SCO News
Mayor Announces SCO ED Doug O’Dell’s Appointment to NYC Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board
January 28, 2016 / Independent Youth News
SCO is proud to announce that Mayor Bill de Blasio recently appointed SCO Executive Director Doug O'Dell to the newly created NYC Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board. The Advisory Board offers valuable non-governmental expertise, relationships and resources to the City agencies that make up the Children's Cabinet, in order to help NYC best promote and protect children’s wellbeing. Members of the Board include appointees from all five boroughs in academia, faith, media, business, technology, the non-profit sector and the judiciary. In announcing the Advisory Board members, the de Blasio administration recognized Doug for bringing the following expertise: Douglas O’Dell is the Executive Director of SCO Family of Services where he has served in various other roles during his 24 years at the organization. He is an expert in the field of services to vulnerable populations of children, families and adults. During his time at SCO, he created SCO’s alternative to detention and placement programs serving court-involved youth in their homes with family-based therapy and community-based residences. He also launched the agency's Family Therapy Intervention Pilot which promotes families' acceptance of their LGBTQ children and provides services to reduce negative risk factors experienced by LGBTQ youth. Read the full press release below.
Read MoreSCO Thanks Mayor de Blasio for Commitment to Homeless & Runaway Youth
January 15, 2016 / Independent Youth News
SCO Executive Director Doug O'Dell praised Mayor Bill de Blasio for prioritizing the needs of homeless and runaway youth in New York City, stating in a recent press release announcing the City's plans to enhance services to address youth homelessness: "We applaud the Mayor for his encouragement of innovative initiatives to support homeless and runaway youth and young adults in New York City." Read the full announcement below.
Read MoreSCO Family of Services: Building a Brighter Future
January 6, 2016 / Independent Youth News
Each year, SCO Family of Services helps nearly 60,000 vulnerable New Yorkers build a strong foundation for the future. Here are just three examples of the unconditional care and life-changing results SCO brings to all of the lives we touch.
Read More2015 Holiday Cheer at SCO
December 18, 2015 / Independent Youth News
Thank you to the many, many SCO supporters and friends who donated thousands of gifts, organized holiday celebrations or otherwise supported the children, youth, adults, families and communities we serve during this special time of year. Below is just a sample of the overwhelming generosity shown toward New Yorkers in need during this season of giving.
Read MoreACS Close to Home Teens Visit Washington, D.C. Historical Sites
May 21, 2015 / Independent Youth News
At 5:15 am on Friday, May 8, six young men and five staff members from the 128th Street, Close to Home non-secure placement facility in Ozone Park, Queens, left for a whirlwind weekend trip to Washington, D.C. Taking the young men to the nation’s capital grew out of a partnership with Unlocking Futures-Warrior Program, a mentoring project for young men, and a desire for the teens to learn about U.S. history. Ed Michel, the group leader at the residence run by SCO Family of Services, created a full, well-organized three-day itinerary. To prepare, Ed researched extensively before the trip so he could offer the young men meaningful lessons. Here, Ed recounts the trip and what he hopes the teens got out of it: “The number one thing I reiterated to these young people was ‘This trip this is not only about you. This is about other young people who are in the same situation, or will be, to have the opportunity to leave New York State’…Our young people suffer… because they are not often exposed to a lot of different things …they only know the four corners of their neighborhood…A trip like this can be a catalyst to reduce recidivism and …to push forward.
Read MoreCFL students and staff rally to save after-school programs
April 24, 2015 / Independent Youth News
Staff and families from SCO's Center for Family Life in Sunset Park joined a crowd of community members who rallied at Brooklyn Borough Hall on April 23rd, calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio to fund 17 after-school programs in high-need neighborhoods that would be forced to close this summer unless the mayor allocates additional funding. Center for Family Life programs based at PS94 and PS169 in Sunset Park, are among the six Brooklyn programs in jeopardy.
Read MoreFirstStepNYC hosts CityTech Nurses for community health event
March 24, 2015 / Independent Youth News
Seeking to raise awareness for two major health concerns facing children and families in Brownsville – uncontrolled asthma and childhood obesity – the New York City College of Technology Nursing Department and representatives from Brookdale and Kings County hospitals Tuesday held a community meeting at SCO/FirstStepNYC, an early childhood education…
Read MoreDream Big, Speak Out Open Mic Event
March 9, 2015 / Independent Youth News
“About My Black”, “Unlucky Number 8” and “The Last Fight” were just a few of the poems our transfer school students recited March 2nd at the 1st Annual Dream Big, Speak Out Open Mic Event at the famous Nuyorican Poets Café. The students have been participating in Dream Big, Speak Out – a program created by the New York Knicks,Garden of Dreams Foundation and Urban Word NYC – designed to celebrate the African American Experience. Watch video highlights from the performance and check out photos from the event below (click thumbnails to view gallery)! Your browser does not support iframes.
Read MoreJanuary is National Mentoring Month – Get Involved!
January 12, 2015 / Independent Youth News
Could you navigate through a twisting, turning, pitch-black tunnel using only your sense of touch? Our kids did just that in the “Touch Tunnel,” one of many cool exhibits enjoyed Saturday by participants in our Family Dynamics Mentoring Program at the Liberty Science Center. See more photos below! January is National Mentoring Month – If you’d like to Be Someone Who Matters to Someone Who Matters, email us at [email protected]. Find out more: http://sco.org/2014-mentoring-benefit/
Read MoreSCO Teens Visit Washington, D.C. with “Dream Big, Speak Out”
January 7, 2015 / Independent Youth News
Fifteen students from SCO's transfer high schools traveled to Washington, D.C. this week for the launch of "Dream Big, Speak Out," a program created by the New York Knicks, Garden of Dreams and Urban Word NYC to inspire students to engage with and reflect on the African American experience. New York Knicks Legend John Starks joined SCO's teens on their action-packed day trip to the nation's capital, which included an introduction to the program, a tour of Washington D.C.’s monuments and memorials, and a Langston Hughes-inspired dining experience and poetry reading at Busboys & Poets.
Read MoreYouth in Care Find Employment Through SCO’s Work Readiness Program
December 10, 2014 / Independent Youth News
The next time you’re looking for a shirt at a Banana Republic Factory Store, the very helpful sales associate might well be the young woman pictured here or another one of our young people who participated in SCO’s work readiness program facilitated by Gap Inc. employee volunteers. Six of the new part-time salespeople, who are part of SCO’s redesigned foster care program, were offered jobs and started working during the holiday season!
Read MoreFamily Dynamics Mentoring Program builds relationships that matter
October 16, 2014 / Independent Youth News
Jada Wade was eight when she took her first field trip in Family Dynamics’ Mentoring Program. She was paired with volunteer Ray Siegel, a first-time mentor, and the two –now ages 11 and 30 – have been inseparable on every trip since. Family Dynamics’ Mentoring Program matches 25 children in its school-based programs with adult professionals who accompany the young people on monthly outings to recreational and cultural sites in New York City. It gives the kids a chance to establish relationships with their mentors while enjoying new experiences. On Oct.23rd, SCO will hold the annual Youth Mentoring Program fundraiser at the Gilded Lily in Manhattan – please join us!
Read MoreNourishing body & soul at Madonna Heights’ Café Believe
September 18, 2014 / Independent Youth News
Homemade breakfast burritos, chocolate chip pancakes and strawberry smoothies served at a five-star table setting…Thursday morning breakfasts haven’t been the same since Café Believe opened at our Madonna Heights Residence in December 2012. What began as a challenge for the overnight staff to create an incentive for residents to complete their morning routines, has turned into a wonderful weekly homemade breakfast prepared and served to the residents by the overnight staff in a cozy campus kitchen.
Read MoreSCO Goes Back to School
September 4, 2014 / Independent Youth News
There was laughter, a few tears and a lot of excitement this week across SCO Family of Services’ schools in New York City and on Long Island as some 1,300 children began a new academic year at SCO’s four Early Childhood Education Centers, three transfer high schools in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, and five residential and special education schools in Queens, the Bronx and on Long Island.
Read MoreCongratulations Andrei Williams-Hanna!
September 2, 2014 / Independent Youth News
For Andrei Williams-Hanna, an 18-year-old living in one of SCO’s LGBTQ group homes, there was never any question that he would go to college; his goal is to become a cardiologist. But Andrei, a native of Jamaica, needed help to pay for tuition. He was understandably devastated by the news that he had not been awarded any of the college scholarships for which he applied. He asked if he could give up his clothing allowance to offset the cost of tuition. “In all these disappointments, he never lost his cool, never made a scene and never got angry,” said SCO Transitional Specialist Zuleika Almanzar. Instead, Andrei remained focused, going on every possible program outing in hopes of meeting someone who could direct him toward a potential funding source. With the help of Almanzar and SCO LGBTQ Program Therapist Lili Glauber, he pursued every available lead.
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