News and Resources

Honorees from The Clark Foundation: Douglas Bauer, Yancy Garrido, and Bharathi Sethumadhavan

UNH would like to thank all the wonderful supporters who made the UNH Benefit on October 26th a great success, raising $600,000 to help UNH support settlement houses and New Yorkers in need throughout our great city. Special thanks to this year's New Yorkers Who Make a Difference: Alain Kodsi and Rachel Foster and The Clark Foundation, our emcee Michelle Yu (SNY), and our Golden Benefactors including Paul Balser and Paula Del Nunzio, EmblemHealth, Judy and Lew Kramer, Ruth and Sid Lapidus, and
Lois and Arthur Stainman and all those who supported and attended our special event. We welcomed 400 people to Tribeca Three Sixty on a beautiful NYC night.

Many supporters and friends took part in the UNH video project which was filmed by our wonderful volunteers Hector Cardenas, Vic Sorvino, and Jay Yorke from VIACOM. We look forward to sharing the edited event video with you soon. In the meantime, please view pictures from the benefit. Have photos or stories you want to share? Post them on our Facebook page.

Again, we thank you for your partnership as we work to strengthen New York City's neighborhoods at a very challenging time for those struggling to succeed.

 

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We were thrilled that Viacom President and CEO Philippe Dauman stopped by to help out at United Neighborhood Houses' 2011 Viacommunity Day. This is the third year UNH has been involved with Viacom's annual corporate service day and it was better than ever.

Volunteers served over 400 lunches to seniors at UNH member Hamilton-Madison House City Hall Senior Center.

UNH held an event last month honoring NY State Senator Dan Squadron for his outstanding support of the settlement house system. This event was attended by many Board Presidents and Board Members as well as Executive Directors of UNH member agencies.

Senator Squadron (left) seen here with UNH Board Member Marc Dieli (our host at Ernst & Young) and UNH Executive Director Nancy Wackstein

UNH's Junior Board took part in a career panel for young people at UNH Member Henry Street Settlement (HSS) on March 2nd. UNH Board member Nelson Hioe expressed the purpose of the panel best when he said, "Life is a lot harder when you walk alone."

The goal was to connect young people enrolled in HSS programs with successful young adults who might be able to offer advice or constructive assistance along their paths to adulthood. "College is your silver bullet," Ramik Williams told the group as he shared his own experience of being the first person from his family to graduate from college.

 

The Junior Board will be holding similar career panels for young people at other UNH Member agencies. If you are interested in joining a panel or learning more about the Junior Board, please reach out to Jesel Roosevelt at jroosevelt@unhny.org 

 See photos from the career panel at  www.facebook.com/unhny 

Last week NY State Senator Daniel Squadron was recognized by United Neighborhood Houses, a non-profit organization that promotes and advocates for settlement housing communities throughout New York City.

 As the inaugural recipient of the Settlement House Champion Award, Squadron was honored specifically for his role in securing $9 million in state funding for settlement house programs and for his overall dedication to the issue since he arrived on the scene in Albany two years ago.

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A highlight of the event, attended by more than 325 supporters, were the words of honoree Beth Taylor, a longtime UNH Board member which reflected her experience with UNH member Goddard Riverside Community Center over the years:

....the formerly homeless man who didn't speak for years who participated in a theater group, the 100-year-old woman who lived in the residence for seniors....and was always the first to help prepare the holiday meals that Goddard serves to thousands, a former teen so withdrawn he refused to leave home but who was urged to go to college....and is now an astrophysicist with a doctorate from Princeton.

We thank you for your partnership as we work to strengthen New York City's neighborhoods at a very challenging time for those struggling to succeed.

More than 650 people from across the nation and around the world came together in New York last month for The Settlement Summit, the largest gathering of settlement house workers ever assembled.

 

The event was jointly hosted by The International Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers (IFS), United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA), United Neighborhood Houses of New York (UNH) and University Settlement -- which was celebrating its 125th anniversary.

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UNH held its Annual Meeting on June 8 at member agency Hudson Guild. Several important UNH annual awards were presented at the event. Receiving the Emily Menlo Marks Leadership Awards were Sonia Bhuta and Amarilis Perez of The Educational Alliance, and Melissa Nieves of Union Settlement Association. Marisa Ragonese of Queens Community House received the 2009 Award for Achievement in Civic Advocacy. Also honored were Executive Directors Charles Shayne of Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, Verona Middleton-Jeter of Henry Street Settlement, and Roger Sam of Southeast Bronx Neighborhood Centers. Each is retiring after outstanding careers, having made valuable contributions to their agencies and their communities.

Click here to see pictures from the event.