ABOVE: Children from the summer camp performing onstage. BELOW: Diana Ronan Quasha at a benefit for the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House.
Having grown up in New York, I’ve always been aware that there are many among us who have serious needs that aren’t being met—even in the “toniest” neighborhoods in Manhattan, where I spent my childhood and went to school.
About 25 years ago I learned about Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, a very special place that’s been serving people in need for 115 years and is just three blocks from my Upper East Side apartment. I was introduced to the Neighborhood House by then-president Elizabeth Rohatyn and board member Christy Pennoyer, and was immediately hooked. I knew I wanted to get involved, because my parents had taught me how important it was to give back to one’s own community. I learned many of my values from my father, who held senior positions in city and state government and later founded the MTA, and my mother, who was very active in early-education programs in Manhattan.
One of my favorite things about Lenox Hill Neighborhood House is its diverse constituency. It has programs for children, families, older adults, homeless and formerly homeless adults, recent immigrants, disabled persons, and more. The amazing staff, which includes social workers, teachers, lawyers, , nurses, advocates, cooks, case managers, home attendants, housing specialists, bus drivers, and visual and performing artists, work together to assist the 20,000 people who depend on us 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The list of services the Neighborhood House provides is endless: We teach low-income preschool children to read and recent immigrants to speak English; run computer classes for seniors and low-income workers; help hundreds of homeless adults leave the streets and transition to permanency and independence; keep seniors safe in their homes; provide a wonderful after-school program and a summer day camp to children of working parents; involve children and adults in the arts; supply free legal services to stop illegal evictions; aid families in getting health insurance and food stamps; and so much more.
Just last year we helped 59 mentally ill women move from our Women’s Mental Health Shelter at the Park Avenue Armory to their own permanent housing; educated 141 low-income children in our nationally acclaimed year-round Early Childhood Center; facilitated more than 14,000 trips to critical social, health, religious, and recreational programs for disabled older adult clients; and provided more than a million hours of home care for disabled and poor New Yorkers. In addition, we represented hundreds in housing court and served more than 300,000 meals.
Over the years, and especially since I became president of the Neighborhood House in 1997, I’ve become more involved with the various fundraising events that provide critical support for our programs. One such event is our Kids in Playland benefit, a carnival-themed party for families that this year will take place at the Neighborhood House on Monday, May 18, with proceeds going toward Neighborhood House children’s programs.
