing each and every day in order to survive. Offering someone the ability to work and provide for themselves is wonderful.” “Jessica and Kenneth represent the thousands of men and women who are returning to our communities each year,” says Tani Mills, executive director of CEO. “They are turning their lives around through gainful employment.”

Emeli Suarzo, who dropped out of high school when she became pregnant at 15, works part-time as a receptionist at New Heights Neighborhood Center. Photo by Ezinma Oguagha.

Reaching New Heights Being a teenager is hard enough, but when an unexpected pregnancy is added to the equation, things can become overwhelming. For Emeli Suarzo, being a student no longer seemed possible when she found out she was pregnant at 15. The rumors ran rampant in her high school hallways and the shame led her to drop out. But Emeli’s is not your run-of-the mill high school dropout sob story. Emeli came to the realization that she had to pass the General Educational Development (GED) test in order to go to college and provide for herself and her child, what she calls “the minimum requirement to begin a good life.” Her search for a program that could help led her to the doors of New Heights Neighborhood Center in Washington Heights, a group she credits with helping her get her GED. “They’re like the mother and father pushing you to do well!” Prior to New Heights, Emeli had tried three other programs. She explained that unlike New Heights, they lumped together all students, whatever their level of education: “There were so many different levels in one class . . . if you already knew the stuff, you were waiting

for other people to catch up, and so no real progress was ever made.” The program for high school dropouts at New Heights identified the areas in which Emeli needed academic help and tailored a program that would help her succeed. “Our $50,000 grant in 2007 helped 38 students pass the GED—an investment in futures that has paid off,” says Roderick Jenkins, program officer at The Trust. “Now, more than ever, we need neighborhood programs and services that focus on helping young adults transition to adulthood,” says Evelyn Fernandez-Ketcham, executive director of New Heights. “After all, it is our responsibility to prepare today’s and tomorrow’s workforce.” “They had my back the entire time and even helped me put together a good résumé,” continued Emeli. “I now have a desire to become someone better. I already lost too much and I’ve wasted too much time. I just want to keep moving forward.” Emeli received her GED in May of 2010 and started at Bronx Community College this fall.

October 2010 5

“One of our grants brought in CUNY’s Professional Development Institute to teach day care providers with little formal education how to integrate books, exercises, songs, and lesson plans appropriate for various age groups.”

Child Care Means Business Many poor women could offer day care in their homes, but don’t have the training, business background, or money to get started. And without quality, affordable child care, struggling parents can be held back from jobs and educational opportunities—preventing families from escaping poverty. The Business Outreach Center Network has successfully tackled both supply and demand in poor neighborhoods— creating 2,000 slots for kids, 84 new businesses, and 156 new jobs. Trust grants totaling $255,000 from 2005 through 2008 helped the Network offer financing and workshops on everything from early childhood development to bookkeeping, helping women find ways to start, improve, and expand home-based child care in East New York, Bed-Stuy, Corona, the Lower East Side, and other neighborhoods. In addition, 288 women who were in business got advice from the Network on hiring more staff and accommodating more kids. “In order to develop thinking and motor skills, young minds must be stimulated,” says Pat White, senior program officer for children and families at The Trust. “One of our grants brought in CUNY’s Professional Development Institute to teach day care providers with little formal

—Pat White, senior program officer, The Trust

education how to integrate books, exercises, songs, and lesson plans appropriate for various age groups.” Sheila Fryar-Ashley, who runs Little Busy Bodies day care center in Brownsville, Brooklyn, learned how to expand her business through marketing and parent referrals, which soon had a full enrollment of twelve kids and now has a waiting list. She employs two assistants and has transformed the first floor of her house into a home away from home for infants and toddlers.

Winning Parity for Mental Health Coverage in New York State In 2001, Timothy O’Clair committed suicide. He was 12 years old. His parents’ health benefits provided limited coverage for mental health care and had sought help for over five years. “Timothy’s parents were faced with giving up custody of their son to the state in order to get the care they needed,” says Wendy Brennan, executive director of National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI). Grants totaling $220,000 since 2001 have helped NAMI win the passage of a law that brought parity in insurance coverage for mental health services in New York State. After years of research, organizing, and advocacy by NAMI and Timothy’s family, Timothy’s Law was passed in 2006. “This life-saving law brings an end to discriminatory practices, and marks a major victory for the civil rights of people with mental illness and their families,” continued Brennan. “New York now recognizes that mental health is a critical part of overall health. Businesses that provide health insurance to their workers must provide mental health coverage that is equally comprehensive,” says Irfan Hasan, program officer for health and people with special needs at The Trust.

Sheila Fryar-Ashley, proprietor of Little Busy Bodies day care in Brooklyn.

Results In Brief Beyond Pesticides ($65,000, 2006) won adoption of landmark State policy to use as few pesticides as possible in State parks. First, the organization wrote and released a report, Ending Toxic Dependency, which was used by New York State to compare its current pesticide use to Beyond Pesticides’ recommendations. Governor Paterson then issued an executive order to reduce pesticide use on State land. In 2009, New York State Parks Commissioner Carol Ash implemented the policy in state parks and historic sites—the first major effort of its kind in the nation. Friends of Materials for the Arts ($120,000, 2005– 2008) trained nearly 1,000 teachers to use salvaged cloth, wood, paper, and trimmings into math, science, social studies, and English classes. Harlem Children Society ($370,000, 2004–2008) paired 806 motivated black and Latino high school students and 57 college students from poor neighborhoods with research scientists for summer-long projects at institutions including Columbia and Rockefeller universities, the Albert Einstein School of Medicine, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering. Six students were selected to participate in an aeronautical and engineering program at the Florida Space Institute. One hundred students continued their work during the 2008 academic year, and five students presented their research at the American Chemical Society’s annual conference. Literacy Assistance Center ($125,000, 2009) started GED COMPASS in July of 2010, a new web portal that allows people who want to take the General Educational Development exam to find and reserve test seats online, and offers a directory of free and affordable test preparation courses searchable by zip code.

A teacher at a Friends of Materials for the Arts summer institute creates a costume made of salvaged materials.

LawHelp/NY ($175,000, 2006–2010) developed a multi-lingual section of its online clearinghouse of legal services, information, and other resources specifically for immigrants. Foreign-language use of the website increased from 22,000 page views in the first year of the grant to 94,000 in the third. Primary Care Development Corporation ($100,000, 2009) helped health centers providing care in lowincome communities win nearly $17 million in federal grants: Community Healthcare Network got $1.36 million to expand its health center on the Lower East Side; the Urban Health Plan won $12 million to build a new health center in the South Bronx; the Addabbo Family Health Center received $1.8 million to develop a new location in South Ozone Park; and the Damian Family Care Center got $1.6 million to develop a new facility in Jamaica.

October 2010 7

Striking a Chord for Children with Special Needs On a spring morning at the Mount Kisco Elementary School, eight first-graders file into music class. Most of the children are autistic and some don’t speak or make eye contact. From the moment they enter, they are enveloped by music. The music teacher on staff has limited experience with students with special needs, but through a program of the Music Therapy Institute at the Music Conservatory of Westchester, a music therapist is there to guide her through techniques designed to improve the children’s physical, cognitive, and emotional development. A grant from the Westchester Community Foundation helped start the Music Therapy Institute in 1987. It is now the largest provider of music therapy in Westchester and the only agency in the county that helps music teachers learn how to use music therapeutically. Recent grants totaling $50,000 supported professional development for more than 50 public school music educators who worked with 500 students. Back at Mount Kisco Elementary, each child is encouraged to sing, play a drum, or shake a tambourine. “During the music class we have worked together to create activities with repetition and predictability. The children are often comforted by the patterns in the music and they begin to anticipate what comes next. We also encourage them to be aware of their peers through turn-taking and using the children’s names in the songs. Since the beginning of the school year we have seen improvements in the children’s language skills, attention span, and ability to follow directions,” notes music therapist Dr. Tina Brescia. Music enhances brain development, according to the American Music Therapy Association. For children with

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disabilities and/or behavior and emotional disorders, music therapy can strengthen the complex system of neuro-connections that are essential to healthy child development. One child in the class began the school year with very limited expressive language and was easily distracted. “As he became accustomed to the music activities we noticed that he began to sing along with us, on pitch and closely matching the sounds of the words. He moves in rhythm to the music trying to find and keep the steady beat. This has helped to engage his attention on both a cognitive and physical level. He also seems to find a simple joy in participating. We are very proud of his growth,” says Dr. Brescia. Ann Marie Kmetz, a music educator at the West Patent Elementary School explains: “The greatest benefit of this program is having a professional, such as Tina, to discuss the issues and challenges we face as teachers who are called upon to teach children with disabilities. I see my role as a music teacher differently in reference to these children. I feel I have a better understanding of the importance of socialization and emotional growth for these children and how I can incorporate these goals into my curriculum.” Music therapist Lisa Sandagata gives instruction to AJ through a program at the Musical Therapy Institute. Photo by Jon Chattman.

United Hebrew Geriatrics Center residents get one-on-one instruction from Pace students. Photo by Linda Forman.

Sharpening Seniors’ Skills, Opening Students’ Minds Sylvia’s eyes light up as she reads an email from one of her grandchildren. When she moved to United Hebrew Geriatric Center in New Rochelle, Sylvia longed for a way to stay in touch with family members and remain connected to the world. At 85, she had never used a computer, but was eager to participate in a program that helps seniors plug in. Under the tutelage of a Pace University student, Sylvia now corresponds regularly with family members. Her grandson Neil, a college student in California, has just told her about a recent award in math. “Bravo, Neil!” she types. Fellow residents are watching Shirley Bassey concerts on YouTube and downloading audiobooks. The program, which has caught the attention of other senior centers, was started by the Gerontechnology Consortium of Westchester, and is a winner of national awards from the American Society of Aging and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. The Westchester Community Foundation gave $25,000 to expand the program in the New York metropolitan area. “Our gerontechnology program is a unique way of bringing newfound confidence and purpose to our residents’ lives,” says Linda Forman, vice president of community relations at the Center. “It’s an enriching experience for the college students as well.”

A number of students have chosen geriatrics as a career as a result of the program. For others, the service-learning project has inspired a commitment to community involvement and volunteerism. “As a part of this class, we were able to be the teachers, but at the end of the day we were the ones who learned more from the seniors than we could imagine,” notes college student Akvile Williams. Adds fellow student Asif Ali: “You know what? They teach us. Things like: enjoy life, keep your chin up.”

Helping Westchester County residents through the recession As the economy slipped further into recession in 2009, grants totaling $306,000 helped secure the safety net for thousands of Westchester residents. • $70,000 to the Food Bank for Westchester provided 8,558 meals and distributed 2,727 bags of produce to seniors. One hundred and fifty children received healthy food to take home on Fridays for the weekend. • $25,000 helped Westchester Residential

Opportunities increase the number of residents it was able to help with fighting foreclosure and eviction—8,750 in 2009, a 25 percent increase over the prior year. • $50,000 to The Bridge Fund helped provide

counseling and small loans to working people so they can stay in their homes after financial setbacks. • $20,000 to Human Development Services of

Westchester, the sole provider of Spanish-language housing services in the county, helped extend staff hours on weekends and in the evenings. • $15,000 to Pace Women’s Justice Center increased

the supervisory staff for its pro bono legal center, which filed 1,000 orders of protection and answered 2,225 hotline calls in 2009. October 2010 9

Peconic Baykeeper: Lifeguard of the Water The South Shore Estuary and the Peconic Bay support a diversity of species (many of them edible), thousands of businesses, and are great places to boat—but they are delicate ecosystems and suffer from pollution. Beaches closed to swimming and shellfish beds too dangerous to harvest have become more common as run-off, waste from boats, and sewage overflows add harmful chemicals and bacteria to the water—causing harmful algae blooms.

Kathy, the boat of the Peconic Baykeeper, can be seen patrolling serene Long Island estuaries, measuring water quality, and identifying pollution hotspots.

Over the past several years, the Long Island Community Foundation has given $57,000 to Peconic Baykeeper, helping it tackle these and other sources of pollution and win a ban on dumping boat sewage into the 75-mile long South Shore Estuary Reserve. Working closely with six south shore towns, the Fire Island National Seashore, and the State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Peconic Baykeeper led a two-year campaign resulting in the 2009 designation of the Reserve as a federal NoDischarge Zone under the Clean Water Act. Boat sewage contains harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde and chlorine that threaten marine 10

RESULTS Newsletter

life and human health, particularly near marinas and anchorages. “Elevated levels of harmful coliform bacteria is responsible for the closure of 10,711 acres of shellfish beds in the Great South Bay, and resulted in over 888 beach closure days throughout Long Island. Responsible actions by boaters will mean healthier bays and a healthier public,” says Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, another grantee of the Long Island Community Foundation. During a typical summer weekend, there can be upwards of 24,000 boats on the South Shore Estuary, most of which have toilets on board. Prior to this law, boats could dump their treated sewage waste overboard; now they must discharge their

“The only way to get government to adopt responsible policy affecting water quality is advocacy and persistence on the part of community experts like the Peconic Baykeeper.” —Richard Ampar, executive director, Pine Barrens Society

The South Shore Estuary Reserve, marked in dark blue, is now protected as a No-Discharge Zone under the Clean Water Act, thanks to the advocacy of the Peconic Baykeeper.

waste at pump-out facilities or boats. “This was a pure clean water initiative that is all good, has no monetary impact, and one everyone could agree on,” says Baykeeper’s director Kevin McAllister. Though it sounded like a no-brainer, it still took some heavy lifting. In addition to organizing the municipalities fronting the South Shore bays, Peconic Baykeeper had to demonstrate the need for greater protection of the estuary and that an adequate number of sewage pump-out facilities existed in the area.

blooms, fish kills, death of native underwater plants, and growth of invasive weeds.

The designation will prevent millions of gallons of waste from entering the water, but Baykeeper’s work is far from over. Sewage treatment plants, storm water runoff, and fertilizers continue to add nitrogen to the water, resulting in harmful algae

Richard Ampar, executive director of the Pine Barrens Society agrees: “The only way to get government to adopt responsible policy affecting water quality is advocacy and persistence on the part of community experts like the Peconic Baykeeper.”

“Nitrogen pollution may be the single greatest threat to Long Island’s estuaries, yet it receives only minimal attention on the local legislative front,” continued McAllister. “The federal government is mandating that all municipalities develop storm water runoff remediation plans. We need to make sure this is a priority for Long Island and that our municipalities are actively and aggressively addressing this issue.”

October 2010 11

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RESULTS

October 2010 NEWSLETTER

Inside:

Life-Saving Drugs or Animal Feed? From Convict to CEO, Reaching New Heights, Child Care Means Business, Peconic Baykeeper: Lifeguard of the Water, and more …

This issue and past newsletters can be found at www.nycommunitytrust.org. If you’d prefer to receive our newsletter by email, write to newsletter@nyct-cfi.org.

With help from Business Outreach Center Network, Ingrid Matias expanded her day care business, opened a second location, and is working on opening a third.