Press Release
January 14, 2009
The Glen Cove Inter Agency Council held its monthly membership meeting on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at the School for Language and Communication Development (SLCD). This month, the InterAgency Council was honored to host Senator Carl Marcellino as the keynote speaker as well as Dr. Radewicz of the SLCD and Estelle Moore, President of the North Shore INN, as featured guest speakers.
Dr. Sharon Harris, IAC President, opened the meeting with word of thanks and praise for the School for Language and Communication Development for the outstanding services that it provides to meet the unique needs of each student. The SLCD has been serving the Long Island and New York City communities for over twenty years. SLCD’s motto, “giving our children a voice” reflects its mission to provide early identification of language disorders in order to offer educational programs designed to provide students with an innovative language-based program and to increase public awareness about language disorders.
The IAC was pleased to welcome Senator Carl Marcellino, expressing appreciation to him for all of the support that he has consistently offered to our community’s many organizations throughout the years. In the wake of the governor’s proposed budget cut, InterAgency Council member organizations welcomed the opportunity to speak with the Senator regarding their potential future funding assistance from New York State. Senator Marcellino began by applauding the IAC and its member groups for the many admirable and worthy services that they offer to our local community. However, given the current negative revenue balance and budget deficit, New York State will be limited in the funding it will be able to offer to many organizations that have previously relied upon state assistance. The Senator encouraged groups to prepare for the upcoming years and maximize their chances for funding by getting creative, demonstrating new ideas, showing progress, cooperating with other similar organizations and partaking in independent fundraising. Upon being questioned as to what the organizations can do to help the Senator to help them, Senator Marcellino replied, “Stay active. Get creative. Let your local officials know what is working and what is not. We want to hear from you. Read the New York State Budget, especially the parts that affect you.”
Dr. Harris expressed words of caution about Governor Paterson’s proposed budget. Under his plan, many local service organizations, including youth bureaus, would be negatively affected by deep cuts in funding. She encouraged all IAC members to take an active role in opposing the proposed budget and encouraged all of the members to write letters of support for the entities affected by the cuts.
Estelle Moore, President of the North Shore INN, concluded the meeting with a description of the strategy that her organization uses to function without relying upon financial assistance from New York State. The INN was founded twenty years ago by a group of volunteers and the organization continues to raise its own money through private donations. Some of the food used to feed the 100 guests that visit the INN each day is provided by restaurants, the rest is purchased. The North Shore INN provides hot meals on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at the First Baptist Church in Glen Cove. A total of 75 volunteers generously give of their time to this worthy cause.
Representing the cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity of Glen Cove, the Inter Agency Council has met regularly to identify and address the changing needs of the community. This networking among social and human service community organizations has resulted in numerous projects and collaborations which continue to benefit the citizens of Glen Cove.