When Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center announced at a recent meeting that it would be open as a cooling station during heat waves, local residents burst into applause. “Lots of people who use the Center have no air conditioning,” said Susan Matloff-Nieves, Deputy Executive Director of Youth and Aging Services at Goddard Riverside, which recently merged […]
Blog & News
Head Start Students Fall in Love with Science at Natural History Museum
“What is a fish shaped like? Are they little squares?” “No!” cry the students of Goddard Riverside’s Head Start class, watching as Bilingual Science Educator Bilexis Casado of the American Museum of Natural History begins drawing a fish. “Would we find a fish in a tree? Why not?” “They don’t have arms!” “That’s right, Kayden. […]
Michelle Obama Offers Options Students Wisdom and Inspiration
Rising college students from our Options Center enjoyed some words of encouragement from Michelle Obama at New York’s Public Theater on Friday. “Look how good you look!” the former First Lady said, beaming at the crowd from the stage. “I couldn’t be more proud of you.” Obama began organizing College Signing Days as part of […]
Goddard Riverside Launches Betsy Newell Fund for Older Adults
Betsy Newell remembers the man who didn’t speak. Formerly homeless, he had moved into a room at Capitol Hall, one of Goddard Riverside’s supportive housing residences. “Several years ago I went to our annual meeting,” she recalls in her office at the Park Children’s Day School on the Upper West Side. “Ten residents had written […]
Questions and Answers with Dr. Roderick L. Jones
Meet our new Executive Director! What life experience do you bring to your work in settlement houses? I grew up in poverty and experienced the challenge of advancing out of a difficult economic situation. I know firsthand that although there is opportunity for people in a broad sense, the ability to capitalize on that opportunity […]
An Options Student Steps Out of the Shadows
When you meet Lissette Barretto, you walk away impressed. “She’s mature beyond her years,” says Options counselor Amy Kirschenbaum. “I really enjoy talking with her. There’s a wisdom and a confidence you don’t always see in a high school senior.” Her college applications, however, were in danger of being overlooked—due to her difficulties four years […]
Food Creates Fulfilling Lives: Helping Older Adults Eat Well
It’s a busy Tuesday morning at the Senior Center, and members begin arriving for lunch early. Today’s menu has a Latin flair—Stewed Chicken, Rice and Beans, Steamed Broccoli, and bananas—and everyone’s in the mood for a good meal and a chat at the communal dining tables. Meals are a daily focal point of social life […]
A Commitment to Community: Dr. Roderick Jones Begins Leadership Role at Goddard Riverside
When Dr. Roderick L. Jones took the reins of Goddard Riverside on Feb. 13, it was a homecoming of sorts. Jones grew up in New York City before his work in community services took him farther afield —first to the Rochester area, and then to St. Louis, Missouri. “I grew up in the Cypress Hills […]
Goddard Riverside and Partners Rally for Tenant Protection
The Goddard Riverside Law Center rallied with other tenants’ rights organizations Wednesday at City Hall to press for expanded legislation to protect low-income New Yorkers from landlords who make their living conditions intolerable. “We all know the deal,” said the Law Project’s Ryan Dubois. “Landlords are harassing tenants to increase profitability.” Currently, many building owners […]
The Answer to Loneliness: Community
Getting older has its challenges—but Goddard Riverside’s older adult programs are here to help our community stay active, engaged and happy. One of those challenges is loneliness. New research suggests it isn’t just a source of emotional distress for older adults; it can actually pose a threat to their health. As The New York Times […]