ch willess, along

r insuranceparticularlytion will

n for itsWe are

r familieshis grant

on,.

tdété

ellner,Linda

eir

recther LLP.

n tol whileof

s –

G E 6

T O C H I L D R E N W I T H S P E C I A L H E A L T H C A R E N E E D S

O P E N I N G D O O R S

Congratulations to these NAC children and parents on their recent adoptions!

Gary was adopted by Michaeland Jacqueline Fuentes on April 15, 2008.

Micanel was adopted by Louis and Marie-Anne Joachim April 15, 2008.

Vivian and Samuel were adopted by Carol Smith May 28, 2008.

If you know a family who can give a loving foster/adoptive home to a medically fragile child, pleaseencourage them to go to:

www.nac-inc.org/recruitment

or call:

NAC’s Homefinding Department(212) 696-1550 or (646) 352-9047

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

2 Letter from the Executive Director

3 NAC Book FairSummer Activities

4 Parent LuncheonsFrom Our StaffSave the DateArtists’ Corner

5 Third Annual NAC Kids Olympics

6 Benefit NewsGrants at Work Thank you Donors

Adoption News

Coordinated Care Means Relief for Families

NAC’s Article 31 Mental Health Clinic, serving families since February2007, has just been awarded a renewed license for two years by the NewYork State Office of Mental Health. The clinic will provide psychotherapyto more than 75 children, adults and families by the end of 2008.

Families frequently come to NAC after visiting too many clinics, wherethey have repeated their stories and hope nothing is forgotten or misun-derstood. “They express great relief upon learning that at NAC, theirmental health Therapist, Pediatrician and Social Worker all work togetherand understand how medical, mental health and social issues influenceeach other,” says Dr. Harvey Mar, NAC’s Director of Mental HealthServices. (continued on page 2).

Volume 2 Issue 1 Fall 2008

37 West 26th StreetNew York, NY 10010T 212.696.1550F 212.696.1602

15 West 26th StreetNew York, NY 10010T 212.994.7940F 212.994.3003

www.nac-inc.org

New Alternatives for Children, Inc.

VictoriousAthletes at the 3rd AnnualNAC KidsOlympics

167619_NAC_R1 8/20/08 11:09 AM Page 3

Above: OASPCAwho initLibraryto the cSummerZoos, TSummeConey at ValleSumme

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 1

Coordinated Care Means Relief for Families Approximately 70% of children who come to NAC have mental health needs.For example, the medically fragile child may be dealing with pain management,medication compliance, invasive procedures, inability to communicate, death and dying issues and lack of control over bodily functions. The same child mayexhibit behavior problems or endure disruptions in mother/child bonding, socialisolation, low self-esteem and poor social skills. Many parents also have seriousmental health issues. Birth parents frequently feel guilty, alone, and inadequatewith regard to caring for their medically fragile children. All these issues arecompounded by poverty and disruptions in family life that may include the lossof housing or placement of children in foster care. At NAC any parent or childhas access to a NAC mental health professional who can help create workablesolutions for the most complex situations and offer comfort during times of distress.

New Alternatives for Children, Inc.

B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S

PresidentElizabeth S. Pforzheimer

President Elect Virginia Aaron

Vice PresidentsJohn R. Cannell, Esq.Jonathan A. KneePatricia S. LevinsonAndrew P. Mezey, MD, MS

SecretaryBarbara R. Rauch, LCSW

TreasurerLouis Lipschitz

Diane AbbeyTerri D. Austin, Esq.Pascal DesrochesAlan R. Fleischman, MDRobert L. FriedmanJill Sabin GarnerSusan G. GevertzCarol GutmanPeter R. Haje, Esq.Joseph R. IannielloRonald IervolinoThomas A. JareckiMark N. Kaplan, Esq.Meryl R. Kaynard, Esq.Fern June Khan, MSWSandra E. LernerJennifer Goodman LinnLouis G. MaloofRobert D. MarcusAdam L. MillerEugene A. PinoverSanford B. PraterEric J. RosenGlenn RufranoMeryl ShermanSusan M. SlaterAlma T. Young, MSW, Ed.D.

Advisory DirectorsMargaret Grey, Dr. P.H.K.D. Hendricks-Muñoz, MDCecily Truett

Directors EmertiIris AbronsDale G. BergerMichael P. GaertnerWayland M. Mead, Esq.Stephen Richardson, Ph.D.Lorraine Tregde, MPADuncan WhitesideMary C. Wolf

Executive DirectorArlene Goldsmith, LCSW, Ph.D.

Dear Friends:

Welcome to fall 2008! As we all know, this year our country will elect a new President.I hope that every member of the NAC family participates in this momentous process andtakes advantage of this privilege, right and responsibility. NAC’s Social Workers encour-age our clients to become registered and to vote.

This is just one of many ways in which NAC strives to help our clients - parents andchildren alike - to take responsibility in their lives and participate in the world aroundthem. No matter how dire the circumstances of any individual or family, there is always a way to take an active role and exercise choice in one’s response to what is happeningaround them. Active, positive choices empower individuals and help them to move for-ward toward a better life.

In this issue, we spotlight our mental health clinic (page 1). Targeted, sensitive and professional mental health services are among the ways that NAC helps to empower the individuals we serve toward attaining the lives they envision for themselves and theirchildren. If you know anyone with a child who has special medical needs and requiresthe services of our mental health clinic, please refer her or him to NAC.

Arlene Goldsmith, Ph.D. E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R

O P E N I N G D O O R S P A G E 2

167619_NAC_R2 8/26/08 1:56 PM Page 4

On Mannuato hofor Nparena delicollarBlue S

GuestMembto NA

poignthem Authoto ouin fossignedWome

Onceed giffatherparenthrilliMood

Par

ent L U N

Fro

m O

ur

P A R

Above: Over 150 clients celebrated Literacy for All at NAC’s Book Fair on June 5. Scholastic, Inc. and theASPCA donated new books and McDonald’s provided lunch. Members of NAC’s Parent Advisory Board,who initiated the Book Fair, worked with Carrie Banks, Supervising Librarian at the Brooklyn PublicLibrary, and Lisa Chow, PULSE Trainee, to organize books into reading levels. Credit Suisse volunteers readto the children while families delighted in selecting books and deciding which ones to read together. Below:Summer excursions included the Cloisters, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Bronx and Central ParkZoos, TADA! Children’s Theater, and Fresh Kills landfill, which is becoming a park. On site, NAC offered theSummer Readers, Music Inspirations, and Only Make Believe theater groups. NAC vans took groups toConey Island, the Liberty Science Center, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, and family barbequesat Valley Stream State Park. Kids learned to swim at Riverbank State Park’s SwimFit program.Summer Sibs enjoyed a day of Circus Yoga and the Salsa Dance Series.

O P E N I N G D O O R S P A G E 3

ilies eeds.ement,eath d may

ng, socialserious

equates arehe loss

or childrkablees

esident.ocess andencour-

s andarounds always appeningove for-

nd ower and their

quires

G E 2

Cele

167619_NAC_R1 8/20/08 11:10 AM Page 5

Editor Marcia Scanlon

Contributors Stephanie Gardner,Lara Hanson, Adrienne Lawler,Jessica Lutzke, Harvey Mar,Yolanda Ruiz, Carolyn Synol, Mike Vergara

Distribution Lydia Roman

Designer Shari Finger Design LLC

On May 1 and May 8 we held ourannual NAC Parent Luncheons to honor the people who carefor NAC children. NAC staff andparents chatted while enjoying a delicious meal of ribs, salmon,collard greens and key lime pie atBlue Smoke/Jazz Standard.

Guest speaker NYS AssemblyMember Micah Kellner spoke to NAC parents of his ownpoignant history and then joinedthem for lunch. Dancer/Actress/Author Victoria Rowell spoketo our parents about growing upin foster care and gave themsigned copies of her book, TheWomen Who Raised Me.

Once again, Estée Lauder donat-ed gift bags for both mothers andfathers. And a special treat - NAC

parent Rasheeda Williams sang athrilling a cappella version ofMood Indigo.

Par

ent L U N C H E O N S

It’s well after 5 P.M. Again, I’m buried in paperwork and I wonder if we’re naïve at NAC to think we can make a difference in the lives offamilies who come here.“Why do we do it?” I askmyself.

Then I think of a client whocame to NAC morbidly obese,with heart disease and pul-monary hypertension. She hadobstructive sleep apnea andused a CPAP machine at nightto breathe. Her enlarged ton-sils and adenoids requiredremoval. Can you believe thatthis is not an adult, but achild under the age of ten?

When her family entered aNAC program six months agoseveral staff members beganto work with them on strate-gies for change. I wondered if we would see any success.Then a medical report fromher Cardiologist arrived atNAC. She has lost 18 lbs, nolonger requires the CPAP, hasno pulmonary hypertension,and her heart disease hasimproved significantly! Shenow looks in the mirror andsmiles. She says she wants tolook and dress like her beau-tiful Social Worker. I askagain, “Why do we do it?” and I think we know why.

Dr. Mike VergaraN A C P E D I A T R I C I A N

Fro

m O

ur

S T A F F

At the NAC ParentLuncheons, many parentsspoke eloquently on howNAC has helped them andchanged the lives of theirchildren.

“A counselor sent me to NACafter watching me melt intoa pool of tears. I had thoughtI could be super-mom. Whenmy new Social Worker toldme how glad NAC was tohave me and my child asclients, I thought, ‘What canthis 25-year-old kid do forme?’ As it turns out, NACcan do everything.”

Fro

m O

ur

P A R E N T S

NAC offers opportunities forself-expression, including art and drama. In these groups, manychildren discover special gifts andtalents that become sources ofconfidence and pleasure. The Only Make Believe workshops give children a chance to stretchtheir imaginations and performwith a group, with sets and costumes that help them stepinto a variety of characters.

Art

ists

’ C O R N E R

S A V E T H E D A T E !

O P E N I N G D O O R S P A G E 4

d therd,

rs readw:al Parked theps toeques

G E 3

Thursday, October 30, 2008NAC’s annual benefit event will be at 583 Park Avenue. The theme this year is Building a Golden Tomorrow, which reflects our optimism and determination in planning for thefuture. For more information, pleasecall Cindy Cavalli at (212) 696 -1550x262.

Saturday, December 13, 2008NAC’s Holiday Party for all our familiesand children at the Javits Center. This annual event hosts over 800 NAC children and parents for visitswith Santa, games, entertainment, gifts,and a holiday meal. If you wish to volunteer for this event or if yourcompany or group would like tobecome an official sponsor of NAC’sHoliday Party, please contact JessicaLutzke at (212) 696 -1550 x 230.

Tamara Morgancelebrates her recentgraduation from HunterCollege at the AnnualNAC Art Show on June 6.

Celebrate!

O P E N I N G D O O R S S T A F F

“I told people all day long I was going to my groupitoday because I was soiexcited.”

167619_NAC_R1 8/20/08 11:11 AM Page 6

O P E N I N G D O O R S P A G E 5

The 3rd Annual NAC Kids Olympics on June 21 was a huge success from start to finish. Many athletes had attended NAC’s previous Olympics at Riverbank State Park, and were eager for the games to begin. Following lunch and welcoming remarks, NAC Olympians and their families paraded onto the fields, led once again by Pipe MajorAlbert Gonzales. Then, nonstop action: double-dutch, distance throw, wiffle ball, bean-bag toss, hot potato, mini golf, and basketball. Track events included the potato sack, 3-legged, egg and spoon, obstacle course, and speed races.Animal-assisted therapy, tattoos by Project Sunshine, and flag making by New York Life offered quieter moments. For the finale, all Olympians proceeded down a congratulatory line to receive a NAC Kids Olympics medal while families,staff and volunteers cheered. The occasion was reported by CBS News and Time Warner’s NY1News. You can view a video clip on http://www.video.nac-inc.org.

NAC Kids Olympics photography: Steven Freeman

167619_NAC_R1 8/20/08 11:09 AM Page 1

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation recently awarded a grant of$475,000 over three years for support and expansion of NAC’s Article 28 Medical and Article 31 Mental Health Clinics.

The licensure of these clinics is a major accomplishment for NAC, which willenable the expansion of medical and mental health services. Nonetheless, alongthe path to becoming licensed, there have been many expenses that will take time to recoup through the new funding stream of Medicaid and other insurancereimbursements. Most recently we have added several staff members, particularlywithin the Mental Health Clinic. The grant from the Weinberg Foundation willhelp to support these new staff members as we work to maximize insurancereimbursements.

We are deeply grateful to the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation for itsgenerous contribution to NAC and the children and families we serve. We arecommitted to providing services to medically fragile children and their familieswho are in need, without regard to their insurance or ability to pay. This grant is important to our ability to sustain service provision in this manner.

Gra

nts A T W O R K

NA

C B E N E F I T S

NAC is pleased to acknowledge the following corporations and foundation funders that have made grants to us since March 2008:

ACCESS New York City, Barbara Walters Charitable Foundation,Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Frances L. & Edwin L.Cummings Memorial Fund, Goldman Sachs Community Teamworks,Heckscher Foundation for Children, Hedge Funds Care, HGIFoundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Hyde and WatsonFoundation, K.I.D.S. Kids In Distressed Situations, Inc., VincentMulford Foundation, The News Corporation, Ronald McDonaldHouse Charities, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, SociétéGénérale, TJX Foundation, Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.

We thank the following government officials for their recent support: State Senator Thomas K. Duane, State Assembly Member Micah Kellner,State Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, State Assembly Member LindaRosenthal and NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

We also thank the following donors to the NAC Kids Olympics for their generosity: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, Gatorade, Kenmar Shirts,Pepsico, and Titan Worldwide. NAC Volunteers from the followingcompanies and groups offered invaluable support for the Olympics:Accenture, Centro Properties, Credit Suisse, the Estée LauderCompanies, New York Life Insurance Company, nycTIES, ProjectSunshine, Société Générale Group, and Willkie, Farr & Gallagher LLP.

Tha

nk Y

ou D O N O R S

The NAC Jr. Benefit Committee hosted its second major fundraiser, NAC Rock n’ Bowl II, on June 4 at Bowlmor Lanes. The event was atremendous success, raising over $46,000 to send NAC children tocamp. Many of the guests had attended last year’s Rock n’ Bowl whileothers were new to NAC. The committee did an incredible job of collecting silent auction and raffle prizes, and securing sponsors –Coors, Starr African Rum and Function Drinks. Everybodyenjoyed themselves and some even bowled a few strikes!

O P E N I N G D O O R S P A G E 6G E 5

2

3

4

5

6

First Photo Above:Bowlers at the NAC Rock n’ Bowl 11 prepare for strikes and spares.

Second Photo Above:nycTIES, a philanthropic group of young professionals, has selected NAC as their partner organization for the next sixmonths. These amazing volunteers gaveenthusiastic support to the Olympics.They will host two fundraisers for NACthis fall, including a concert with classicalpianist David Homan on September 29 at Merkin Concert Hall.

Goldman SachsCareer Day

On June 5th Goldman Sachsvolunteers spent the afternoonwith NAC teens, helping themlearn about career options. The volunteers spoke abouthow first jobs like busing tablesand working retail helped prepare them for the future. Teens worked on interviewingskills and ended the day bysharing new information. It was a fantastic afternoon,with both teens and volunteerslearning a lot!

167619_NAC_R1 8/20/08 11:09 AM Page 2