Bronx native celebrates 24 years delivering gifts to
mothers recovering from drug addiction
BY DEAN MOSES
A drug treatment savior has
delivered holiday gifts to those
in recovery for nearly two and
a half decades in Manhattan
Valley.
Lynne Corry arrived at Samaritan
Daytop Village in 1997
with her newborn son and monkey
on her back in the form of
drug addiction. Located on 119
West 106th Street, the Young
Mothers Program is a residential
substance abuse treatment
initiative that permits mothers
with infant children to reside
in an environment that allows
them to hone their parenting
skills while also working to
beat their addiction demons.
It was here, while suffering
from both homelessness
and a drug crisis, Bronx native
Corry put her fellow residents
of the program before herself
and began collecting gifts for
them. What started 24 years
ago mere weeks after she initially
arrived evolved into an
annual giveaway and the foundation
of her very own nonprofi
t “Giving Friends.”
Now she runs the yearround
program with her husband
Joe and her son 25-yearold
Tyler Smyth, collecting and
hand delivering gifts and essentials
to families in need of
assistance.
“I am living proof that there
is life after treatment,” said
Corry. “This program saved
my life, and I want everyone
who is currently battling drug
addiction to know that there
is hope. If I could heal and become
sober, everybody can.”
Dec. 22 marked almost 25
years since Corry fi rst began
her festive enterprise and the
anniversary was marked with
a special celebration. While
preparing to hand out toys and
essentials, Corry was joined by
her family and Samaritan Daytop
Village President and CEO
Mitchell Netburn, Program Director
Carrie Booker-Searcy,
and Council Member-Elect
Shaun Abreu, who represents
the district in the Upper West
Side to help distribute the festive
joy like she had done so
many years prior.
Giving Friends, which was
established in 2020, collects donations
Tyler Smyth (left), Samaritan Daytop Village President and CEO Mitchell Netburn, Lynne Corry, Council Memberelect
CARLSON • NORDIC NATURAL
RENEW LIFE • MEGA FOODS
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, DEC.14 31, 2021-JAN. 6, 2022 BTR
Shaun Abreu, Young Mothers Program Director Carrie Booker-Searcy. Photo courtesy Giving Friends
through toy and clothing
drives thanks to grassroots
fundraising. According to Giving
Friends, the nonprofi t has
distributed over 1,200 coats and
4,000 toys to various programs
aiding young mothers and families.
“I don’t give because I have.
I give because I know what
it’s like to have nothing,” said
Lynne.
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