Graham Windham December 2012 Record Newsletter

record

Volume Volume 39 42

The Graham Windham T HE G RAHAM W INDHAM

Spring/Summer December 2011 2012

Serving Children, Supporting Families, and Strengthening Communities Since 1806

Born to Fly Joseph was determined to succeed in life. And we were determined to help him get there.

Story on Page 6

www.graham-windham.org

facebook.com/graham.windham

Twitter handle: @grahamwindham

A Tribute to Poul

Breaking a World Reading Record

Happy Holidays!

We celebrated the season

We honor CEO Poul

We joined almost 2.4 million

with the kids and families

Jensen, retiring this year

kids across the country on

after 47 years of service

Jumpstart's day of reading

in the community.

Page 2

Page 9

Page 10

we serve, and our friends

SPOTLIGHT A Tribute to a Visionary Leader: Poul Jensen, CEO In 17 Poul Jensen became the leader of Graham Windham, a role that followed a career which had already taken him from Connecticut to Louisiana, Georgia, and New York, from residential homes for children to the New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS). Along the way, he changed the lives of countless children and families. He retires this December after 47 years of service in child welfare, with a legacy that will last for many, many more years in the lives he has touched, and in the field he has worked to transform.

Here are a few words of tribute from staff members who known Poul for years, and have been inspired by his integrity, leadership, humanity, and compassion. (See pages -5 for a special message from Poul.) q Our

staff celebrate Poul at a special dinner at La Grenouille

Tyrone Crowder, Facility Assistant, was a child in foster care at SCO Family of Services when he met Poul, who was working there. Although Tyrone was not one of the kids in Poul’s program, Poul said that he could call anytime if he needed someone to talk to. Tyrone took him up on that offer, and Poul has been a father figure to him ever since, through high school and college, and into Tyrone’s career working with nonprofits. He has now been with Graham Windham for seven years, helping to ensure that children grow up with the love and support that changed his life.

He said, "Poul told me, 'Nothing in life is free, but through hard work and dedication you can accomplish anything.'

He also once told me that he would provide an open ear and a hug every now and then free of charge. Poul was more of a father figure to me vs. a mentor; he was a hug when I needed one the most. There was an overstock of abuse and a shortage of hugs for me when I was growing up. Poul provided love.”

Rod Mizell, Division Director at The Graham School, has known Poul for about 40 years, and has worked with him at High Meadows, a residential facility in Hamden, CT; Lakeside School, also a residential campus in Spring Valley, NY; and the NYC ACS before joining Poul at Graham Windham 15 years ago. He said of Poul, "I can respect and admire people who talk straight to me, even when it’s critical, because I can grow. I have a respect for honestness and openness. He’s a terrific guy – very, very bright, very savvy, lot of fire. I’ve learnt many lessons from him. One of things he said that stuck with me was, ‘Never box a kid in without giving them an honorable and dignified way out.’ Also, never, ever ask anyone to do something that you are not willing to do yourself. I’ve carried these concepts with me, and used them with both kids and adults. I was always captured by the fact that he always respected my ability to do this work. That’s why we always came back together eventually. There have been tough times too – tough situations, tough programs, tough kids – but it’s been well worth the ride.”

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DECEMBER 2012

SPOTLIGHT Gerry Leventhal, Vice President for Westchester Services, has also known Poul for close to 40 years. As Rod Mizell did, Gerry also worked with Poul at the High Meadows residential facility in Hamden, CT; Lakeside School in Spring Valley, NY; and the NYC ACS. Gerry has also worked with Poul for the last 15 years here at Graham Windham. He said, “With humble beginnings in a small town in Connecticut, to the big stage in NYC, you have touched hundreds of young people’s lives and equally as many staff that found their calling by the leadership you provided. Your clarity of view and persistence of purpose instilled confidence in working at improving our product while always keeping an eye on the end game. One of the most important values learned in my work life was the sense of ownership you advocated and it is also one of the most important things we impart to those youth that we work with. Your unwavering commitment to these core values and not settling are those traits that most ref lect your successful run.”

Sharmeela Mediratta, Vice President for Family and Community Support Services, worked with Poul at SCO Family of Services and Episcopal Social Services, before joining him at Graham Windham in 2011. She said, "I've known Poul for 20 years. I met him when I was starting in the field as a caseworker in a residential program at SCO, then worked for a year as his assistant when he was radically restructuring the group homes at Episcopal Social Services, and now again during this remarkable period of time at Graham Windham. There are many constants that stay with me when I think of Poul. Here are two. Poul's a tough love kind of guy. He' ll be really hard on you and demand that you do your best and be prepared to defend your position – but he has your back, and our kids knew he loved them. The other is – the man's got moxie. Doesn't matter who you are, what agency or program you come from, if he disagrees with you he' ll take you on and fight for what he believes is right for children, youth and families, and he gets the job done."

Mayra Pacheco, Development Assistant, was in foster care with Graham Windham, and remembers Poul’s dedication to ensuring that her needs were met, especially at critical junctures in her life. Her words to Poul are, "As a former foster child, one thing that was very important to me was to know that the help that I received came from a genuinely caring and concerned worker who really and sincerely cared about my wellbeing, instead of looking at me like a paycheck or another name on their case list. Poul, you have advocated countless times for children who were not your own, but yet, you cared enough for them that you dedicated many years making sure they had the tools they need in order to have a bright future – education, so that they can achieve their highest potential, a sense of belonging within a family and a safe home…like you once said “we all need home.” You cared for children who, like me, needed that someone on their side to provide them with the help and the support system that any child growing up needs.

This is why, I thank YOU! Thank you, for always focusing on how to help the kids and though most of them may not have had the pleasure of meeting you, I have, and I can honestly say that you DO genuinely and sincerely care for the wellbeing of all the children in Graham Windham…and on behalf of them, I thank YOU, again!"

Laurie Sands, Program Director for Brooklyn/Manhattan Preventive Services, has known Poul for over 30 years.

They worked together at Edwin Gould Services for Children and the NYC Administration for Children’s Services in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, and Poul continued to be a mentor to Laurie in the intervening years before she joined Graham Windham in 2011. She said, “Poul, for over 25 years, you have occupied many roles in my life including Boss, Mentor, and Friend, but more importantly you have always given a Voice to the children in need in New York City.

For myself, and for all of the children’s lives you have touched, we thank you.”

Kym Watson, Vice President for Family Permanency Planning Services, met Poul over 20 years ago at SCO Family of Services, when he was an Associate Executive Director and Kym was a Program Manager in their Community Residence Programs. She said of him, "It is difficult to fully define the impact that Poul has had on me. I say that because what I've learned from him about ' definitive leadership' has transcended what I do in the work place. Those principles he taught me have found their way into every aspect of my life, even in ways I didn't anticipate or know was at work within me."

Passing On the Torch Jess Dannhauser, current President of Graham Windham, will be taking on the role of President and CEO starting on January 1 st . His words to Poul: “You are a unique blend of seemingly opposing characteristics: passionately opinionated and unf linchingly self-ref lective; tough-minded and incredibly compassionate; deeply knowledgeable and ready to learn. You are a leader and a teammate. It is not that you fall somewhere in the middle of all these characteristics. You are not the gray in the middle of black and white. No, somehow, you embody all of them fully. You are some wildly exuberant and beautiful color... let’s call it Poul with an O. You have helped to infuse this color in those around you and into the soul of Graham Windham. We will honor it and will always return to the touchstones you have provided to us.”

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Back to the Future A message from Poul Jensen, GRAHAM WINDHAM CEO I remember my foster brothers, Johnny and Chester McIver. I have no recollection of life before they came into our home. It was 1947, I think.

But I remember when they left in 1950.

I was devastated. I also remember one Christmas morning, when they pleaded with my mother to let them wait outside in the deep New England snow for a visit from their parents. They came back inside three hours later, their hair matted with ice. Their folks never showed. It was soul-killing. I’ll never forget.

I remember Bogalusa, Louisiana, on the Mississippi border, in early 1965. I was 20 years old, doing voter registration work in the Black community for CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality. It was very bleak and very dangerous. The Ku Klux Klan was on the prowl. I wasn’t worth much, task-wise. In fact, my mere presence heightened the peril. But I was welcomed into the community, and the home of my host family, with graciousness and bravery, as if I truly mattered. Maybe I did. Maybe I represented hope.

That summer I travelled back north and took a temp position as a “replacement house parent” in the same institution my foster brothers came from years earlier. Something clicked…I knew it immediately. I worked as a houseparent, or child care worker, or juvenile attendant off and on – but mostly on – for the next 15 years; in Connecticut, Louisiana and New York. I learned what really carried weight with kids: genuine relationships and a sense of belonging, an atmosphere of trust and security, listening and learning from one another, and a fervent belief in every child’s essential goodness and capacity to cope, heal, learn, grow and succeed.

I learned to set the challenge bar high, consistent with the upper limits of VOLUME 42

each child’s promise and potential.

To do otherwise, I concluded, was to effectively abandon them. That meant getting really serious about schooling.

Our kids were failing. Consumed by family dysfunction, trauma, abuse, neglect (including educational neglect) and transiency, they were hard-wired to see themselves as “born losers.”

Even when we succeeded in addressing their disruptive behaviors, and their disrupted family life, their prognosis for educational and vocational success was poor. The data made that clear.

School really matters. Kids need roots and wings.

"In honor of all the kids and families I have ever served, cared for and cared about, I leave behind my heart, and boundless gratitude for allowing me to be part of their lives."

Eventually, I worked my way up the organizational chart: department head, program director, Deputy Commissioner, Associate Executive Director. I learned the importance of creating a coherent and compelling organizational and service culture, one that explicitly emphasizes mission and the responsibility of all stakeholders to engage in a sustained, disciplined effort to succeed. Self-ref lection, as it turns out, is one of the keys. When faced with disappointing results, whether at the individual, family or organizational level, the first place we should look is in the mirror. The operating assumption needs to be that problematic outcomes are not pre-ordained. Resting behind this

assumption is another, more basic, assumption…that the best way to improve our outcomes is to improve the way we do our work. Assume we can do better, so our children and families can do better.

In 1997, after 32 years toiling in the field, I finally got the job of my dreams – President & CEO of Graham Windham. At last, I was the boss, not somebody’s right hand man. Big chief.

Not for long. Meet the Trustees. I just went from having one boss to having 25. And, they were smart some very smart - and they had this peculiar notion about “governance.”

They took it seriously. Program goals, targets, metrics, timelines, strategy reviews, organizational capacity, performance-based evaluations…it all mattered. Before long they established a Program Performance Committee and we began to do “deep dives,” to figure out what’s working and what’s not working. Facts trumped good intentions. Outcomes trumped effort.

Ref lective feedback, not just ref lexive support, became the order of the day.

As a result, goals were refined, action plans were developed and expectations were heightened. Our ground game had to improve. New talent and new skill sets were needed. “Down-the-line” talent had to be unlocked.

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT In time, new leaders emerged and new service models were adopted.

Staff development and support was emphasized. The organization was streamlined. We decided to stick to our knitting (child welfare, juvenile justice, education) and build out from there. Demonstrated and verifiable service excellence became the goal.

Nothing less would do. After all, lives were at stake.

A sense of urgency took hold. The task environment became more dynamic, more animated. Signs of progress were everywhere. Onward and upward. Pedal to the metal.

Fast forward, however, doesn’t mean we should neglect the past.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” It may sound like a contradiction, but for an organization to take f light it has to stay grounded. We need anchors, enduring characteristics that remain consistent through time and space.

Our founders got us off to a great start back in 1806 by establishing purpose: a commitment to serve New York City’s neediest children and families and a commitment to eventual self-sufficiency as our service goal.

Purpose, however, is not enough. We need means to our ends. That’s where values come in. Without values, we can easily get side-tracked, or lose our way, or our soul.

As the clock runs down on my stewardship of Graham Windham, it occurs to me that the arc of my 47 years in the field of child welfare, and 15 years at Graham Windham, ends with a few simple overriding values.

They are what bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. They are what have made Graham Windham so very special to me, and so meaningful to the children and families we serve.

They are what I wish to leave behind.

• In honor of Johnny and Chester McIver, I leave behind a profound appreciation for family, and the gifts that families bestow: identity, wholeness, sanctuary, unconditional love and permanency.

• In honor of the brave folks of Bogalusa, Louisiana, I leave behind a deep respect for the importance of community and its preservative and regenerative powers.

• In honor of all the direct care workers and foster parents I have had the privilege of serving with over the years, I leave behind the lessons I took away, and a commitment to never lose sight of what life is like at street level, where life is actually lived.

• In honor of all the directors, managers, administrators and government officials I have ever partnered with, I leave behind the assumption that we can always do better. I also leave behind a mirror.

• In honor of our Trustees, past, present and future, I leave behind a commitment to service excellence, transparency, accountability, continual quality improvement and organizational integrity of the highest order.

• In honor of all the kids who have been left behind over the years, I leave behind a solemn pledge to never ever relegate education to the back burner.

• In honor of all the kids and families I have ever served, cared for and cared about, I leave behind my heart, and boundless gratitude for allowing me to be part of their lives.

• And, in honor of Graham Windham and its extraordinary 206 year history, I leave behind all of the above, a wonderful and fully engaged Board of Trustees, an extraordinarily talented leader, a relentless and gifted leadership team… and the future.

1806 FOUNDERS Joanna Bethune

Elizabeth Hamilton

Isabella Graham

Sarah Hoffman

HONORARY TRUSTEES Arthur Ashe †

Wynton Marsalis

Joan Ganz Cooney

Jim Henson †

Oscar de la Renta

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Georgia Wall CHAIRMAN

R. Kenneth Bryant

Andrew Makk

Henry J. Carnage

Barbara Marcus

John L. Cecil

Heather McVeigh

Gail Cohen

Pamela C. Minetti

Sally E. Durdan

Carmen Paolercio

Fran Eigendorff

Salim Ramji

Eric Gerster

Richard Rothman, Esq.

Michael Golden

Jennifer Russo

Dr. Tom Haines

Mark Rufeh

Jessica Hunt

John Sargent

André Koester

Dr. Eyal Shemesh

Shamika Lee

Melissa M. Thomson

Jennifer Mackesy Poul Jensen

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Jess Dannhauser PRESIDENT

TRUSTEES EMERITI Michael Ainslie

Elizabeth Sargent

Suzanne Ainslie

Harriet Savage

Suzy Bales

Diane Schlinkert

Barbara Carr

Leo Schlinkert

Richard DeMartini

Richard Stewart

Robert Ferrari

Sandra Trim-DaCosta

James Gorman

H. M. Baird Voorhis

John C. Hanson

HONOREES Michael Ainslie Arthur Ashe † Mrs. Vincent Astor † Suzy Bales Dr. T. Berry Brazelton Ruby Bridges

Thank you all.

Joan Ganz Cooney Oscar de la Renta Michael Golden James Gorman Donna Hanover

Marian Sulzberger Heiskell Jim Henson † Charlayne Hunter-Gault Judith Jamison Chancellor Joel I. Klein Kenneth Lewis Wynton Marsalis Cokie Roberts John Sargent Maurice Sendak †

Poul 5

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DECEMBER 2012

NEWSWORTHY Born to Fly Joseph on his journey from foster care to college and beyond

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hen Joseph graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in June of 2012, there was ample reason to celebrate. Not only was he near the top of the class with a 3.8 GPA, he was among the very small number – an estimated two to five percent – of foster care alumni who earn a bachelor’s degree.

Young adults who have grown up in foster face a range of challenges on the road to college graduation, from the instability of moving between homes and schools to breaking from generational cycles to become the first high school or college graduate in the family.

Joseph went into foster care with Graham Windham at the age of nine; he and his siblings were placed with foster parents because their mother was not able to provide the care they needed. Through adversity, however, he learned to find his voice, and forged his attitude toward life. “I like to envision things,” he said. “I looked into myself, and asked myself, ‘What am I doing?’ I felt I was not speaking up for myself, so I mapped out my life. I thought, ‘I’m just going to do it. I’m going to f ly.’” He entered Clara Barton High School, where he gained experience in medical assisting, and where he shone as a student, particularly in math, earning 90s and 100s in his classes. “I always had good grades,” said Joseph. “School was my getaway from foster care. The teachers would give me good advice.”

Along with seeking advice and support from teachers, Joseph grew close to his social workers and the youth development staff at Graham Windham. At the time, Graham Windham was launching the Supervised Independent Living Program (SILP)*, a city-wide initiative of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) that provided young adults with an opportunity to live on their own while receiving support and guidance from staff in independent living. The program was designed to ensure a successful transition to adulthood during the critical launching years in a young person’s life. Ritchie Nixon, Director of Youth Development & Education, told Joseph since he was 14 that when he was of age, he was going to be the first candidate for SILP. Our staff had told him, “You’re ready – you don’t need to wait.” Kim Gold, a case planner for SILP who now serves as a Family Team Conference Facilitator, interviewed Joseph for SILP and thought he was a great fit for the program. “He was very respectful,” she said. “He followed the rules, was “My teachers and social workers were there very smart, and kept his GPA always above a for me. They brought me to this stage of my 3.0. He is a go-getter.” When the program was life – I actually made it.” -College graduate Joseph started, Joseph was the only high school student among a group of college students.

He took part in monthly workshops on maintaining a budget, paying bills, laundry, grocery shopping, and cooking (Kim recalls that he won the cook-off ), as well as successful interviewing and resume writing. Kim also met with kids one-on-one to help guide them. “You utilize every piece of advice,” said Joseph. He proved particularly adept at budgeting. “I saved all of my income, as soon as I got my check,” he said. “I like to have a set goal. If I want something, I save up.” Along with the life skills he learned, for Joseph, the most important pieces of the program were trips, where he had a chance to expand his horizons and bond with our staff.

“The staff would sit down with us as parents and teach us life experience. We’d go to educational activities and museums. I got to see Virginia and Washington, DC. It opened my eyes up to the world.” The youth development staff, including Ritchie and Courtenay Mitchell, also took time to talk with Joseph about life, and to hear his opinions. Kim became Joseph’s mentor after he finished the SILP program, and to this day, she is a mother figure to him, providing a sympathetic ear and good advice when needed.

Then Joseph had to make decisions about a college major and a career. He thought of being a math teacher or going into engineering or biology. Harry Berberian, who oversaw our education team at the time (and is now our Director of Strategic Partnerships and Resource Development), took him to visit various colleges, and

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NEWSWORTHY Joseph decided to enrolled in CUNY Medgar Evers College, working toward an associate degree in liberal arts.

While an A student in both math and English, he was still undecided about his career path. He gradually he found himself leaning toward psychology. “My career ref lects my own life,” he said. “I don’t want other kids to go through what I went through. I want them to progress toward a better situation. That’s what made me want to do psychology.” The field of psychology also helped him gain perspective about his life and his past, about seeing things from the other person's perspective, and identifying motivations and personality. When he was promoted from his night job as a clerk at Duane Reade to the position of shift manager, he applied what he learned to working with his team. “My coworkers say, ‘You never get upset!’ The best thing is to turn a negative situation into a positive one.” He is also working to develop more positive relationships with family members, and is very close to his siblings.

For his senior year, Joseph landed an internship in Graham Windham’s mental health program, working with Carmen Veloz, PhD, Director of Mental Health Services and Miguel Duran, a Family Team Conference Facilitator who was then also interning as an MSW graduate student. Miguel remembered Joseph from the year before, when he facilitated his final discharge conference as Joseph officially left foster care at age 21. “He stuck out," Miguel remembers, "because he was very well-poised, and was very focused on doing well.” Miguel gave Joseph exposure to the mental health field, and Joseph set out to gain all he could from the opportunity.

He learned about the practice, “You have to listen to the patient, get them to express their feelings – get them to identify what they need to do. A lot of patients in foster care – you can’t tell them what to do. If they’re reasonable, they get to their own answers. We are directing them inward. ” He also saw a need to reach out to other kids in foster care, especially those who needed to find their voice, as he did. “Kids are conditioned not to speak,” he said. “They don’t speak up.” He was a key part of the planning and launch of our Young Male Forum, which brings together young men of color to discuss shared experiences and spend time together through activities like basketball. Miguel noted, “Joseph is very comfortable speaking with kids about his life and stories, relating with children, and normalizing the situation, to show them, ‘I was there, and I got out of it and am doing well.’” The kids enjoyed hearing from him and learning about resumes, financial aid, budgeting and saving – all the things our staff had taught him while growing up.

Today, Joseph is a proud college graduate who is looking to apply for graduate school toward a career in clinical psychology, a profession that would allow him to help others as he was helped. “My teachers and social workers were there for me,” he said. “They brought me to this stage of my life – I actually made it.” His advice to other kids looking to do the same is: “Do what you have to do. Go to school. Proceed with your life. A lot of people will tell you you can’t – that you’re not capable. I said to myself, ‘I’ll show you.’ Prove to people that you’re more than what they think you are.”

How You Can Get Involved During the 2011-2012 academic year, we had 62 young people from our programs enrolled in college. While students receive scholarships and grants, we must provide for costs that are not covered, from books to additional room and board expenses. If you would like to support our college students, please visit www.graham-windham.org and click on “Donate”; then select the “Support Our College Students” option from the menu of programs. We are also launching a new post-secondary program to better prepare and support our students in college as well as vocational training. To learn more about how you can get involved, please contact Sandra April, Vice President for Development, at 212529-6445 extension 349 or aprils@graham-windham.org. *ACS, which funded SILP programs across the city, made the decision to discontinue all SILP programs at the end of 2010, based on its philosophy that young people in foster care are best served living with families. However, we continue to provide elements of the SILP program through our Preparing Youth for Adulthood program, including workshops on life skills and one-on-one staff support for teens and young adults in foster care.

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DECEMBER 2012

HAPPENINGS Dinner by the Sea $31,000 raised to support The Graham School Foundation!

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n September 15 th , Graham Windham Board Member Carmen Paolercio and her husband Anthony hosted a dinner to benefit The Graham School Foundation at Wildcliff, their sea-side home overlooking the Long Island Sound. Fifty guests attended, including Georgia Wall, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Graham Windham; Gayle Waxenburg, President of The Graham School Foundation; Heather McVeigh, Board Member of Graham Windham and the Graham School Foundation; Poul Jensen, CEO of Graham Windham and President of The Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District; Jess Dannhauser, President of Graham Windham; and Members of The Board of Directors of Graham Windham, The Graham School Foundation and The Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District and their friends.

The event exceeded its goal, netting $31,000 to support a host of programs for children and teens at The Greenburgh-Graham School, including College Readiness, Career Exploration, Tutoring, Curriculum Enhancements, Athletics, Music, Drama, Fine Arts, and Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs. qA

classic Neopolitan feast was prepared in the kitchen at Wildcliff and served on the terrace by the water.

Paolercio (second from left), Board Member of Graham Windham and Event Co-chair, and husband Anthony hosted the dinner. The event was also co-chaired by Heather McVeigh, Board Member of Graham Windham and The Graham School Foundation, pictured with husband Brian.

p Carmen

The Graham School Helps Break a World Reading Record!

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ver 100 students at The Graham School joined almost 2.4 million other readers in a nationwide day of reading (on October 4 th) with Jumpstart, breaking the previous reading record of 2.2 million!

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record® initiative, in partnership with the Pearson Foundation, encourages kids everywhere to read in order to succeed in school. Across the country kids read the children’s book “Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad” by David Soman and Jacky Davis. Special thanks to our friends at Penguin Young Readers Group, The Pearson Foundation, and the We Give Books Read Mobile Team for visiting our school and donating copies of the book!

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33 Irving Place, 7th Floor New York, NY 10003 212.529.6445 ext. 477 info@graham-windham.org www.graham-windham.org

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS W

e celebrated the season with a lot of love, laughter, and joy across all of our programs. At The Graham School, our Bronxville Friends Group, founded by our Board Chair and Bronxville resident Georgia Wall, came out for their annual Adopt-a-Cottage event, a tradition at the campus for over 20 years. The Bronxville Friends (below) helped kids decorate cottages (and cookies!), make ornaments with kids, and write out a wish list for Santa. Thank you to our Board Chair Georgia Wall and Adopt-a-Cottage Chairs, Trustee Fran Eigendorff, Trustee Andre Koester, Trustee Jennifer Mackesy, Cindy Randall, and Trustee Jennifer Russo, and to all of our Bronxville Friends, for sharing the holiday spirit with our kids, and for everything you do all year long.

Our foster care division held parties for all of our kids and foster parents, with Santa on hand to give out presents donated through the NBC TODAY Show's 19th Annual Toy Drive and many others. Kids were overjoyed not just to receive presents, but to personally meet St. Nick! We also held parties for families in our prevention programs and our Manhattan Mental Health Center.

Thank you to everyone who was a part of these holiday celebrations!