Program News 2006
A Summer of Volunteerism
Goldman Sachs kicked off the summer projects on June 14th with “High Adventure in the Heart of Brooklyn.” Goldman employees and girls from our Euphrasian residence conquered the Alpine Tower climbing wall and the low and high ropes at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. This was Goldman’s third and last Community TeamWorks project with Good Shepherd in 2006. Goldman’s two other projects took place in the spring at the Bronx Beacon and Red Hook Community Center Beacon. At the Bronx Beacon, volunteers read and created books with youth. In Red Hook, volunteers built props, painted scenery and tie-dyed t-shirts for the Beacon’s production of The Wiz.
Summer is a good time to change your look: freshen up a bit and maybe try some new colors. And that is exactly what our residences and residents did with the help of some professionals.
Though they are not professional painters, Credit Suisse employees certainly know how to wield a paint brush: close to 70 volunteers from Credit Suisse participated in three painting projects, as well as one gardening project, in June and July. Marian Hall, St. Germaine’s and the 2nd floor hallway of University Heights High School in the Bronx (where Good Shepherd’s School Based Support Services program is located) all have new looks. Purples, yellows and oranges replaced beige walls and, with the flowers that the volunteers planted, the outdoor decks at Marian Hall are as vibrant as the walls.
Brushes of a different kind were used to makeover our residents. In late June, two makeup artists from M.A.C Cosmetics came to the Chelsea Foyer to do one-to-one makeovers and give application instructions to a group of girls from our Manhattan residences. Our girls were pleased with their new looks and thrilled to receive a gift bag full of M.A.C Cosmetics so that they could continue to experiment at home.
Castles, sea and sand - for some, Monaco might come to mind, but for us, we think: Coney Island. For the fourth consecutive year, a group of architects under the leadership of Mario Arbore of Arbore Design, volunteered their time and expertise to build sand castles on the beach in Coney Island with a group of young people from our Red Hook Community Center Beacon’s summer day camp. Over 100 youth and approximately 20 architects participated in Castles in the Sand 2006 designing and sculpting castles, animals and sea creatures.
On the same day as the sand castles project, far from the beach, a group of young women from Marian Hall and St. Helena’s attended a job readiness workshop at Macy’s. Employees from Macy’s Merchandising Group’s HR Department presented on topics such as: resume writing; networking; time and stress management; and interviewing skills in which all of the girls participated in one-to-one mock interviews with employees. As an added bonus, the girls received a sleek black work bag and stylish pocketbook. Special thanks to The United Way of New York City for connecting us to Macy’s and helping to make the day possible.
Credit Suisse employees who were not busy painting for us this summer could be found participating in “Reach for the Stars.” This four week job readiness and career awareness series covered different topics each week such as: interview do's and don'ts; how to deal with difficult bosses or co-workers; what to do if you don’t like your job. Young people from our residential programs and Foster Boarding Home program attended sessions on Monday evenings at Credit Suisse. Participants left those sessions feeling confident and prepared to face the world-of-work.
We would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of our corporate friends and supporters for spending their summers with us. It was an enriching summer that our youth will not soon forget.
August 31, 2006
