The Annual SUS Holiday Stocking Project

When the first pumpkin pie is taken out of the oven, and the leaves on the trees begin to turn orange, it is once again time to begin the SUS “Holiday Stocking Project”. Started in 1999, the Holiday Stocking Project has been providing gifts for people in need during each holiday season. The program has grown every year, with gifts being sent from as far as California, Washington, Florida, and Colorado. If you’ve always wanted to play Santa but hate the idea of wearing the red suit, SUS’ Holiday Stocking Project is your big chance.

The History

Since its launch, the SUS “Holiday Stocking Project” has offered individuals the opportunity to share the spirit of the holiday season by adopting an SUS consumer and creating a personalized stocking filled with presents for that individual. In the past years, the project has been supported by a great number of volunteers, and has brought great joy to the people we serve.

Act Now: Stockings Must Be Delivered by December 9, 2011.

Simply send an email with your name and address, your phone number, and how many people for whom you wish to create a stocking to Minjung Park, mpark@sus.org. Minjung will inform you of the individuals’ names and interests.

This Week is National Drug Facts Week

This week is the second annual National Drug Facts Week (NDFW). Starting today, through November 6, NDFW is shattering the myths of drug abuse and helping young adults obtain accurate information about drug or substance addiction.

Not everyone understands why and how some people become addicted to drugs, and often, substance abuse is misunderstood as weakness, or lack of morality. However, as a special services provider, we know that because drugs can change the brain in ways that foster compulsive drug abuse, quitting is very difficult. We also know that people who suffer drug or substance abuse are the most vulnerable to a range of other problems.

As we embark on the first SUS American Veterans Month in November, it is a good time to highlight the struggles of substance abuse. PTSD, depression, and other physical and mental illnesses that affect our returning vets often lead to drug addiction and substance abuse.

At SUS, we don’t only work with veterans. We serve a wide range of individuals struggling with different issues. Read the stories of Koretta, Joyce and Sylvia who used to struggle with substance abuse, and who reestablished their own lives through the services and supports SUS provided.

Please continue to support our work, so that we can share more success stories with you in the future.

Culinary School

On November 5th, 8 individuals from our program for adults living with a developmental disability attended the first in a series of cooking classes taught by The Sylvia Center of Great Performances. The Sylvia Center is a not for profit organization that inspires people to discover good nutrition on the farm and in the kitchen.  The classes, which will take place every two weeks until the end of December, will provide the class participants with important information about nutrition, teach the students how to cook healthy meals, and will include a field trip to a supermarket to teach the students how to buy healthy food.

This program was made possible by a generous donation from TemPositions, a full-service staffing firm offering temporary, contract temp-to-hire and direct hire services.  The donation not only underwrote this program, but allowed SUS to provide each student with a cooking ‘starter kit’, which included pots, pans, cutting boards, kitchen knives and aprons.  By taking part in this program, the students are taking one more step towards their goal of independent living.

BGC Charity Day

BGC Partners, Inc. held its seventh annual Charity Day on Monday, September 12th, and Services for the UnderServed (SUS) was chosen as a beneficiary.

BGC was created by Cantor Fitzgerald in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks as Cantor Fitzgerald sought to re-build its business after losing 658 of its employees, which represented two thirds of its workforce in New York.

To commemorate those who were lost, BGC donates 100% of its revenues from Charity Day to selected charities around the world.  To date, BGC’s Charity Days have raised over $43 million globally from its Charity Days and collectively with Cantor Fitzgerald they have raised $65 million over the past six years.

‘Celebrity brokers’ helped raise money by conducting real trades with BGC’s clients (the major banks and investment banks) over the phone from the trading floor (alongside a licensed broker).

SUS’ celebrity brokers included lead singer Martha Reeves of Mowtown’s Martha and the Vandellas and R&B legend Melba Moore. Actors Noah Emmerich, and Vincent Piazza, star of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, will be in attendance as well as actress Taylor Shilling, who portrayed Nurse Veronica Callahan in NBC’s Mercy, and Emmy-winning broadcast journalist Barbara Nevins Taylor.

“SUS was honored to take part in BGC Charity Day,” said Donna Colonna, Chief Executive Officer of Services for the UnderServed. “For more than three decades we have been dedicated to meeting the needs of New Yorkers. BGC stood by its employees in the days following 9/11 and has created a special day of service and caring for New Yorkers in need, in memory of their colleagues and friends who perished in the attack against the World Trade Center a decade ago.”

Lou Scotto, Executive Managing Director and General Manager for the Americas at BGC Partners commented: “We are delighted that Services for the UnderServed joined us this year for our Charity Day.  Their mission of treating others less fortunate with compassion and courtesy and endeavoring to help them live with dignity in the community, direct their own lives and attain personal fulfillment is one we proudly support.”

SUS Harvest Luncheon

On Friday, September 16^th, SUS’ Urban Gardening program, now in its second year, hosted a Harvest Luncheon at our Chester residence in Brooklyn.  The luncheon was an opportunity to celebrate the great progress that our program has made this year, and for the individuals involved in the program to talk about what the experience has meant to them.

The SUS Urban Gardening program has a total of 30 raised beds across 7 sites, and currently employs 8 consumers from SUS mental health, developmental disabilities and veterans’  programs who maintain the beds.  This year, the gardens produced over 300 lbs. of collard greens, 150 lbs. of tomatoes, 150 lbs. of eggplants, and 150 lbs. of beets.  Dan Lohaus, SUS Director of Green Initiatives, said “I am incredibly proud of my garden employees this year, in particular how they have expanded the program and how they involved other consumers at each site.  It has been wonderful to see how much they have learned and grown, and the progress they have all made.”

Raoul, one of the participants, talked of how the program has allowed him to build up the confidence he needed to get back into the workforce.  Raoul was the chef responsible for the food at the luncheon, which included eggplant crostini with tomato salad, collard greens, and mixed salad. Nearly all of the ingredients used were home grown in an SUS garden.  Community Board member Viola Greene-Walker attended the luncheon, and expressed how impressed she was with the program and event.

Congratulations to all of our gardeners on a successful harvest – keep up the good work!!

SUS Volunteers Create Care Packages for our Troops

On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, SUS hosted volunteers from The Doe Fund, NY Cares and Mission Continues at our Knickerbocker Transitional Housing Residence for Veterans in Brooklyn. Over 30 volunteers created approximately 200 care packages to be sent to our New York troops overseas. The care packages contained socks, shaving cream, body powder, lotion, antiperspirant, playing cards, Sudoku puzzle book, and a Cliff bar. In addition, each package contained a personal note from the volunteers.

The majority of the volunteers were SUS Veterans, who enjoyed the opportunity to give back to our troops and do something honorable for our brave men and women. Thank you to everyone who attended and made the day such a success!

Luis C., a Vietnam veteran and SUS Knickerbocker resident said, “We need to let the men and women who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan know we are here for them. Many are going to have a tough time when they come home. We want to let them know they can count on our support.”

Jose – Consumer Graffiti Artist

Ever since he was a young boy, Jose Cruz dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player like his idol Roberto Clemente. Born in Puerto Rico, Jose and his family moved to the US when he was a young boy, where he grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He was the youngest of three children being raised by a single mother. Life was hard, and resisting the pressures of gangs and drugs became increasingly difficult as he got older.  Jose knew that baseball was his only way out, and through practice and dedication, he landed an offer from the Mets for after High School.  Unfortunately, Jose never graduated.  Falling into the wrong crowd, and making a series of bad decisions, Jose found himself in prison. After two further stints in prison, he was released, only to discover that he was HIV positive and was infected with Hepatitis C.

Since then, Jose has been in and out of hospitals and is no longer able to work. He knew he needed help, and that is what he found at SUS, where he enrolled in SUS’ Transitional Housing Program for People Living With AIDS (PLWA). Jose still struggles with acceptance, but is regularly attending group therapy sessions, is diligent about his health and making doctors appoints and has found extra support in his peer counselor, Janet.  He realizes that there is still life. “I may be sick, but I have to look forward, I’m not dead yet. SUS has taught me to learn to live with the disease and to continue to do things that make me positive and strong, like my artwork,” he says.

One thing that Jose loved to do was graffiti art. In the 70’s, he got into street graffiti writing, and kept a “Black Book” of all his artwork, competing with other artists in his neighborhood to see whose writings were the best (burners). In prison his graffiti writing kept him hopeful and positive. He developed a method of airbrushing using a hallowed out bic pen and sharpie markers.  Using his own breath to spray the ink makes for more precise, straighter lines than the traditional airbrushing machines. This method takes a little bit longer, but Jose finds that doing it by hand is more rewarding, and produces better results. Jose now creates custom pieces for rappers, DJ’s and their crews, friends and family, using t-shirts, pants, hats and canvas as his mediums.

Jose will be moving into his own studio apartment this week with the help of SUS.  His biggest dream is to help get the message across to at risk children to “stay away from drugs, stay in school and work hard to achieve your dreams.” He hopes that his art sales will continue to grow.  Eventually, he would like to write and publish his story. Thanks to the support he has found at SUS, Jose now looks forward to the opportunities ahead.

Recent Growth of a 33-Year Partnership with Veterans in Need

SUS, Services for the UnderServed, was recently awarded $1,787,000 in new federal and New York City FY 2011-2012 funding by the United States Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA), the United States Department of Labor (DOL), and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) to provide care coordination, employment opportunities, and supportive services in housing to homeless veterans in New York City. Specifically,

• SUS received a $507,000 award from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as part of the new Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. The SSVF Program, a critical element of VA’s plan to prevent and end homelessness among Veterans, promoting housing stability among homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families.  This significant award enables SUS in partnership with the Family Center, Inc. to provide a range of supportive services to eligible very low-income Veteran families.  SUS’ Veteran Families Care Coordination Program’s services, provided in partnership with The Family Center, Inc., includes outreach, case management, assistance in obtaining VA benefits, assistance in obtaining and coordinating other public benefits, and making financial assistance payments on behalf of Veterans for purposes such as rent payments, utility payments, security deposits and moving costs.

• SUS also received two new awards totaling $360,000, both a competitive renewal of our existing HVRP program serving female veterans and veterans with dependent children as well as a second HVRP award targeted to the greater population of homeless vets by the United States Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service as part of the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). HVRP is a critical element of the Department of Labor’s strategy to integrate homeless veterans into the workforce. SUS is proud to be partnering with Easter Seals New York on this important new initiative.

• Finally, SUS was awarded a $920,000 contract by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as part of the New York/New York III agreement to provide supportive services to formerly homeless Veterans residing in HELP USA’s Genesis Neighborhood Plaza II, a new permanent housing program in East New York, Brooklyn scheduled to open in December, 2011.

“SUS is honored to both expand our relationships with the Department of Labor and New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and to partner with the VA on the new SSVF program. This investment in SUS and our community-based partners allows us to significantly expand upon our successes to date in providing care coordination, supportive housing, and employment services targeted to Veterans in greatest need. Alongside our existing Knickerbocker Veterans’ Transitional Residence and Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, this new funding will allow SUS to further defragment complex systems serving our Veterans, and engage and support over 400 Veterans per year in New York City,” said SUS Chief Executive Officer Donna Colonna.

7th Annual Charity Day

On Monday, September 12th, BGC Partners will host its 7th Annual Charity Day.  Charity Day is held every year on September 11 in memory of the 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees and 61 Euro-brokers employees who were lost in the World Trade Center attacks in 2001.  It is a day when BGC commemorates those no longer with us by raising funds for charitable works worldwide.

BGC’s revenues worldwide on Charity Day are donated to selected charities, and this year, Services for the UnderServed (SUS) has been selected as a Charity Partner.  The money donated by the BGC Charity day will fund the SUS Peer Counseling Class of 2012.  The Peer Counseling program establishes the recovery power of giving back by demonstrating a multiplier-effect upon the lives of others still struggling to manage mental illness and achieve self-fulfillment.   SUS implemented this program in January 2009, and the success of the program is evidenced by the 60% placement rate and 64% job retention rate achieved by our graduates.  The power of having a person who has been there, gone through some of the same challenges and succeeded is immeasurable.  By funding the Peer Counseling Class of 2012, BGC will ensure that a group of New York’s most vulnerable citizens are able to become contributing members of society, and to harness the recovery power of giving back.

On Charity Day, celebrity ambassadors will represent SUS on the BGC trading floor. SUS has been lucky enough to secure a the following celebrity ambassadors for Charity Day – Martha Reeves, Melba Moore, Oksana Baiul, Barbara Nevins Taylor, Noah Emmerich and Patrick Harden.  We are grateful for their commitment to SUS, and to making the BGC Charity Day a success!

To learn more please visit:

http://www.bgcpartners.com/about-us/charity/

Spread the Word to End the Word

There has been much debate recently over the use of slurs that are degrading to the intellectually disabled, in particular people with Down Syndrome, in the movie The Change Up. Many who involved in the disabled community are outraged that Universal Pictures would allow such hurtful language.

It is time we Spread the Word to End the Word_™. The R-word is hurtful and degrading.  Most people don’t think of the R-word word as hate speech, but that’s exactly what it feels like to millions of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families and friends. The R-word is just as cruel and offensive as any other slur.

Up to three percent of the world’s population have intellectual disabilities – that’s 200 million people. SUS is dedicated to providing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities the opportunity to live a life of dignity, one free of the R-word.

We ask that you help us change the conversation and help eliminate the demeaning use of the R-word from today’s popular youth vernacular, and replace it with “respect.” We are asking for your help in creating a more accepting world for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and all those people that may appear different, but have unique gifts and talents to share with the world. Join SUS and make your pledge today by visiting http://www.r-word.org.

To learn more please visit:

http://www.youtube.com/user/EndtheRword

http://www.bringingthesunshine.com/2011/08/cowards-the-change-up-and-disability-slurs/