The Many Faces of Donations at Henry Street
By Nicole Fogarty
(L to R): The late Lisa Romain, R.N., the nurses who collected donations for Henry Street in her honor, JET Employment Coordinator Jay Koo with client Ellyn Gerber, and volunteers from H/2 Capital during a day of service at Henry Street.
Donations of goods and services have been important to Henry Street since its founding. From furniture to clothing and everything in between, Henry Street has always relied on the kindness of strangers (and friends!). Even our historic headquarters building at 265 Henry Street was donated back in 1895! Below, we’ve highlighted a few recent in-kind donations that have made a difference in lives on Henry Street.
Celebrating Nurses Month by Giving Back
In May, the Urban Family Center received a special donation from nurses at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn in memory of one of their own. They brought toys and household items collected during their Nurses Month Toy Drive in honor of former Maimonides nurse Lisa Romain, who passed away in May of 2015.
“We wanted to honor Lisa’s legacy by giving to those in need,” said Vanessa Otto-Morgan, R.N., an Assistant Nurse Manager of Labor & Delivery at Maimonides. “She was intelligent, caring, and would give you her last. Henry Street Settlement was the perfect fit. Not only does it serve those who are less fortunate, but it was founded by a nurse! What better way to celebrate Nurses Month and Lisa’s legacy?”
The Power of Facebook
At the Workforce Development Center, a different kind of donation benefited client and native New Yorker Ellyn Rae Gerber. After being laid off from her bartending job of 22 years, Gerber came to Henry Street’s JET (Job Essential Training) program hoping to get back on track.
JET Employment Coordinator Jay Koo worked with Ellyn to determine how to move forward. She revealed she was an experienced licensed massage therapist, and that she could get a job at a colleague’s studio if she could provide her own massage table.
With a new plan set in motion, the next step was to somehow find an inexpensive massage table. While brainstorming how to make that happen, Koo turned to social media to ask if anyone in his network had an extra massage table. It was a long shot, but to his delight, one of his Facebook friends had one to donate to Henry Street.
Koo knows that it takes a lot of hard work to get someone back on their feet, but the massage table helps immensely. “Ellyn’s much more positive now. This is just one of the battles—we haven’t won the war yet—but now she can put her entrepreneurial spirit and massage therapy skills to good use,” he said.
Back to School with H/2 Capital
Henry Street also works with its network of corporate partners to bring their varied services directly to all different clients. For instance, earlier this month, hedge fund sponsorship firm H/2 Capital Partners got the back-to-school ball rolling for some of Henry Street’s younger clients with a day full of fun, educational activities.
The firm hosted a Back to School Carnival for children living in the Settlement’s transitional housing shelters, an Educational Carnival for participants in the Boys and Girls Republic where the students were able to practice working with numbers and managing money (while having fun!).
In addition, H/2 Capital donated over 200 brand-new uniforms and their business skills – in the form of a mock interview session – to clients of Henry Street’s Transitional and Supportive Housing program.
For Future In-Kind Donations
Do you have items to donate and want to join this list of recent in-kind donors? See this page for more information about ways to give and contact us today!
