B U S I N E S S • R E A L E S T A T E • H O M E I M P R O V E M E N T business >investors bank has arrived > elder law minute > officers installed The Samuel Field Y: Giving Queens an ‘Everybody’ Place How do you define community? On a day where many are concerned with how they’ll celebrate the new year, some of our Queens neighbors were relieved that they were not alone to usher in 2013. Well over 100 older adults enjoyed lunch, dancing, and some great company at the Samuel Field Y’s year-end afternoon celebration at their Senior Center. The party was held for the seniors who participate in the Y’s Senior Center, Social Adult Day Care Family Respite, Early Stage Dementia Care, and Naturally Occurring Retirement Community programs, and family members also joined in the fun. Amongst those in attendance was one family celebrating a 93rd birthday, as Senior Center member Seymour was joined by his daughter Shari, a former PTA president in the community, his son-in-law David, who played basketball at the Y a number of years ago, and his grandchildren, Michael and Alex, who are both counselors for the Y’s Summer Camp and After School Day Care programs, as well as participants in the Y’s Teen Council youth leadership group. Significantly, it was the grandchildren who recommended the program at the Y for their grandfather, who was having a hard time finding a program that could accommodate his needs near his home in Brooklyn. The Samuel Field Y provided a diverse and nurturing environment for Michael and Alex to grow up in, as Michael began his camp experience at 7-years old (Alex at 4), and they knew the Y could also enrich their grandfather’s life in many ways. That’s just one illustration of what makes the Samuel Field Y “The Everybody Place.” Providing Community Stability and Innovative Programs for Almost Six Decades For almost 60 years, the Y has remained strong and vital, and has continued to provide new and innovative programs to the greater Northeast Queens and Western Nassau communities. As they embark on their sixth decade of providing high quality programs and services to the community, individuals of all ages learn and flourish within a caring and supportive environment at one of their 36 different sites throughout our neighborhoods. “We continue to provide life enhancing and life sustaining services to the over 35,000 people who depend on us to be their community center at each stage of their lives. From our child care center through our comprehensive programs for older adults, we are proud of our long history of being there for our friends, neighbors and families to meet the new and complex needs created by the rapidly changing world in which we live.” says Dr. Steve Goodman, Executive Vice President/CEO of the Samuel Field Y. The Y also prides itself on meeting the changing needs of their communities, offering innovative programs such as Basketball Buddies and Soccer stars, which are specialized sports leagues for children with autism and other disabilities. Thursday evenings are exceptional at the Samuel Field Y, when children with autism and other disabilities are paired with a teen mentor. Together, the buddy and coach learn the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship, in addition to the actual skills of the game. Goodman, who has been at the head of the agency for nearly two decades, has seen it expand year-byyear, in every way possible. Best known for its Early Childhood programs, Summer Camp, and Senior Center, the Y has become a tremendous resource for both children and adults with special needs. They also operate free afterschool programs at 22 elementary, middle, and high schools throughout Queens, and they work with UJA Federation of New York’s (continued on page 32) The Y›s network of busses provides transportation for the elderly to supermarkets and Y events, as well as for children to nursery, camp and afterschool programs. Enjoying the New Year’s festivities. Basketball Buddies pairs autistic children with teenage mentors, offering the opportunity to learn basketball skills and form lasting friendships. Intergenerational Programming is very popular at the Samuel Field Y; here’s a group of older adults enjoying an afternoon of lunch and games with children from a UPK classroom.
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