Community Outreach Center Receives Grant from Mother Cabrini Health Foundation

Student Zoe walks her horse partner Gandalf out of the horse barn during a specialized therapy small group session of Hoof Harmony

Partnering with Horses to Learn About Self

April 9, 2024

A generous grant ensures continuity of services and activities for the youth who attend the Green Chimneys Community Outreach Center.

Green Chimneys Community Based Services is the proud recipient of a grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, which is providing $95,000 in support of the Community Outreach Center for at-risk youth across Putnam County.

Student support of all kinds – academic, emotional, social – is available at the Community Outreach Center, at no cost to families.

The generous grant ensures continuity of services and activities for the youth who attend Outreach Center programs such as afterschool and weekend activities, peer groups, and counseling services, all free of charge. Keeping the Outreach Center open six days a week, offering a full range of activities, and delivering food and other needed supplies to youth and families suffering from the increased impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, have been among the program’s most vital services this year, along with continued outreach at schools and organizations throughout the County.

Critical Support for At-Risk Youth

As the only nonprofit provider of support services exclusively for youth, Green Chimneys is a resource for hundreds of families each year. The Outreach Center is a well established program for ages 7-20 across Putnam County and areas just over the borders of Westchester and Dutchess Counties.

“When youth begin attending the Outreach Center, our staff work closely with them and their families to identify and understand the challenges they face, and guide them in getting the services they need,” says Green Chimneys Executive Director Dr. Edward Placke. “We are grateful for the continuity enabled by this support from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. Without our outreach program – and the other community-based services we offer – the needs of the at-risk youth population in Putnam County would be unmet.”

“Our grants seek to ensure that essential health and social service providers receive the support necessary to address an unprecedented level of health-related needs across New York State,” says Msgr. Gregory Mustaciuolo, Chief Executive Officer of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. “Last year, so many organizations demonstrated resilience, creativity, and flexibility in serving their communities. Our grants reflect our commitment to these critical providers, which are the bedrock of a healthy and equitable future in New York.”

No Gap in Service Through the Pandemic

While the Outreach Center has always been a safe haven for kids struggling with stressors of adolescence and other challenges, the expanse of isolation felt by youth throughout the community over the past year is significant. The pandemic has only emphasized how critical positive development and essential mental health resources are for all youth. Last spring, the Community Based Services team implemented a telehealth strategy which not only allowed over 178 youth and families to continue sessions with clinicians, it brought the safe, supportive environment of the Outreach Center online and ensured kids stayed connected. An increase in calls indicated the need for in-person support, particularly among youth with social anxiety for whom remote services were not as effective, and the Center reopened in June with safety protocols in place for youth to physically return and has operated continuously since.

Gyrfalcon

Crowned the best for falconry in medieval times, gyrfalcons were once reserved for kings. As the largest falcon in the world, with exquisite plumage ranging from bright white to deep charcoal, gyrs are revered for their powerful skill of flight. Their long wings make hunting waterfowl from 3,000-feet-high a feasible and fantastical feat. This falcon was flown in the sport of falconry for several years.