UNH mourns the sudden passing in December 2009 of Stephanie Pinder, Executive Director of UNH member agency Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center.  "Stephanie was an integral part of our UNH family over many, many years," stated UNH Executive Director Nancy Wackstein.  "She was surely one of a kind: funny, irreverent, smart, down to earth in every way, warm, and connected.  We will miss her very much."  A lifelong and passionate New Yorker, Ms. Pinder was an important and effective organizer and advocate for social change during her career.  At Lincoln Square, she helped revitalize the agency, by bringing in excellent staff and board members, building financial support, forming alliances with community stakeholders, and developing a variety of essential services for people in the neighborhood.  Among her many accomplishments at the agency was the establishment of a highly-effective NORC (Naturally Occurring Retirement Community) that has served as a model for the development of similar programs in community settings statewide. 

On February 8th and 9th, UNH held its annual Lobby Days in Albany, in order to connect State legislators and government officials with leaders of UNH member organizations (primarily Executive Directors and Associate Executive Directors).  The UNH delegation discussed budget and legislative issues important to their communities and described how their organizations are working to meet community needs.  In total, UNH coordinated meetings for 30 staff members from 19 member organizations with 57 State legislators and their staffs. UNH also arranged meetings between UNH member organizations and government officials from the State Office of Children and Family Services, the State Office for the Aging, the State Education Department, and other State agencies that fund social services for individuals and families.

On February 2nd, UNH and the Neighborhood Family Services Coalition held its 11th annual Youth Action Day in Albany. On this day,  more than 300 youth from neighborhoods across New York City came to the State capitol to voice their support for the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).   Youth met with State legislators and officials and heard presentations from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, and Assembly Labor Committee Chair Susan John.  This year's event was of particular importance, as Governor Paterson has proposed to eliminate the State's $35 million contribution to SYEP.  With New York City also proposing cuts to summer jobs funding,  the City stands to lose approximately 35,000 summer jobs this summer.   (Click here to view pictures from the 2010 Youth Action Day.)
 
On January 19th, the Campaign for Tomorrow's Workforce (CTW), led by UNH, the Neighborhood Family Services Coalition, and the Community Service Society, sponsored a legislative briefing in Albany with Senator Velmanette Montgomery (Chair, Senate Committee on Children and Families) and Assemblymember William Scarborough (Chair, Assembly Committee on Children and Families).  The briefing, Helping Out-of-School Youth and Young Adults Reconnect to Education and the Workforce, highlighted programs operated by UNH members Union Settlement Association and Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation.  Representatives from the New York State Education Department, New York State Department of Labor, New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, and additional legislative offices attended the event.
 
To learn more about UNH's advocacy efforts in Albany on behalf of its member organizations, please contact Susan Stamler, Director of Policy & Advocacy.

On January 13th, Citi and the New York Mets held a press event at Citi Field to announce that Citi Field Kids, an educational and motivational  program for youth at Citi Field, will continue in 2010, and that UNH and its member organizations will again participate in the program.  Twenty-five teens from UNH member organizations were invited to attend the event, which included a tour of the team's clubhouse, batting cages, dugout, and other facilities led by several Mets players, including star third baseman David Wright.  Last season, through Citi Field Kids, one thousand young people from UNH member organizations had the opportunity to attend a Mets home game, meet with current and former Mets players and team officials, and receive gift bags filled with school supplies and baseball memorabilia.  (Click here to view pictures from the press event.)

Mobilizing the Settlement House Network

On January 29th, UNH held its second annual civic engagement conference, Making Democracy Work: Mobilizing our Grassroots Voice, for member organizations' staff, volunteers, board members, and program participants.  More than 150 people attended the event, which took place at UNH member organization Hudson Guild and featured speakers from the settlement house network as well as elected officials, including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Pubic Advocate Bill de Blasio, State Senators Liz Kruger and Daniel Squadron, City Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito, and State Assemblymember Richard Gottfried.  Topics addressed included the importance of advocacy, effective advocacy from the perspective of government leaders, and successful  strategies for mobilizing settlement house communities.
 
For more information about UNH's civic engagement efforts, please contact Clara Botstein, Communications and Government Relations Associate.

Honorary Chair
Sidney Lapidus