The Hartley House 2015

Children and Youth Programs:

Summer Camp

Pied Piper Summer Day Camp is an eight-week full-day summer camp designed to combat summer learning loss, provide low-cost and enriching childcare for working parents, and help students discover new passions and talents. In 2015, Pied Piper Summer Day Camp boasted enrollment of 177 students throughout the summer, its highest to date. Hartley House again leveraged partnerships with likeminded youth-serving organizations like the DJ Dream Fund and Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies to offer scholarships to 14 children. Without these critical funds, these participants would have likely been unable to attend any summer enrichment program, negatively impacting their academic and social readiness for the following school year and putting enormous strain on their hardworking parents.

After School

Hartley House’s After School Program delivers academic and social/emotional enrichment and support through a dynamic Learning Community model that incorporates literacy, creative arts, mentoring, and life skills. In 2015 Hartley House’s After School Program served an average of 78 students on any given day, and up to 90 students on vacation days. Through a partnership with Writopia funded by the Pinkerton Foundation, Hartley House bolstered its offerings for older students with creative writing workshops to help participants find their voice.

GRADS

Growing Responsibly and Delivering Services (GRADS) is a program designed to offer valuable volunteer opportunities and leadership development for students aged 13-18, or who have aged out of the After School and Summer Camp programs. In addition to between five and ten former Hartley House program participants, GRADS began hosting students from De La Salle Academy, the only private school in New York City for talented, low-income middle school students with a need-blind admission policy. Hartley House hosted 15 GRADS over the course of the year from De La Salle, who utilized their time as GRADS to fulfill hours for a school-required service project. Last year, four of our six counselors were former GRADS, and one GRAD is serving as a counselor-in-training.

Senior Programs:

HOPE

The Home Outreach Program for Elders (HOPE) remains a critical source of support for low-income and vulnerable seniors in Hell’s Kitchen. Offering comprehensive case management, Formal Money Management services, benefits assistance, and compassionate support, HOPE continues to increase its programmatic effectiveness and capacity. In 2015, HOPE served 77 mutually exclusive clients, saw a continued decrease in the percentage of clients institutionalized in care facilities, and completed 147 benefits applications and recertifications to secure over $30,000 in monthly public benefits and private stipendiary assistance, and over $55,000 in one-time/emergency financial assistance for its clients.

Senior Recreation:

As seniors age, social isolation becomes an incredible challenge to living an independent, healthy, and fulfilled life connected to the community. Hartley House seeks to help seniors create meaningful relationships both with their neighbors and Hartley House staff through lively social activities and events hosted at the House:

Bingo

Bingo remains a beloved weekly activity for elderly neighbors and HOPE clients alike. It is an important time for neighborhood seniors to gather for food, fellowship, and fun.

Eleanor’s Outings

Through generous funding from the DJ McManus Foundation, Hartley House hosted 90 neighborhood seniors on outings to see five fabulous shows: On the Town, Lion King, Finding Neverland, Beautiful, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

Creative Arts Programs:

Hartley House’s Creative Arts Program pulses throughout every offering we deliver to our neighbors. Our After School and Pied Piper Summer Day Camp curriculum incorporates arts projects and instruction to help engage students in learning and express their ideas and passions. Art therapy supports both children and seniors work through complex challenges. Participants use a variety of media and work with a licensed Creative Art Therapist to navigate the social and emotional toll of issues like family disruption, poverty, bullying, isolation, and end-of-life anxiety. Ten After School students and nine HOPE clients were served through Art Therapy last year. 396 additional seniors were served through group Art Therapy sessions held at Clinton Gardens, and 31 homeless teen mothers were supported through a partnership with Covenant House.

Free, high quality art classes for all ages include oil painting and ceramics with ceramics projects fired in Hartley House’s very own kiln. In 2015, 156 art classes were offered with an average attendance of seven neighbors. Hartley House hosted two art shows to give After School and Summer Camp students, HOPE and other neighborhood seniors, and Art Therapy clients an opportunity to display-and in some cases sell-their art. "Over the Bridge" was held from April 7 – 9 and featured 45 pieces created by 18 artists. 68 individuals attended the show, and seven pieces were purchased. "Summer Breeze" was held September 1 – 3, featuring 30 pieces by 16 artists and hosted around 50 individuals.

Adult Education Programs:

Through the support of partnerships and volunteers, Hartley House supports adults strengthening their language and job skills and pursuing better lives for themselves and their families. Hartley House hosted eight Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) classes serving 22 students to achieve High School Equivalency. El Centro de Educación de Trabajadores (The Center for Worker’s Education) is an independent organization partnering with Hartley House to provide assistance including English classes, basic computer skills, legal consultations and referrals, and preparation for the INS citizenship exam to recent immigrants. In 2015, 300 individuals were supported through these services. Finally, The New York City Department of Education’s Office of Adult and Continuing Education (OACE) holds English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes at Hartley House. Last year, 271 students were served through five daily classes (increased from four daily classes).

Organizational News:

NYJL

Hartley House was selected as the site of the New York Junior League (NYJL) Community Improvement Project for 2015, a one-year partnership to increase the NYJL and chosen organization’s impact. The Project fully renovated three badly outdated learning spaces in Hartley House’s over 120-year-old historic home. The project included $50,000 in supplies and in-kind services for capital improvements, as well as a team from the NYJL’s more than 2,600 women volunteers to complete the upgrades. In addition, Hartley House recently applied to the New York Junior League to become a Community Partner, engaging volunteers from the League to offer career counseling, financial literacy, and the hard and soft skills necessary to turn the lessons learned through GRADS and other Hartley House programming into marketable skills. During the project, Hartley House and the NYJL discovered a long history of partnership dating back to 1905. Hartley House is grateful for this renewed partnership in the 21st century, and looks forward to a long and fruitful relationship with the historical organization.

Assistant Executive Director

In 2015, Hartley House hired its first ever Assistant Executive Director (AED) with 100% financial support from the Board of Directors and a generous foundation grant. Megan Ducoff, MSW, joined the Hartley House team in June to oversee programmatic development and enhancement envisioned by Hartley House’s recently completed strategic plan. With the support of the AED, Hartley House has begun enhancing our already robust Youth Programs by integrating scientifically validated assessment tools, and training staff on utilizing these tools to ensure our programs are consistently meeting the needs of the children in our neighborhood. To support HOPE, the AED has helped us successfully secure funding from a long-time partner to add a full-time case manager for the HOPE program. With the expanded capacity this new position will offer, Hartley House will be able to improve its intake process, strengthen its individualized case management interventions, and enhance and expand programming to meet the needs of the rapidly growing senior population in our neighborhood.

Hartley House Special Events:

25th Anniversary Wine Tasting

Hartley House celebrated a quarter century of good wine, good friends, and a great cause with its 25th Annual Wine Tasting, which raised a record $82,425. With live and silent auctions, delicious wine by Moore Brothers, and mouthwatering hors d’oeuvres donated from our friends and neighbors on Restaurant Row, the evening was a rousing success and heartfelt celebration of Hartley House’s long history and deep impact in the neighborhood.

Spring Benefit

On April 29, 2015 Hartley House hosted its Fifth Annual Spring Benefit raising over $220,000 to support its programming. Chris Wragge and Lonnie Quinn of CBS 2 brought their trademark energy to the room as the Masters of Ceremonies and auctioneers. Hartley House was delighted to honor a new friend and neighbor of the House with the Philanthropic Excellence Award, Linda Chin, General Manager of Ink48. Linda and Ink48 have emerged as incredible partners, support fundraising events and auctions as well as hosting career days for our After School and Summer Camp students. Hartley House was also honored to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of an outgoing long-time board member Deborah McManus, who has been instrumental in Hartley House’s growth over the past 25 years.

Board Development

In 2015, Hartley House welcomed four new Trustees to its Board: Catherine Mathis of McGraw Hill Education, Liz O’Melia of S&P Global (fka McGraw Hill Financial), Linda Chin of Ink48, and Drew LaBenne of Amalgamated Bank. To strengthen the Board, its governance, and strategic implementation of our plans, two Board committees were re-evaluated and re-named to better reflect their charges: Nominating to Nominating & Governance, and Program to Program & Strategic Planning.

Individual Donors

Organized Charities, Foundations, Corporations & Elected Officials

President

Alice Truax

Vice Presidents

Harold McGraw III & Eleanor Earle Mascheroni

Trustees-At-Large

Trustee Emeritus

Percy Preston, Jr.
Helen Mead Platt
Rev. Francis Geer
Deborah McManus

Nicole L. Cicogna

Executive Director

Megan L. Ducoff, MSW

Assistant Executive Director

Lezlie Riddles

Executive Assistant to the Executive Director & Reception Manager

Yesenia Zuniga, MSW

Director, Home Outreach Program for Elders (HOPE)

Meshael Eady

Director, Facilities and Maintenance

Mia Muratore

Director, After School and Summer Day Camp Programs

Jil Novenski

Development Coordinator

Donniese Borrow

Space Rental Coordinator

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