 New Chief External Affairs Officer, Sue Wyant
"It may sound obvious, but kids are our future. What we put into them today is what we are going to get out of them tomorrow. Sometimes it's baby steps--change doesn't happen overnight. But many lives will be transformed as a result of the work we do."
With this new position, we have intensified our focus on building awareness and increasing contributions for our important work.
Read Sue's profile.
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Save the Date
Saturday March 20th, for our Annual Dinner Dance at Terrace on the Park. Details to follow.
Holiday Toy Drive through 12/16
Go to http://tinyurl.com/RH-ChildCenter-wishlist to give requested gifts for at-risk children and families online.
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A Great Time was Had by All...
The Child Center's Eighth Annual
Holiday Party for Children
 It was a sea of happy faces on December 9th at Terrace on the Park. More than 200 children, with their parents and caregivers, danced, had their faces painted, ate up their ice cream sundaes, tried on their personalized balloon hats and received everything from teddy bears to educational toys straight from Santa.
Eight-year-old
Swany Lee was thrilled to be there with her mother and two-year-old cousin.
Swany is feeling "stressed" at school and working with a therapist at The Child Center's Flushing Clinic. Teresa Rodriguez, a single mom, attended with her four-year-old Jon Paul. "The Child Center has helped me a lot with my life," she says. A single mom, Teresa has found a job as an afterschool parent coordinator at The Child Center, and a safe and enriching Head Start program for her son to be cared for during the day so she is able to work fulltime. Lyndia Bitler and her two developmentally delayed sons, receiving help at The Child Center's Trude Weishaupt Center, were able to celebrate together as a family--something it's hard to do because of William and John Paul's behavioral issues.
All the children at the party are enrolled in one of The Child Center's 80 locations that reach out to youth at-risk.
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Many Thanks to Display Technologies,
Our Generous Holiday Party Hosts
 When Board President, Dick Jay, (pictured at right) volunteered to sponsor a holiday party for the children we serve eight years ago, it was a small affair. "We were only able to accomodate about 30 kids in a church basement," he recalls. "Queens has been good to me. It's where I grew my business," he says. As Chairman of Display Technologies, (now retired), he was looking for a way to give back.
Realizing that he could not organize it all by himself, he enlisted his staff, among whom he found a groundswell of interest. After a few years, the party was moved to a more festive venue, where it has been held since: in a lovely party hall at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows Park. Karen Massaro, Facility Manager at Display Technologies and Project Coordinator for the holiday party, now supervises 16 volunteers, including Santa, a cartoonist and many gift wrappers and greeters. Eric Newman, President of Display Technologies, (pictured at left), has carried the torch. "It makes us feel good... We get a kick out of buying the gifts and wrapping them up. Giving back to children who need a smile and some special attention at the holiday motivates us all."
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