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For Roosevelt high school students who aren’t cutting it, New Horizons is a second chance. Erika Anthony, LICC’s Street Outreach
Coordinator, is placed in the night school as a social worker and says that students end up there for many reasons.
“Some were cutting class or not going to school at all. Some were getting into fights. Some had to choose between going to school or working because their families lack the means to support them.” Erika and 15 or so female students at New Horizons gather around a table in the school library every Thursday. Group discussions range from relationship issues to how to write a resume. “The main goal is self-empowerment,” Erika says. She adds that the group provides critical information that girls don’t get at home or school and points to a recent group discussion on sexual health. Erika was dismayed by how many of the girls had never had a gynecological exam. She made sure that each of them knew where to go for care and offered to take them personally for their first check-up. Through a grant from Soroptomists International of Nassau County to support cultural and educational trips, the Roosevelt group is expanding in new ways. Erika recently took the girls to see the Broadway musical “The Color Purple.” Later this year, they will visit local museums and colleges. These aren’t typical activities for these girls due to economic limitations and the isolated nature of their community. Erika notes that most of them rarely venture out of Roosevelt itself. Soroptimists International awards grants to organizations to improve the lives of girls and women in local communities. At Uniondale High School, Pride for Youth’s (PFY) Travis Tucker meets with a group of students facing challenges of a different stripe. They are part of a Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) that was sparked by senior Nelson Rodriguez (also a PFY peer educator) who collected 100+ student signatures on a petition to school administrators. “I was really sick of gay students getting verbally abused,” explains Nelson. “After I saw a program on National Coming Out Day at the Coffeehouse, I decided that it was time for me to make a difference.” School officials turned to PFY for help to address Nelson’s concerns. Travis, who works with LGBT groups in Hempstead and Roosevelt schools, was a natural choice to assist with the cause. “Many gay kids in communities of color are in hiding and live in fear,” says Travis. “Starting the GSA was an opportunity to bring them out of the shadows and into the mainstream of the school.” The 20- to 30-member GSA gets together weekly to talk about their experiences being called names and bullied and ways to change the school climate. To bring in resources for future activities, the group does fundraisers with a gay awareness twist. They sold red ribbons entwined with gay pride colors for World AIDS Day and made rainbow-colored ornaments for Christmas. There has been some push back from other students, but Nelson Rodriguez, the GSA’s first President, takes a long view of the group. “I want to leave the school with something that will help future students. The club didn’t exist when I was a getting harassed, but now it will be different for other kids.” |
Pictured with the newly-painted SOP mobile van are (left-to-right): Theresa Pelikan, LICC Executive Director Linda Leonard,
Theresa's son Joseph Ramirez, and SOP Coordinator Erika AnthonyLong Island Crisis Center received a $500 grant from the Albert J. Schaufler II Memorial Foundation ("Attapepper!") The grant, presented by Albert J. Schaufler's daughter Theresa Pelikan, enabled SOP to detail its mobile van with its name, website, and hotline number. The van travels to targeted communities in Nassau County, providing outreach and counseling services to homeless, street-involved, and at-risk youth. “Now, when we go out on shift, we’re easily recognizable and young people will know that it's us and not someone they should be afraid of,” says SOP Coordinator, Erika Anthony. The foundation was created by the children of Albert J. Schaufler, in honor of his generosity—both monetarily and of spirit—and in honor of his seven children and 35 grandchildren. Newsday Charities has also awarded Street Outreach Project (SOP) with a $15,000 grant. This is the second year in a row that SOP has been a recipient of this grant, with a $5,000 increase from last year. Newsday Charities focuses on programs and activities that primarily seek to enhance opportunities for children and youth in at-risk environments. Lastly, thanks to the Horace and Amy Hagedorn Fund, a donor-advised fund at the Long Island Community Foundation and division of the New York Community Trust, Pride for Youth was the recipient of a generous $20,000 grant this year. The grant will help fund our Community Education program, which has the goal of educating young people to the deleterious effects that homophobia has on our society. |
In This Issue:
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On Tuesday, May 6th, from 7 pm. To 10 pm, Appliance World of Huntington will be transformed from a state-of-the-art appliance store into a four-star restaurant. Chefs
from two of Long Island's most elegant restaurants, Prime of Huntington and H2O of Smithtown, will be preparing their finest dishes on Appliance World's best equipment,
showing off all of what these three businesses have to offer.
The event, “A New York State of Mind,” will benefit Long Island Crisis Center and Children of Hope Foundation, and will also feature live music and premier wines by Hermann Wiemer and Pellegrini. The evening will be emceed by TV and radio personality Dave Weiss. In addition to the fine food, wine and entertainment, guests of the event will also have the chance to enter raffles and take part in a silent auction. Don't wait too long--tickets to this fun-filled event are limited! Tickets are $65 each, two for $120, and can be purchased by calling Paula at 516-826-0244, or online at www.longislandcrisiscenter.org and www.amtchildrenofhope.com. Make up your mind to attend “A New York State of Mind” on May 6th.  Travis Tucker (left) greets Uniondale senior Nelson Rodriguez at PFY 
Long Island Crisis Center (LICC) is part of a national effort to push for the reauthorization of the U.S. Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA). Enacted in 1974, RHYA is the only federal law that addresses “unaccompanied youth,” and in many parts of the country, it is the sole resource for runaway, push out, and throwaway teens because of the lack of specific state and local statutes. RHYA authorizes federal funding for essential programs such as emergency shelter, transitional living homes and street outreach. LICC’s Street Outreach Project operates mainly due to this funding stream. RHYA will expire on September 30, 2008. Here’s what you can do to help. You can help by contacting your US Representatives and Senators to ask them to co-sponsor the RHYA reauthorization bill or its senate companion. For more information about how you can get involved with this effort, contact Andy Peters at (516) 679-9000, ext. 126. If you know anyone who would be interested in reading this newsletter, feel free to forward this email! If you've received this email and are not on the mailing list, but would like to be, please click here. If you would not like to receive these emails in the future, reply back asking to be removed from the mailing list. |