Promise in Action
A publication of Children’s Aid, helping children in poverty to succeed and thrive.
Children’s Aid
117 W 124th Street, 5th Floor New York, NY 10027
Jill Olson Chair
Phoebe C. Boyer President and Chief Executive Officer
Caroline Gallagher Chief Development Officer
Anthony Ramos Vice President, Marketing and Communications
ChildrensAidNYC.org 212.949.4936
From the CEO
Dear Friends,
Last summer, the Third Avenue Bridge got stuck open during extreme heat, bringing traffic to a halt. It was a stark reminder of how essential infrastructure is—and what happens when it fails.
Nonprofits like Children’s Aid are the invisible infrastructure of New York City, connecting families to critical resources: education, health care, and job training. They are also the backbone of our city’s economy, contributing over $78 billion annually. Yet, this vital sector is under severe strain.
Human services workers—childcare providers, social workers, and job trainers—transform lives daily, yet many earn so little they qualify for the same benefits they help others access. Delayed government payments and rising costs only deepen the crisis, threatening nonprofits’ ability to serve.
Your support is essential to sustaining this invisible infrastructure. By giving generously, you help us bridge the gap between what’s needed and what’s possible—ensuring families in every borough receive the tools to thrive.
Children’s Aid has always been there in times of crisis, and with your partnership, we’ll continue to be a lifeline for those who need it most. Together, we can build a city that is more connected, resilient, and compassionate.
Thank you for standing with us.
With gratitude,
Phoebe C. Boyer President and Chief Executive Officer
On the Cover:
At our Dunlevy Milbank Community Center in Harlem, we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with an inspiring community event alongside the Garden of Dreams Foundation. Over 100 young people participated in a day filled with joy and growth.
Phoebe C. Boyer Children’s Aid President and CEO
Zurich American Insurance Company
At Children’s Aid, we are fortunate to have dedicated partners who share our commitment to building brighter futures for New York City’s children and families.
Since 2012, Zurich American Insurance Company has been a steadfast supporter, dedicating countless volunteer hours and contributing essential resources to help us better serve our families. Their generosity includes an impact grant to support Children’s Aid in our life-changing work.
Most recently, Zurich contributed gifts to the Children’s Aid holiday gift drive, ensuring Bronx youth in foster care were able to experience the joys of the holiday season. For many years, they also participated in an annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, helping families enjoy a warm meal during what can be a challenging time of year.
Zurich employees have further deepened their engagement by traveling to one of our Early Childhood centers for a Spring Celebration, where they planted seeds, read books about gardening, and celebrated the arrival of warmer weather with our young learners.
“It’s been super fun and rewarding partnering with Children’s Aid over the years to help children and families thrive!” says John Rowland, operations manager at Zurich North America. “It’s also been a fantastic way to build connections and relationships within our own team as we rally together for a common cause. Our team very much looks forward to the Children’s Aid volunteer events.”
We are grateful for our continued partnership with Zurich. Their kindness, compassion, and dedication empower us to continue serving New York City’s children, youth, and families. As we look ahead, we are excited to continue working together to make an impactful and lasting difference in the lives of so many.
Promise in Action Executive Update
Phoebe C. Boyer, President and CEO, was honored on PoliticsNY’s list of 2024 Nonprofit Power Players for her leadership of Children’s Aid and her dedication to building a better New York for all.
Joanna Mendez, MPA joined Children’s Aid as the new Assistant Director of Public Policy. Having served in a number of key roles in the New York Senate, Joanna brings valuable experience in public service, and we look forward to her contributions.
Robert Sisko joined the Children’s Aid team as Deputy Chief Financial Officer. He brings a wealth of experience aligning budgets with organizational goals.
GED Instructor Opens Doors
If education is the key to success, then Angel Romero has helped more than 150 students unlock brighter futures. Joining Children’s Aid in 2011, Angel brought a wealth of knowledge and experience as a GED instructor, teaching all four required subjects. For the past 14 years, he has dedicated himself to the young people at the Children’s Aid Next Generation Center (NGC) in the Bronx.
When students enter Angel’s classroom at NGC, they embark on a journey to continue their education and pursue their goals. Each student receives a personalized instruction plan, allowing them to earn their GED at a pace that fits their schedule and responsibilities. Angel fosters an open, supportive learning environment where students are met with encouragement, not judgment.
Balancing the individual needs of each student might seem challenging, but for Angel, it’s what motivates him. He builds strong relationships with his students, ensuring they receive the guidance and instruction needed to succeed. As an anthropology graduate, Angel understands the challenges today’s youth face and sees his role as helping them reconnect to the world.
“Young people are becoming more disconnected from society for a variety of reasons,” says Angel. “Earning your GED is not just a diploma. It is a chance to insert yourself into the community and take up the torch as the future of this country.”
The impact of Angel’s work is clear. He stays in contact with graduates, many of whom go on to college to study engineering, computer science, nursing, and more. Others pursue trades, like one graduate who now works as a mechanic for BMW. Some even return to Children’s Aid to help the next generation.
Angel’s dedication is just one of many reasons the Next Generation Center has become a second home for youth. NGC offers life-changing programs, including ESL classes, college support, legal counseling, multimedia arts, housing assistance, job readiness programs, and referrals to other Children’s Aid services.
73% of jobs in the US require a high school diploma or GED, and diploma or GED holders earn on average $10,000 more per year*
Developing Healthy Habits for a Lifetime
Children’s Aid is taking a fresh approach to healthy eating with a hands-on program that teaches children how to shop for and cook nutritious food. As part of our Go!Healthy SNAP-Ed initiative, students visit community farmers markets to learn how to choose fresh fruits and vegetables, the benefit of eating whole foods, the importance of local food systems, and meal planning skills.
To put their learning into practice, students receive coupons to buy fresh produce at the markets – an opportunity to explore new fruits and vegetables and make informed choices.
But the experience doesn’t end there. Each participant receives Health Bucks coupons to purchase fresh produce from the markets, along with helpful resources on healthy eating and meal preparation. By connecting students with the source of their food and encouraging them to make nutritious choices, the program fosters independence, responsibility, and excitement about eating well.
Running for a full 15 weeks each year, the program ensures students stay engaged with healthy eating practices over an extended period. The farmers market visits are just one part of Go!Healthy, a broader Children’s Aid initiative that helps families build a foundation for lifelong wellness. The initiative also offers STEM-based gardening education, hands-on culinary classes for youth, nutrition education for caregivers and community members, and scratch-made meal services for many Children’s Aid schools and centers.
Healthy living starts with education, and with your support, we’re empowering the next generation to make nutritious choices for themselves and their families.
Deepening Our Impact
At Children’s Aid, we’ve always been committed to ensuring that every child and family we serve has the tools they need to succeed. Our work spans three key domains—Education, Health, and Home— with social-emotional development cutting across all these areas. While we’ve made great strides in each of these domains, we recognized that our efforts were sometimes fragmented, preventing us from optimizing the full impact of our services.
To address this, we embarked on a thoughtful process to develop a strategic plan that would help us deepen our impact and better serve the children, youth, and families who depend on us.
One of the most critical goals of our strategic plan is integration—providing a holistic and seamless experience for every individual we serve. This means breaking down the silos that have historically kept our services separate and reimagining how we work together as one unified organization. By integrating our services across Education, Health, and Home, we can ensure that our children and families receive comprehensive support tailored to their unique needs.
To achieve this vision, we’ve identified three additional strategic goals:
• Community
We believe that deepening our partnerships with community members is essential to our success. By listening, learning, and collaborating with the people we serve, we can embed their voices into our programs and advocacy efforts. This ensures that our work remains relevant and impactful.
• Operational Excellence
To deliver on our mission, it’s essential that every member of our team has the tools, technology, and data they need to succeed. Operational excellence will allow us to work smarter and more effectively as we strive to achieve our goals.
• Team
Our team is at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to nurturing leadership, supporting professional development, and providing the resources our staff needs to grow. By investing in our people, we can build a stronger organization that delivers even greater results.
By the end of our three-year strategic plan, we aim to ensure that every child we serve has access to a seamless array of services that meet their needs. Through integration, community collaboration, operational excellence, and team support, we are redefining what it means to support children, youth, and families. Together, we can create a future where every child has the opportunity to thrive— because that’s the Children’s Aid way.
to students at the Garden of Dreams Martin
2. Children and staff at the Dunlevy Milbank Community Center celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the Garden of Dreams Foundation.
3. Students at Children’s Aid College Prep Charter School, along with their parents, celebrate achieving perfect attendance for the first three months of the school year.
4. The team at Karen Carson in the Morning on 102.7 FM shows off some of the more than 10,000 gifts they collected for the Children’s Aid gift drive this holiday season.
5. Children’s Aid generously received a donation of gifts from Tikiri Toys, which kids enjoy in one of our classrooms.
6. Youth participate in the Emmy-winning MSG Classroom program to gain hands-on experience in broadcasting, marketing, and media. The final project, Keepin’ It Real, focused on teamwork and creativity.
7. Children in Early Childhood programming at P.S. 5 in Washington Heights visit the Scholastic book fair.
1. New York Knicks legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier reads
Luther King Jr. Day celebration.
Photo Key:
117 W 124th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10027
ChildrensAidNYC.org
Monday, May 5, 2025 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
$70,000 • $30,000 • $18,000 • $12,000 • $10,000 Foursomes $7,500 Youth Golf Clinic, Course Contest, Pin, Tee, and Ad Sponsorships are available starting at $250.
Spots are limited; reserve yours today! To learn more, please contact events@ChildrensAidNYC.org. All net proceeds support the young people and services of Children’s Aid.
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