Can we count on your support?

August 13, 2018 | by admin

December 7, 2018

Dear Friends,

Each year, we serve 14,000 people who live, work or go to school in Chelsea and along the west side. We help people meet their basic needs for education, food, counseling, college prep, and job readiness. Our work helps individuals and families make progress on their goals, and keeps the neighborhood strong.

We help people like Frida and her parents. Frida needed early education and development so that she will start Kindergarten on track and ready to learn, and her parents needed high-quality, affordable childcare so they could work and go to school.

Frida started in a class for four-year-olds at Hudson Guild this fall. It was her very first time being in any child care environment, having recently moved to NYC with her family from their native Colombia. In addition to Frida learning colors, numbers and ABC’s, enrolling in the Guild meant that she and her parents also had access to family services right away. Family Workers helped them find resources for health insurance, connected them to local medical care, and helped Frida’s mom enroll in nearby English classes during school hours. Meanwhile, Frida’s dad has been able to take on more work hours to increase their household income, and to find additional job training.

Frida is now thriving in school, and her English improves daily. She is happy with her class and teachers in the “Red” room, and her parents have the support they need in their newfound community.

We also help people like John, an 84-year-old who became a U.S. Citizen this year with Hudson Guild’s help!

John came to the United States from the Netherlands in 1957 “for an adventure” – living in Illinois, Florida and then New York City. John settled in Chelsea in the 1960s, and still lives in the same building that brought him to the neighborhood. After a long career in food services at Howard Johnson’s and Bear Stearns, John retired during the economic downturn in 2008. At a neighbor’s suggestion, he became a member of the Hudson Guild Senior Center. John has immersed himself in art activities at the Guild, taking classes such as Theater Movement and Expression and including his original watercolors in the Community Art Jam. John is also a regular at lunch, eating with a group of friends and meeting new people.

Earlier this year, while riding the bus, John lost his Green Card. Unsure of what to do, he spoke to a Social Worker at the Guild to ask for help. The Social Worker connected John with a CUNY program that could help. John learned that he had the option to become a citizen. He took the test, passed his interview and – in September – gathered his friends to attend his citizenship ceremony!

Please help people like Frida and John by donating today.

Sincerely,

Ken Jockers