On Thursday April 27th The Catalog convened a capacity-building workshop for its 7th Cohort Member Organizations. The workshop was presented by communications consultant Marti Fischer and provided participants with skills to perfect their organization’s elevator pitches and cut through all the noise that non-profit messaging is often lost in. A key goal of The Catalog is to expand the technical, fundraising, and communications skills of its member programs so that they are better able to survive in the current non-profit climate when they leave the Cohort. Thanks to the support of The Meringoff Family Foundation The Catalog will provide a number of capacity-building workshops to its member programs this year.
Catalog Receives Grant for Capacity Building
Our 7th Cohort will “graduate” from The Catalog this year and members are continuing to explore how to advance their operational skills and continue to serve more NYC youth. Our workshops for the cohort have covered many issues that are key to emerging nonprofits, but we knew that they were ready for more advanced work. So we were thrilled when Stuart Post, Executive Director of the Meringoff Family Foundation approached us to see how The Catalog could make use of a significant capacity building grant.
A key component of The Catalog’s philosophy and model of support is building capacity and providing technical assistance to our grantees, ensuring their success for years to come. In the last few years, The Catalog has broadened these services, hosting workshops in a variety of important fields for emerging nonprofits. Thanks to the support of the Meringoff Family Foundation, we are building on this work by sponsoring a series of workshops with a recognized expert in nonprofit fundraising focusing on concrete steps our organizations can take to advance their fundraising efforts. The grant will further provide individual consulting for our groups that are tackling particular issues. Our thanks go out to Stephen Meringoff and his family for recognizing the critical value of strengthening nonprofits’ operations.
“Access to higher education through outstanding youth development programming is a major focus of the Meringoff Family Foundation, and our support for Catalog for Giving is an extremely cost effective way to further this mission. Our grant increases the Catalog’s capacity, while also providing hands-on assistance to the 15 youth-serving organizations that comprise Cohort 7. It is with great satisfaction that I support my NYC real estate colleagues who are working so tirelessly on the Catalog’s behalf.”
Stephen J. Meringoff, President, Meringoff Family Foundation
Visit to ROW NY
On July 20th Catalog Executive Director, Florence Wiener and 2016 Urban Heroes co-honoree, Ed Adler and his wife Cheryl visited Catalog alumni program Row New York at the Peter J. Sharp Boathouse on the Harlem River, home to the program’s Manhattan site. During the early morning visit they went out on boats to watch coaches providing instruction to prepare participants for a regatta in Philadelphia. They also talked to students about their intensive physical training and the academic tutoring and college readiness that are hallmarks of the program. Row New York, which began as an all-girls program in Corona Park, Queens, and opened its coed program in Manhattan five years ago, is poised to open its third location in Brooklyn. The program is especially proud of its record of sending all of its graduates on to college.
June 29th, 2016 – Investing in Our City’s Future: Real Estate Panel Benefit
On June 29th The Real Estate Committee of , led by James Nelson (Cushman Wakefield), convened a breakfast panel on the state of NYC’s commercial real estate market, hosted by L&L Holding Company and sponsored by Cushman & Wakefield, RESA, W Financial, McGowan Builders, CrowdComfort, and Crown Architecture and Consulting. All ticket proceeds benefitted The Catalog. Over 100 attendees listened to Paul J. Massey, Jr. provide opening remarks highlighting the importance of the New York City real estate community continuing to invest in programs and organizations like The Catalog that provide vital support in underserved communities. The panel was moderated by Steve Kohn (Cushman & Wakefield), and featured Catalog Board Members Rob Lapidus (L&L Holdings), Richard Wagman (Madison Capital),and Marty Burger (Silverstein Properties). The panelists provided guests with insight into the opportunities and challenges that commercial real estate market, and in particular the special challenges of large retail spaces in NYC’s current market. Sponsorships and ticket sales from the panel raised nearly $20,000 to benefit The Catalog’s 15 member programs and the youth they assist. Future panels are being planned for the fall and winter on other topics of interest to the real estate community.
Challenging Students to Grow
At The Catalog we talk constantly to our supporters and the broader community about the impact our member programs have on the lives of thousands of young New Yorkers. We rejoice at every outcome and achievement that our member programs reach. However, it is the individual stories from the young people themselves that we delight in the most.
Below is the college essay of Jackson Gonzales who was a participant in member program I Challenge Myself’s (ICM) College Bike Tour and Cycling Smarts program. I Challenge Myself provides opportunities for public high school students to strengthen their bodies, minds and spirits. Their school-based fitness programs in New York City public high schools introduce students to endurance sports (cycling and cross fitness) that help students develop socially, academically and physically through self-challenge and goal-setting. ICM’s College Bike Tour is a 400-mile 7-day New York State college bike tour that exposes students 7 very different colleges. The goal of the Tour is to further challenge ICM students to aspire, focus and prepare for college and life after high school. Since ICM’s launch in 2005 they have served over 1000 public high school students in New York City. Jackson is just one of their success stories.
“Sure we wish that those situations that happened that were sad or difficult didn’t happen but everything happens when it’s supposed to happen even if it takes us by surprise.” – Christopher Gonzales, My Dad
Thirty-eight days after my dad posted this quote to his Facebook account, he passed away. It would be an understatement to say 2015 has been an eventful year. Losing the most important person in my life, especially during my junior year of high school, made a huge impact on my academic career. When I think back to all that I’ve learned, most of it came from him. Whether it was how to tie my shoes, how to build a shelf, or how to season chicken; but most importantly, he taught me how to be a good man. Having the man whom I could rely on for anything pass away in an instant took an immense toll on my life. However, as much as I mourned I also grew a substantial amount. I took a tragic life-changing event and used it to push me further.
In July 2015, I was given the opportunity to ride a bike 400 miles to visit 7 colleges in 7 days with 10 other students. This was a task that required waking up at 5:30 in the morning every day to get on a bike and ride. Having no objective other than to get from point A to point B. We rode up mountains and through dirt paths traveling a range of 50 to 80 miles a day. The nine other students, whom I now call friends, and I rode together, each with a different reason to keep pushing through this empowering and intimate experience. Throughout this bike tour, I constantly doubted my abilities and at times, found my muscles locking up and my lungs feeling tight. Sweat and tears ran down my face as I pressed my feet down on the pedals and felt as if I only took one step into a journey that demanded leaps; yet I couldn’t wait until the ride was over just so we could finally see the college we worked so hard to get to. I knew I wasn’t doing this ride for nothing, I wanted to visit these colleges. Not only that, but I wanted to push myself, I wanted to improve myself. Though my father was not there to see me do it, I knew I was making him proud.
The weeks after my father passed away I lost all hope, I felt helpless, like my life was falling down around me. However, I found the ability to keep pushing forward, using his own words as my personal compass. I found the ability to use these events so they empower me, fuel me, and motivate me to keep doing better than I did the day before. I’m not the same person I was at the beginning of 2015. I’ve grown, I’ve learned, I’ve felt, and most importantly, I’ve challenged myself. I’ve managed to experience both the best and the worst things I could experience in my life within the span of 7 months. Though he is not here with me physically, I know he would tell me to treat this next chapter of my life, college, as I did the bike tour. He would tell me to continue to grow, to challenge myself, and to push forward in order to become a better person; something I will never stop doing, like my father.
Jackson has been accepted to Syracuse University, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Cobleskill and several other colleges. He is leaning towards Syracuse. These are all colleges Jackson visited on The College Bike Tour. Thanks to your support The Catalog is able support organizations like ICM and their efforts to build resilience and grit a key factor in academic and future success. If you would like to get involved in The Catalog or ICM drop us a line here.
New Directors elected to The Catalog’s Board
The Catalog has welcomed several new Directors in 2015: Michael Nash, Senior Managing Director, Blackstone ; Adam Schwartz , Managing Director, Angelo Gordon; and Richard Wagman, Managing Partner, Madison Capital. And last month the board added the Executive Directors of two programs that recently “graduated” from The Catalog after being part of two of our three-year cycles: Amanda Kraus of Row NYC and Suzy Myers Jackson from Opening Act. Said Board President, Ken Horn, “We are fortunate to have such a wide range of talent and broad commitment to NYC youth on the Catalog’s board.”
Our New Website is Live!
We have been busy working on a new website to make it easier for you to get to know The Catalog and our wonderful member programs. It’s still a work in progress, but we think you’ll enjoy the new look. Please check back regularly for updates on our terrific programs, news about the young participants, events at The Catalog and our programs and other news of interest to those who support NYC youth development.
2015 Urban Heroes Awards Benefit to honor Greta Guggenheim
The Catalog is proud to honor Corporate Urban Hero, Greta Guggenheim, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Ladder Capital, and to celebrate our 15 Young Urban Heroes, a child from each of our partner programs who perseveres in learning new skills to reach for dreams. They hail from all parts of NYC, and have committed themselves to a better future by participating in our wonderful programs that empower the next generation with sports, arts, academics, college readiness, mentoring, alternatives to incarceration and immigrant rights. Our programs are diverse and so are our heroes. Come meet them and celebrate with us on October 13th at The Pierre. Proceeds will be distributed to our member programs. Click here to purchase tickets.