(Long Island, NY) On Tuesday, July 16th, Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York welcomed members of the community, donors, volunteers, partners and government representatives to its Wading River Campus to take a tour of the facilities, meet staff and to learn more about the programs and services offered.
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Grace G. Lo Grande, executive director of Little Flower thanked everyone who came and supported the event particularly, the James A. Cullen Memorial Fund and Marcus Stinchi, and gave a brief history of the organization. Little Flower welcomed Philip Morrow, a former resident of the Residential Treatment Center (RTC) and was honored to have Legislature Sarah Anker among its many guests, who said that Little Flower “fully understands the importance of education in helping the children residing here to deal with an abundance of challenges they are facing”.
Monroe Hale, director of the RTC, explained, “It is our pleasure to share the challenges faced and accomplishments gained by our young people. The entire campus life and all of our programs are created with a therapeutic goal so that each child who passes through can reach their full potential. “
The days’ activities included guided tours of the RTC, Little Flower UFSD and the Inner Lights Programs including the therapeutic modalities offered throughout the campus. Guided tours were also available to anyone wishing to visit the Intermediate Care Facility, which caters to developmentally disabled adults.
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Guests were invited to visit the cottage setting in which our young people reside and received detail information from house managers, social workers and childcare staff. They experienced firsthand the types of therapy provided to the children, such as sensory, music and art and counseling in areas such as substance abuse.
Each tour ended at the CA Garden, where the children showed off their horticultural skills and proudly displayed sprouting lettuce, broccoli, herbs, peppers and a variety of other vegetables and flowers. The garden is tended to very closely by the residents and the produce is used in the Campus Café. The Café was open for lunch, highlighting dishes, such as quiche, a variety of wraps, pastas, and more, all prepared by the students in the Culinary Arts Program and Campus Industries Café Program.
For over 80 years Little Flower has been guided by the mission to provide hope and help to thousands of people every year. In 2012 alone the agency managed the successful adoption of 59 children into new families, served 1,531 children in loving foster families, cared for 148 children in the Residential Treatment and Respite Centers, helped 259 children return to their own families, assisted 55 young adults to begin life on their own, and helped 201 adults with developmental disabilities to lead more rewarding lives.
For more information please contact Maureen Fox, Director of Development, 718-875-3500 x5040 or Taressa Dalchand, Development and Communications Specialist, 718-875-3500 x5130.
