Senate Resolution No. 924

BY: Senator KAPLAN

COMMENDING SCO Family of Services upon the
occasion of hosting its Annual Benefit on June 20,
2019

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize that
the quality and character of life in the communities across New York
State are reflective of the concerned and dedicated efforts of those
organizations and individuals who would devote themselves to the welfare
of the community and its citizenry; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commend SCO Family of Services upon the occasion of hosting its Annual
Benefit, to be celebrated on Thursday, June 20, 2019, at the Cradle of
Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York; and

WHEREAS, For more than 100 years, SCO Family of Services has a
provided a comprehensive array of services to children and families
throughout New York City and Long Island; the organization strives to
ensure every child is given the opportunity to lead a healthy and happy
life, launches youth into adulthood, stabilizes and strengthens
families, and unlocks potential for children and adults with special
needs; and

WHEREAS, Each year, under the luminous leadership of Executive
Director Keith M. Little, SCO Family of Services helps 60,000 vulnerable
New Yorkers meet their critical needs and build a strong foundation for
their future; and

WHEREAS, This vital organization began in 1895, when a group of
wealthy women established the Country Home for Convalescent Babies in
Upstate New York; two years later, a new home was built on 14 acres in
Sea Cliff, Long Island, and was supported by many prominent New York
families; during World War II, the Home closed briefly and then reopened
in 1947, under the auspices of the Diocese of Brooklyn, when it was
renamed St. Christopher's Home; and

WHEREAS, In 1967, the Foster Home Program was initiated, and in
1978, the Center for Family Life opened in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, to
promote positive outcomes for children, adults and families through a
comprehensive range of neighborhood-based family and social services;
and

WHEREAS, St. Christopher's Home merged with the Briarwood,
Queens-based Ottilie Home for Children in 1985, and became known as St.
Christopher-Ottilie; a second merger took place in 1996, with Madonna
Heights Services in Dix Hills, Long Island, and another in 1999, with
Family Dynamics, an organization in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn; and

WHEREAS, After a period of great growth, St. Christopher-Ottilie was
renamed SCO Family of Services in December of 2004; and

WHEREAS, In the fall of 2012, SCO Family of Services opened eight
Close to Home residences for court-involved youth in Queens, Brooklyn
and the Bronx; in about the same time, three new Early Childhood Centers
were begun through the New York City EarlyLearn initiative; and

WHEREAS, SCO Family of Services responded immediately after
Hurricane Sandy to help hundreds of families affected by the storm,
providing case management in Far Rockaway, Queens, and in New York City
hotels where displaced families were housed; and

WHEREAS, In January of 2013, SCO Family of Services was awarded a
grant by the New York City Council to expand the Center for Family
Life's successful worker cooperative program; and

WHEREAS, In 2018, SCO Family of Services gave shelter to 9,900
homeless youth, adults and children; helped 2,100 individuals with
special needs develop skills to reach their full potential; guided 7,500
children and teenagers on the path to success through academic, after
school, summer and work readiness programs; and prepared 1,900 young
children for Kindergarten through its early childhood programs; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when
organizations of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our
attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens
of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend SCO Family of Services upon the occasion of hosting its Annual
Benefit on June 20, 2019; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Keith M. Little, Executive Director, SCO Family of
Services.