MAY 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 25
PRESS BUSINESS
FEDERATION OF ORGANIZATIONS CALM IN THE STORM
BY ADAM BROWNSTEIN
Coronavirus has impacted many across
Long Island, but that hasn’t stopped the
nonprofit Federation of Organizations
from its long-lasting goal of enhancing
the lives of vulnerable people throughout
the New York Metro area.
It helps that the West Babylon-based
organization has long prioritized collaborative,
innovative solutions to the
routine issues that would arise before
the pandemic struck — thanks in large
part to consistent leadership and a
seamless switch to providing services
remotely, where possible.
“The mood is just calm and dealing with
what we need to deal with without a lot
of fanfare,” says Barbara Faron, who
has been CEO of the nonprofit since
1986. “We feel like we're stabilized,
we're doing what we have to do.”
The nonprofit, which was founded in
1972 and has more than 550 employees,
provides many services, including peer
advocate support for people recovering
from mental and other chronic
illnesses, a soup kitchen, as well
as specialized supportive
housing for veterans, the
homeless, and people
transitioning out of adult
homes, hospitals, and psychiatric
centers. All these
services are still being provided
during the pandemic.
“We were proactive and
began the transition to
remote working prior to
any formal guidance,” says
Tracy Falkner, L.M.S.W, a
co-deputy chief operating
officer for the group.
“This made the transition
to remote working
a smooth process and made us ready for
the shelter-in-place order.”
While the group’s 24-hour housing
facilities remain operational
with on-site staff caring for the
3,000-plus residents, remote
clinical services are ongoing
for more than 1,100 recipients.
Staffers are also running virtual
activities such as Zumba,
yoga, and video gaming that
help people stay connected.
Faron notes that despite
this being the biggest
challenge that the nonprofit
has ever faced
and staffers are under
intense pressure, there
are silver linings to
be had, such as clients
being more open
with psychologists in
telehealth therapy sessions.
“I think that it may be the fact that many
of our clients are younger … so they are
much more familiar with technology,”
she says.
Having a strong team helps.
“We have an incredible staff that is
dedicated, determined, resourceful,
and enthusiastic to help people meet
their needs,” says Elizabeth Galati,
M.A., who was named co-deputy chief
operating officer alongside Falkner in
2019. “They are our greatest asset. We
hear a lot about heroes during this pandemic.
Our employees are heroes and
are helping the most vulnerable people
in our society everyday.”
To learn more information about the
Federation of Organizations visit
fedoforg.org
CEO Barbara Faron has been
with the nonprofit for 40
years.
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