THE NEW LIFE SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE

June 7^th 2012 @ 831 Eagle Avenue Bronx NY 10456

We’d like to extend an invitation to parents, legal guardians and educational advocates of students between the ages of 10-21, in grades 5-12 who are seeking non public school placement. The open house will include an information session about our program, as well as a tour of our school.

Please spread the word about this event to your clients, colleagues and families.  The enrollment is ongoing, as students are accepted throughout the school year.  You may accompany your client to the open house as well!

If you would like more information please visit our website at  www.thenewlifeschool.org,
and please contact  Director for Admissions Laura Puerta at (718) 665-2760, ext 108.

LIFE Shield houses LSSNY’s immigration and refugee programs that service over 300 individuals and families every month. Our World Refugee Day event is on May 18, 2012. Please contact Cecilia Aranzamendez at caranzamendez@lssny.org

Ms. Q, a long time foster care mom, called Lutheran Social Services of New York to thank us for opening The LIFE Care Clinic.  For five years, Ms. Q had sent her foster daughter to a slew of therapists to no avail.  The young woman would run away, get high, sleep with her clothes on and refuse to get out of bed.  It was as if she had given up completely.  She did not feel anything, and had given her life over to drugs.  Ms. Q, too, was ready to give up hope.  She was in need of the good news of Easter renewal.

Lutheran Social Services of New York believes there is no such thing as a bad kid, just hard circumstances.  Ms. Q’s foster daughter is a victim of her circumstances. There are kids who have serious hurdles to overcome, and there are kids who need a lot of individualized support and medical attention.  We believe that every child deserves to feel healthy and safe.  The LIFE Care Clinic does just that.  By opening up our own clinic, we are able to ensure holistic mental and physical health care to every foster care child in our program, to help them reach their full potential.  The Clinic offers young people Easter hope, the chance for rebirth and new life.

The moment that The LIFE Care Clinic opened, Ms. Q sent her foster daughter there for treatment.  She called to express her gratitude to us.  “This young lady has made a complete 360 degree turn around.  She doesn’t run away.  She takes her medication.  She doesn’t get high.  I would recommend The LIFE Care Clinic to anyone.  They make me feel like I am part of a team, that I am not raising her alone.”  Ms. Q said that her foster daughter used to go to counseling just because it was required, but did not get anything out of it.  Because of the staff and treatment at The LIFE Care Clinic, this young woman is accepting treatment, facing her issues, and has turned her life around.  When asked how this Clinic is different, she said, “They listen to me.  They make me feel important.”  And that has made all the difference.  This young woman, like so many others, has been given a new opportunity at The LIFE Care Clinic.

Lutheran Social Services of New York’s
Second Annual High Tea Volunteer Recognition Day!

We had a wonderful time at Terrace on The Park for our annual High Tea Volunteer Recognition day event. Everyone was in great spirits for the Alice in Wonderlands “Mad hatter” theme.

If you attended the event, you probably wore a really cool hat, gave yourself a new name like “Lady Gaga” or “Mogli”, played people bingo, ate some great food and won one of our 25 raffle prizes. Our guest Speaker Andrew Decurtis uplifted the crowd with his inspirational speech.

What really stood out about this event was the camaraderie and sense of community that was established amongst our volunteers during those 3 hours.  Volunteers from our different program sites throughout the greater NY area came together, greeted each other and become connected through the spirit of volunteerism. We are honored to have such incredible volunteers here at LSSNY.

If you or anyone you know may be interested in volunteering at LSSNY
please visit www.lssny.org

Lutheran Social Services of New York Invites you to join our LIFE Savers volunteer program. With over 15 different service sites that assist a wide range of populations in need, our organization is the go to Social Services Agency for Volunteer Placement in NYC and the greater NY area.

Spring and Summer Youth Groups

During the Spring and Summer, youth groups from all over the country travel to LSSNY and participate in exciting and rewarding volunteer experiences.  Youth groups are matched with one of our service programs and put to work.  This past summer and spring our volunteer groups helped to completely renovate our Kingsbridge housing unit which now serves as temporary housing  for first time refugee’s coming from around the world who are forced to flee their homes. Our youth groups painted, cleaned and decorated the temporary housing unit that our refugee clients can now stay in comfortably.

We are currently matching summer youth groups with program projects from June – September 2012. LSSNY offers housing for small to large size youth groups throughout the summer and time slots are allocated at a first come first serve basis. Please contact Marc Herstein @ (212) 870-1160 or email mherstein@lssny.org for more details.

Individual Volunteers and Interns

Year round we welcome volunteers and interns to join our mission in Strengthening Lives, Families and Communities. We welcome everyone from experts in their field of work, to those who just want to make a difference in the world. Please visit www.lssny.org to find out more information. Check video below:

LIFE SAVERS VOLUNTEER VIDEO:  Click Here — http://bit.ly/LIFESAVERS

We are very proud to share a recent letter we received recognizing staff member Mayra Vicuna. Lutheran Social Services of New York has been Strengthening Lives, Families and Communities for more than 125 years. This has been made possible through the work of dedicated staff members like Ms. Vicuna.

Judy Cohen, Certified Social Worker, states:

I was moved to write you because I was so very impressed with the social worker, Mayra Vicuna, who, accompanying her client, came to our school to attend an Educational Planning Committee meeting. I too am a social worker and Ms. Vicuna and I have been working together on a case involving a middle school student at our school. Prior to today’s meeting, I had spoken to Ms. Vicuna on several occasions about issues related to this child.

Having been a social worker for 25 years in the public school system, I have spoken to and worked with many caseworkers and social workers involved in the lives and cases of children and families. I was so impressed with Ms. Vicuna for the following reasons:

Not only was she professional, intelligent and well-informed but every time I telephoned her, I received an immediate “call back” as well as calls to confirm appointments and to ensure that I had received information she had sent or faxed. It was so immediately clear that this person was not “just doing a job” but she was doing her job efficiently, responsibly, and with concern and compassion.

I believed it is rare to meet a person with the level of personal and professional integrity. Both the psychologist with whom I work and I were impressed by Ms. Vicuna.

I only wish that all the caseworkers and social workers advocating for children could be as dedicaated, conscientious and caring as Ms. Vicuna clearly is. Then I would feel that vulnerable and victimized children were in the best possible hands.

it has been a pleasure to work with her on this very challenging case

Sincerely,
Judy Cohen, CSW

Grace Lutheran Church in Scarsdale, New York is living up to its name.  Traversing distance, Grace is building a lasting, powerful relationship with the New LIFE School in the Bronx.  The church is a shining example of Lutheran Social Services of New York’s Congregation LIFE at its best.

Laura Puerta started at The New LIFE School in 2006, welcoming thirty students through the doors.  Six years later, they are offering quality education to 200 students with special needs.  As a social worker, Laura became acutely aware that many of the students at the school are dealing with serious trauma and are deprived of normal things in life.  Grace Lutheran Church has partnered with The New LIFE School to change that.  For the past three years, families at Grace have sponsored families at the school to make sure the students receive presents at Christmas.  The grace does not stop there.  The church also donates gifts to the school’s Santa Store so that the students can go shopping for gifts for their siblings and parents.  Because of Grace’s generosity, these kids in the Bronx are learning the power of giving, too.

The partnership between Grace and The New LIFE School continues beyond Christmas.  The church has also donated backpacks, school supplies and cooking supplies to help the students reach their full learning potential.  The school uses the cooking supplies for culinary classes.  Recently, the students invited congregants from Grace to come to the school.  The students used the cooking supplies to make breakfast, and they all sat down together to enjoy the meal.

This growing relationship between Grace Lutheran and The New LIFE School exemplifies the nature of grace.  Generosity multiplies, love is mutual.  When grace happens and unexpected relationships flourish, everyone benefits.  Through Congregation LIFE, congregants in Scarsdale and students in the Bronx are learning the reflexive, abundant and exponential nature of grace.

Our 2nd New York Good Vlog showcases volunteers working at our many different service sites. CEO Ron Drews explains how to volunteer with LSSNY and describes our LIFE Savers program.