Shana’s Story

I have been challenged with addiction for 10 years, and have been in and out of outpatient treatment and detox several times – but I would always relapse.

When I arrived at Morning Star, I was at the lowest point in my life. Things were spiraling out of control. My four children had been taken from me and placed in foster care with a family member. And then I learned that I was 5 months pregnant.

I arrived with the worst attitude in the world. I was just so angry all the time. But at Morning Star, I started to reflect and gain clarity. I realized that I was hurt and angry with myself. And that’s when the healing began. Everything had been a fight up to that point. But I had nowhere to run – I had to face my problems.

Morning Star helped save my life. They never gave up on me.

Every interaction with my counselor and every staff member helped prepare me to re-enter the world clean and ready to thrive.

I attended treatment 5 days a week, attended a medical assistant program, and became certified in a workforce development program for nontraditional roles for women. And I learned that I am worth it! From now on, I show up, set up, and remain teachable.

When my baby, Liliana, was born, I can’t express how much the onsite child care at Morning Star II helped in my recovery. It made it possible for me to go to treatment, attend school, and focus on me. The structure kept me accountable for being a parent and prepared e for the real world.

I knew I was finally on a path to a better life when I left Morning Star. The court saw the improvements in me, too, and my children came back home to me. I never thought that would happen. Today, thanks to Morning Star, I have a home and my family lives under one roof.

I still visit the program to let them know of my progress. My goal is to be fully self-supported. I know there will be obstacles ahead of me. But I am prepared to take it one day at a time.

Corporate Partners

SCO has a distinct leadership position among our peers. Philanthropic and corporate leaders, foundations and government agencies turn to SCO as a trusted partner. We welcome corporate partners who are committed to working with us to make a visible, measurable and positive impact in the lives.  See how corporate partners are enhancing our programs»

Event Sponsor 
SCO has many events throughout the year. Support us by financially contributing a leadership gift. Support our next event»

Product Donation
Donate products to support our programs and/or the daily operations of SCO Family of Services.

One Day Volunteer Project 
Make an impact by supporting, managing and carrying out a specialized project to enhance our programs. See our corporate partner volunteer projects»

Directed Drives

  • Book Drive: Support our Literacy Programs. Collect new books for children, youth and adults
  • School Supplies: Collect school supplies for our children and youth
  • College Packs: Help our young adults get off to a good start! Collect the essentials for our youth to go away to college
  • Holiday Giving Program: Make holiday wishes come true for the children, youth, adults and families we help

Highlights of Successful Partnerships

GAP Inc.
Through the hard work and dedication of their employees, GAP Inc. and The Gap Foundation has supported SCO Family of Services in many ways. Their commitment to SCO has provided life-changing results for the children, youth, adults and families we help.

Gap Inc. and employees from their apparel brands (Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy) have participated in countless service-based volunteer projects, coordinated many in-kind donation drives and worked one-one-one with our clients and staff providing skills-based volunteering in support of our programs and the people we help.

Deloitte
As part of Deloitte Impact Day, 150 Deloitte employees spent the day volunteering on our Madonna Heights Campus. The Deloitte team cleaned, painted, cleared and organized underutilized space—creating SCO’s new Program Support Center, which will house in-kind donations that will be distributed to our programs throughout New York City and Long Island.

Scholastic
Scholastic Inc. is supporting our initiative to embed literacy development into our work with individuals of all ages.

Supporting SCO with the crucial tools needed, Scholastic has donated nearly 10,000 books over the past two years which will help develop literacy rich environments where children live, learn and play; they are helping accelerate literacy development among adolescents reading significantly below grade level at our transfer high school in Queens with Read 180; helping kids in elementary and middle school spark an interest in reading with the R.E.A.L. Mentoring program at our Beacon Program in Brooklyn; and empowering parents in high-need communities to read with their children with the Read and Rise program.

We are proud to recognize several other partners including:

  • Autonomous Research
  • Bronx River Media Group
  • Garden of Dreams
  • Henry Schein
  • Milliman
  • Nassau County Fire Riders
  • Supply House

Kaitlyn & Khamion

Early Education & Family Support Services

“I love this school. Sometimes I felt like giving up, but Kaitlyn was always my motivation.” Learn More

Shana’s Story

Family First

Morning Star helped save my life. They never gave up on me. Learn More

95%

of women in our residential recovery program remained substance free

Children in our NYC shelters had a

96%

attendance rate at NYC DOE schools

Stay in the loop

Subscribe to the SCO Newsletter to hear the latest on SCO’s programs, people, and happenings.