Fall 2018 Newsletter – Donor Spotlight

UNION SETTLEMENT CHRONICLE – FALL 2018

The van Ameringen Foundation champions mental health services

Established in 1950, the van Ameringen Foundation has been a loyal supporter of Union Settlement for over 20 years, awarding multiple grants supporting our work in East Harlem. Most recently, the Foundation provided a generous multiyear grant to support our efforts to enhance mental health services for children in our early childhood education program.

Union Settlement operates seven early childhood education centers in East Harlem, which serve over 400 children each year. The Foundation’s support allows our mental health therapists to be placed in these centers, providing services in a familiar and trusted environment, and in a manner that minimizes disruptions to children’s and parents’ schedules and routines.

“Providing on-site mental health services to the children in our early childhood education centers is vital to our efforts to provide our most vulnerable children with the security and fundamental emotional skills they need for life,” said David Nocenti, Union Settlement’s Executive Director. “Many of the children we serve have experienced trauma and/or have other significant risk factors. Providing these services right inside the centers that they attend every day enables us to ensure that they can learn, socialize with their peers and develop trusting relationships with adults.”

“It is with the utmost gratitude for the generosity of the van Ameringen Foundation,” continued Nocenti, “that we are able to continue to provide these essential services to children in our community.”

From its inception, the van Ameringen Foundation has funded prevention, education, and direct care in the mental health field, as well as advocacy efforts to achieve systems change locally and nationally.  Their emphasis continues to be on assisting people and communities with limited resources and opportunities to access preventive services, early intervention and effective mental health treatment.

“The van Ameringen Foundation has long known of and admired the effective and much-needed programs and care provided by Union Settlement,” said Ken Kind, President of the van Ameringen Foundation. “We are particularly impressed by the competence and commitment of Union Settlement’s staff. They deliver a unique quality of service that helps to meet the needs of underserved communities.”