When Katie Brennan was first introduced to The Child Center of NY, it was a particularly difficult moment in her life. Her second child had just been born and had to go back in the hospital with an illness, her first was still young, and like any mother at least occasionally does, she was grappling with some stress.
Katie’s friend Charlotte Bolland, a member of the Board, brought her on a visit to the Ficalora Family Foundation Head Start Center in Woodside; as they toured the space and met some of the clients there, Katie had a revelation. How could she help The Child Center give kids stronger footing to get some of the same opportunities her own children had?
“I had more resources than many parents do, like health insurance, native English speaking skills, and an apartment that my family didn’t have to share with others, making simple things like nursing an infant much easier. I felt the need to support other moms.”
Katie, now a Board and longstanding Gala Committee member, helps put together our biggest annual fundraising event. The challenge, she says, is to make a gala program that is balanced on all fronts — compelling so that more people will want to contribute, and above all, respectful to the clients.
“The fact that the population we represent is frequently immigrant speaks to me. In a way, we are all the children of immigrants. And we all want the same things for our kids. They just need help navigating through some of the things we might take for granted.”
