Fadwa’s Story

To say Fadwa is driven is an understatement. She doesn’t dream of becoming a surgical nurse, she is actively taking steps to make it happen. And to make her mother proud.

Fadwa lost her mother to cancer when she was just 13 years old. Her father expected Fadwa to assume her mother’s responsibilities and moved the family often, keeping them distanced from any extended family. She was not allowed to have friends or participate in extracurricular activities. She attended five different high schools and managed to maintain excellent grades while she cooked, cleaned, and took care of her two brothers and father.

At 17, she was abandoned by her father and placed in SCO’s foster care program. SCO helped stabilize the teen, placed her with a foster family, and eventually was able to locate a maternal aunt who opened her heart and home to her long-lost niece through kinship foster care.

Despite her early challenges, Fadwa stays focused on the opportunities ahead of her. SCO’s foster care staff helped her prepare for college; guiding her through the application process and helping her achieve both a Dream USA Scholarship and a Youth in Foster Care Award.  Currently a student at Borough of Manhattan Community College, SCO helped her secure an internship with a surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Fadwa’s goal is to keep her GPA high enough to get into nursing school. And we have no doubt she will achieve this and so much more.

 

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About Us

With 84 programs serving 60,000 New Yorkers each year, SCO Family of Services is many things to many people.

We are advocates. We are hope. We are early childhood, independent youth, and special needs programming. We are strong families and communities. We are the promise of opportunity.

And most importantly, we are builders. We build well-being.

How do we accomplish this? By helping individuals reach their full potential. Our tools are our programs; our architects, our dedicated staff. And with the help of our generous friends and supporters, we provide the blueprint that helps those who depend on us build a stronger tomorrow.

Fadwa’s Story

Foster Care and Education

“I’m going to be successful regardless of what I’ve been through." Learn More

Madelin, Omariano & Mariano

Baby & Me

“I get so much out of it. I don’t know what I’d do without Baby & Me.” Learn More

We provide

14,000

families and individuals with support services and community activities

100%

of eligible residents at our Dix Hills Residential Treatment Facility participated in work, internship, or volunteer activities

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