Press Releases

White Plains, NY – The Ruth Taylor Award Fund Committee is pleased to announce the scholarship winners for the 2011-12 academic year: Anan Smith, a resident of Mount Vernon will continue his graduate studies at Hunter College School of Social Work; Monique Graham, a resident of Mount Vernon will continue her studies at New York Medical College; Monica Pena, a resident of Peekskill has begun her studies at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Work; Jennifer Kaplan, a resident of Larchmont has begun her studies at NYU Silver School of Social Work; and Jheanell Cawley, a resident of Yonkers has also begun her studies at Hunter College School of Social Work. All recipients will be recognized at United Way of Westchester and Putnam's annual meeting on Tuesday, October 4th at the Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill Mansion.

The Ruth Taylor Award Fund, established in tribute to Ruth Taylor upon her retirement as Commissioner of Public Welfare of Westchester County and in recognition of her nearly four decades of outstanding service to the County in the field of social welfare and health, gives grants for scholarship awards, for tuition or maintenance, or both.

Persons interested in applying for the 2012-13 school year should anticipate an announcement being released on the websites of United Way www.uwwp.org and Westchester County DSS at www.westchestergov.com in February 2013. Eligible individuals must be residents of Westchester County pursuing graduate level education on a full-time basis at accredited U.S. colleges or schools in social welfare or public health. Criteria used in evaluating applications are public service, financial need, and scholastic capacity.

Congratulations and continued success to this year’s Ruth Taylor Award winners! Return to the top of the page

Garrison, N.Y. – In a region praised for its culinary expertise, the best of the best come together for United Way of Putnam’s third annual Putnam Best Chefs and Fine Wines. Held at The Garrison from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday, September 19, 2011, the event features tastings of signature dishes, delectable edibles, fine wines and micro-brews from the region’s best establishments. Proceeds will help United Way reduce childhood obesity, get healthy foods to low-income families and steer teens away from risky behaviors like drugs and alcohol.

In addition, the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce, Professional Women of Putnam and other local Chambers of Commerce have teamed up to help support the cause. Community residents and business men and women will mix, mingle and forge valuable relationships while enjoying spectacular views of the Hudson River.

“Our Best Chefs fundraiser is a culinary evening to remember, showcasing the most accomplished chefs,” said Naomi Adler, president and chief executive officer of United Way of Westchester and Putnam. “Partnering with regional business groups has only added to the excitement this year. Your attendance will help us make Putnam County a healthier and happier community.”

Event attendees will sample cuisine from a growing list of Putnam County’s finest chefs, including; Arturo’s Tavern; The Bird and Bottle Inn; Brewster Pastry; Bucci Deli & Catering; Cathryn’s Tuscan Grill; Countryside Kitchen; Cross Roads Deli and Catering; Fresh Company; Hudson Hill’s Café & Market; Johnny Gelato; Junction 52; La Cucina Toscana; Olive Oil of the World; Putnam Ridge; Tavern Restaurant at Highlands Country Club; Thai Golden Restaurant; The Stadium; and Valley Restaurant at The Garrison. Their delicious offerings will be paired with tastings of fine wines from around the world provided by Depot Wine & Liquors of Brewster and great beers from Captain Lawrence Brewing Company. There will also be a silent auction and musical entertainment provided by Art Labriola.

Tickets are $50 in advance and $60 at the door. Discounts are available to members of the partnering business groups. A limited number of sponsorships are available starting at $250. To purchase tickets or learn about sponsorships, visit www.uwwp.org/bestchefs.htm or contact Liz Garger 914-997-6700 x725, lgarger@uwwp.org. The Garrison is located at 2015 US 9 in Garrison, N.Y. 

Featured sponsors providing support for the culinary evening include Entergy and Health Quest - Putnam Hospital Center.  Additional businesses also supporting the event at various levels include Spain Agency, Inc., PARK Ford of Mahopac, Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, Raymond Passero, CPA, Putnam Ridge, Patterson Auto Body, Professional Financial Services, Joe Lucia & Associates, ATI, Allan Twitty Insurance and AMAXX, Inc. Return to the top of the page

Responding to community needs, United Way of Scarsdale Edgemont has awarded nearly $6,000 in Local Presence grant to support the work of five local organizations in Scarsdale, Edgemont, and neighboring communities.

The Food Bank for Westchester will use a $1,560 grant to purchase food for its Emergency Food Distribution Program. The Food Bank provides food and technical assistance to over 200 member programs that include food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters and feeds 200,000 Westchester residents each year. Of those receiving food from the program, 36% are children and 24% are senior citizens.

The Scarsdale High School PTA will utilize a $1,000 grant for one-year scholarships for two graduating seniors requiring financial assistance during their first year of college.

A $1,000 grant was also awarded to the Edgemont Scholarship Council providing assistance to eligible Edgemont High School graduates accepted to college but facing financial hardship.

Grace Church Community Center (GCCC) received a $1,200 grant for its college Scholarship Fund for Westchester County’s neediest and most at-risk students, especially those who are underserved by other resources. Founded 30 years ago, GCCC assists nearly 4,000 men, women and children each year, providing 100,000 meals to the hungry and 26,000 nights of shelter to the homeless. GCCC also operates a summer day camp, after-school mentoring program, home health care services for the elderly and provides outreach to people with developmental disabilities. This year’s local presence grant will be matched by a GCCC donor challenge, thus doubling the impact of United Way’s support and those served through the Scholarship Fund.

A $1,200 grant was awarded to Human Development Services of Westchester to implement “LifeSPAN,” an agency-wide health and wellness program at its transitional housing residence in Egdemont, which serves those recovering from severe mental illness. The goal of “LifeSPAN” is improved overall health and sustained healthier lifestyles for service recipients, and it encourages them to stop Smoking, obtain Preventative medical care, increase physical Activity, and improve Nutrition (i.e. SPAN).

Local Presence awards are grants to organizations in our area that provide critical services in line with United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s (UWWP) three building blocks for a good life: a quality education that leads to a stable job; income that can support a family through retirement; and good health. Local Presence Grant committee members, led by Janice Cohen, include Diane Burkin, Alfredo Gonzalez, and George Rho.

United Way Awards Local Presence Grants in Tarrytown

Responding to community needs, United Way of Westchester and Putnam has awarded a Local Presence grant to support of the First Baptist Church of Tarrytown’s hot meals program.

First Baptist Church of Tarrytown received a $408.00 grant enabling volunteers to prepare a monthly hot meal at the church for 100 senior citizens. Besides providing a hot, nutritious meal for senior congregation members who are often isolated, the event offers an opportunity for social interaction as well.

Local Presence awards are grants to organizations in our area that provide critical services in line with United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s (UWWP) three building blocks for a good life: a quality education that leads to a stable job; income that can support a family through retirement; and good health. The Local Presence Grant committee is led by Ray Windas. Other members include Herbert Hennas, Marian Randazzo and Laura Rey-Iannarelli.

United Way Awards Local Presence Grants to Local Volunteer Fire Department

Responding to community needs, United Way of Westchester and Putnam has awarded a $670.00 Local Presence grant to support the work of the Hastings-on-Hudson Volunteer Fire Department.

The funding enables the Fire Department to conduct an annual Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training certification program. This training is critical during emergency situations and can result in saving lives.

The Hastings-on-Hudson community is served by four fire companies, operated by volunteers that live and work in the community. Fire protection and ambulance services are provided by approximately 120 men and women organized into four companies. The department responds to an average of 250 fire calls and more than 600 ambulance calls per year.

Local Presence awards are grants to organizations in our area that provide critical services in line with United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s (UWWP) three building blocks for a good life: a quality education that leads to a stable job; income that can support a family through retirement; and good health. The Hastings Local Presence grant committee is led by Stephen Hunter with assistance from Jensina Olson.

United Way Awards Local Presence Grants in Pelham and Mt. Vernon

Responding to community needs, United Way of Westchester and Putnam has awarded a Local Presence grant to support of Community Service Associates of Pelham and Mt. Vernon.

Community Service Associates is a multi-service family agency providing over 72,000 meals and ancillary services yearly to those in need. It will use a $1,425.00 grant to support programs that nourish the physical, social and psychological needs of the poor and disenfranchised. These include Project Family, which serves a full hot dinner, four evenings each week; A Heavenly Start, which serves a hot breakfast to 100 people, four mornings per week; Our Daily Bread, which provides a brown bag lunch that supplements clients' nutritional needs and is distributed to each breakfast guest and Through God's Hands, which provides bi-weekly food to persons with HIV/AIDS and their caretakers. At its Mt. Vernon Crisis Intervention Center, CSA provides counseling, information, referrals, job training, clothing, after school art programming, and a women's support group.

Local Presence awards are grants to organizations in our area that provide critical services in line with United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s three building blocks for a good life: a quality education that leads to a stable job; income that can support a family through retirement; and good health. Local Presence Grant committee members include Susan Reddy, Jeff Marcks, Jay Hayes and Susa Aldrich.

United Way Awards Local Presence Grants to Hunger & Abuse Prevention

Responding to community needs, United Way of Northern Westchester has awarded $4,200 in Local Presence grant to support the work of three local organizations.
Hope’s Door received $1,400 in support of its highly-visible “Love Shouldn’t Hurt,” a teen dating abuse awareness initiative. Last year the program was presented in 21 schools. In addition, program information was distributed at 35 events, reaching more than 8,000 people. Founded in 1980, Hope’s Door offers a safe haven and services to survivors of domestic violence. Programs are free, confidential and offered in English and Spanish. Hope's Door seeks to end domestic violence and to empower victims to achieve safety, independence and healing from the trauma of abuse.
A $1,400 grant was awarded to Caring for the Homeless of Peekskill (CHOP) to fund Fred’s Pantry, a grocery store-style food distribution program operated by volunteers and dedicated to addressing hunger in the City of Peekskill. CHOP also provides temporary housing for homeless adults and referrals to appropriate agencies to achieve independent living.
Hillside Food Outreach was the recipient of a $1,400 grant to support its home delivery food program. Food and friendship are delivered to residents of Westchester and Putnam who are unable to access food pantries. The program was founded in 1993 and also provides food bags for those on diabetic diets and other special needs diets.
Local Presence awards are grants to organizations in our area that provide critical services in line with United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s (UWWP) three building blocks for a good life: a quality education that leads to a stable job; income that can support a family through retirement; and good health. Local Presence Grant committee members, led by chair Susan Tansey, include Rochelle Carrington, Nancy Gould and Robert Unger.

For more information about United Way’s work in the community, contact Margaret Tramontine at 997-6700, ext. 737 or visit www.uwwp.org.

Return to the top of the page

White Plains (July 20, 2011) –  The Financial Education Program, a program of United Way of Westchester and Putnam, celebrated its 1,000th person who attended a free workshop on financial planning thanks to the receipt of $49,000 in grant support from four financial institutions.

The Financial Education Program’s (FEP) lead sponsor is Chase, providing $40,000 for the program this year. Other support was provided by Citizen’s Bank, Key Bank, and Webster Bank.

Designed to address financial challenges among moderate to low-income workers in our area, FEP is open to the community as well as provided in the workplace. Participating companies and nonprofits can invite individuals to attend a series of eight on-site workshops on topics ranging from household budgeting, financial planning and managing credit, to debt reduction, pre-purchase mortgage counseling and identity theft.

“As New York’s largest bank, we are committed to helping consumers manage their finances every day,” said Bill Dehmer, president of Chase Commercial Banking in Westchester and Connecticut.  “It is important to support initiatives like this to help consumers understand their finances and achieve their financial goals.”

“Whether you have a job or not - everyone is tightening their belts. People are looking for ways to pay off debt and balance their budgets.” says Naomi Adler, CEO of United Way “This gives people the tools they need to make it happen.”
 
The workshops are facilitated by trained volunteers in partnership with Green Path Debt Solutions and The Volunteer Center of United Way. The program also engages volunteers from corporations like IBM to run custom designed workshops in the community.

"It was a truly meaningful experience…The interaction with workshop participants during and after the workshop made me feel like I was making a difference” Said volunteer, Jie Ma, Ratecard Pricing Coordinator at IBM Global Financing, “even a few hours out of my life have become so much richer because we came together."

Participants of the workshops can now sign up for a one-on-one free financial assessment by Green Path at the United Way office in White Plains which helps them to develop a financial action plan as well as a timeframe for reaching and achieving certain financial goals. If participants are interested, they can also sign up to have the help of a volunteer coach who will work with them on their financial action plan.

According to Vice President, Mary Ann Luna, “People can be successful once given knowledge combined with the right tools. For example, Ms. Gomez and her husband struggled to make ends meet on a limited income. She attended the FEP workshops and was so excited she brought home the information she received, studied it, and insisted that her husband do the same. Now, Ms. Gomez and her husband follow a strict budget each month so that all of their bills are paid on time, they know what their spending parameters are at the grocery store, and they even have a small amount left to save for retirement.”

For more information about the Financial Education Program please contact Mary Ann Luna, 914-997-6700 x740,  mluna@uwwp.org. Return to the top of the page

Patterson Library donated pedometers to the Matthew Paterson Elementary School as part of the “Green Thumbs Up” grant initiative with the United Way of Westchester Putnam.  In an effort to make Putnam County residents live healthier lives, the library donated a pedometer for each class with the goal of increasing the children’s awareness that every step counts towards good health. In a school wide program, the students and faculty will track the number of steps taken over a six week period, and tally them on a chart displayed in school.

In addition to the pedometers, the library, together with area professionals will offer several programs including “Brown Bag Lunches,” a nutritional talk for parents, muscle, posture and fitness discussions for students and a garden club at the library’s Story Time Garden.  With support from the United Way, the garden was expanded last year to encourage area residents to eat a healthy diet with more vegetables.  The garden and the library’s “Healthy Living” program were highlighted on Rachel Ray’s Yum-o website for promoting a healthy lifestyle and sharing Rachel Ray’s vision of improving child nutrition. Ms. Ray’s campaign to increase awareness about the Child Nutrition Act, has recently led to new legislation signed by president Obama.

For more information on library programs visit www.pattersonlibrary.org or call 845-878-6121. Return to the top of the page

March 17, 2011 – White Plains, NY – Westchester County graduate students pursuing careers in social work or public health are invited to apply for scholarship assistance through the Ruth Taylor Award Fund.

The fund was established in tribute to Ruth Taylor upon her retirement as the County’s Commissioner of Public Welfare and in recognition of her nearly four decades of outstanding service. The annual awards are sponsored by United Way of Westchester and Putnam, Westchester County government and the Urban League of Westchester County.

Applicants must be residents of Westchester County and enrolled in graduate studies in Social Work or Public Health on a full-time basis. For the 2011-2012 academic year, awards will range between $1,000 and $5,000 for tuition or maintenance, or both.

The application deadline is June 06, 2011.

Financial need, public service and scholastic capacity are part of the evaluation criteria. Recipients must maintain the minimum cumulative university GPA for the duration of the award.  Awards are issued annually, and recipients are eligible on a one-time-only basis. A change in major or enrollment status will result in loss of the scholarship award.

Inquiries can be directed to: United Way of Westchester and Putnam, Liset Reid, Program Associate for Strategic Initiatives via e-mail at lreid@uwwp.org. Return to the top of the page

Program Cuts: Looking to curb spending in FY2011 (October 1, 2010 – September 30, 2011), Congress, with the support of the Administration, has targeted the next EFSP Phase for a $100 million (50%) cut.  This cut could become law in a matter of weeks.  A cut this significant would severely curtail the strength and scope of the EFSP program, and impact community food and shelter programs across the country without impunity.  It will be an unprecedented loss to the program, in the midst of continued economic crises.

Action Required: We believe that nothing short of a major grassroots effort will curb the damaging cuts proposed for EFSP.  Please join us in our effort to turn back the cuts by contacting your respective Congressional delegations (House and Senate) ASAP, to educate them on the impact a cut this severe would have on your community’s EFSP recipient agencies and organizations.  Ask them to contact the respective House and Senate Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittees and urge them to limit the proposed EFSP cut to 25% of FY2010 spending (equal to a $50 million program cut).

Reasoning: In the current fiscal environment, many domestic programs, including EFSP, cannot avoid some level of funding cuts.  Effectuating a $50 million cut to the EFSP program, however unpalatable as it may be, would reduce EFSP spending to $150 million, the equivalent of the program’s FY2008 funding level. At $150 million, the allocation would align with overall spending reductions called for by the new House Republican majority and strengthened Senate minority to limit overall FY2011 spending to FY2008 levels.  It would also amount to $50 million more than the President proposed for EFSP in FY2011. (A strong response from the field, now, would also help us defend against further EFSP funding erosion in fiscal year 2012, which Congress will  start considering in earnest this month, as well.) 

To contact your Congressional delegation, you can either call the congressional switchboard at: 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121 for operator assistance, or retrieve the direct contact information at THOMAS.LOC.Gov.
Listed below are the numbers/addresses for Nita Lowey, Eliot Engel and Nan Hayworth (Please mentioned that their districts will be very much affected by these cuts in the EFSP program) Return to the top of the page

White Plains, NY – January 12, 2011 - The Board of Directors of United Way of Westchester and Putnam is proud to announce that Monica Tufts, Assistant Vice President of AT&T, has recently become the Chair of the Board.  

At AT&T, Tufts manages multiple maintenance organizations supporting AT&T‘s largest business customers and their communications networks. Prior to that, Tufts was Sales Center Vice President responsible for sales to AT&T’s global customers.

“Monica brings a breadth of corporate experience as well as a strong commitment to her community,” Naomi Adler, Esq., President and CEO of United Way of Westchester and Putnam, remarked. “The board has expressed overwhelming confidence in Monica’s ability to continue to expand on the numerous accomplishments achieved by its David Yawman, our outgoing chair.”

David Yawman, Esq., General Counsel of Pepsi Beverages Company, served the 41-member board as chair for three years, during which time he helped expand United Way’s 2-1-1 helpline in the region, implement a new program strategy and drastically cut overhead expenses for United Way so that more of the community’s donations would go to programs that advance United Way’s mission.

“I would like to continue the great work of Dave and his board by making sure that the United Way continues to be our community’s charity of choice,” Tufts said. Ms. Tufts is optimistic that she can keep operational efficiencies strong and adds, “With my background, I also hope to enable new opportunities for revenue and charter growth.”
With a program plan for Education and Initiatives firmly in place for the next two years, Tufts’ programmatic focus will be to expand United Way’s mission work to include more Health Initiatives.

Tufts has four children and nine grandchildren with husband, Stephen Povemba. She is a member of Our Lady of Sorrows in White Plains, and in her spare time, enjoys family, tennis and reading. Return to the top of the page