December 1, 2014
Dear Friends of ICNY,
Nearly 13,000 children used foster care services in May of 2013 in NYC and at the same time, nearly 30,000 children’s families received services to prevent foster care placement. Recognizing that religious leaders can play important roles as family advisors, counselors and guides in the foster care system, ICNY brought together close to 100 religious leaders and representatives of secular agencies at its 29th Rabbi Marshall T. Meyer Retreat for Social Justice. Not only did religious leaders hear a keynote address from Ronald Richter, the former commissioner of the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), but they also learned about how they could play a role in the ACS family conferences and as community representatives. Building on this work, ICNY also has been educating staff at child welfare agencies about working with Muslim families – and speaking with religious leaders about recruiting more Muslim foster care parents.
All year long the Interfaith Center of New York works in neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs strengthening bonds across faiths and taking on concrete social concerns at the same time. We work with local religious leaders to educate others about lived religious traditions and customs, promote dialogue on shared common values, and launch shared community-based projects.
Our results are only possible because of your generosity. Our 2014 annual report includes many stories about various programs and activities — and the people we have touched. Particularly moving are comments like those below, made by religious leaders and social service providers who were motivated to join the many interfaith community-based projects that exemplify ICNY’s work:
Sister Loretta Theresa Richards, who has participated for the past four years in a Women’s Dialogue Group of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, had this to say:
“You see the unity that is among us-that should be among people no matter what religion they belong to. The more people we bring together, it’s like a ripple effect, it helps to break down the walls that divide us.”
One of the participants in the Marshall Meyer Retreats noted,
“It was a pleasure to see various religious leaders and ACS come together to discuss child welfare concerns. I am impressed to see how much ACS wants to work with clergy.”
On the horizon we have two projects in the planning phase for 2015. The New York City Police Department expressed interest in having ICNY produce a short training video for patrol officers featuring interviews with diverse local clergy members informing them about the religious life of their communities and how they would like NYPD officers to communicate with their communities. Additionally, we are aiming to offer the Social Work and Religious Diversity Program as an accredited program to social workers who for the first time will be required by New York State to take continuing education credits to retain their licenses.
To continue to pilot these and other ambitious projects which advance interfaith relationship building, we ask for you to consider the Interfaith Center in your end of year gift-giving by sending a tax deductible contribution to us. To make your donation, please click here to be connected with our Network for Good page. Or mail a check to:
The Interfaith Center of New York
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 540
New York, NY 10115
You can also call the office at (212) 870-3510 if you prefer to make charges to your card over the telephone.
Thank you for trusting The Interfaith Center of New York to make meaningful change in New Yorkers’ lives and bring Salam, Shalom and Peace to our local communities throughout the year.
Happy and Healthy Holidays,
The Reverend Chloe Breyer
Executive Director
The Very Reverend James Parks Morton
Founder & Chairman Emeritus
