Tag Archives: partnerships

NY Mets Celebrate Child Center of NY Staff!

NY Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo shakes hands with Child Center of NY staff of the Cohen Family Wellness Center.

NY Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo shakes hands with Child Center of NY staff of the Cohen Family Wellness Center.

In observance of Mental Health Awareness Month, the New York Mets invited nine employees from the Child Center of NY to Citi Field to recognize their impactful work in the mental health space.

The visit was part of Nimmo’s 9, a new player initiative led by Mets Outfielder Brandon Nimmo. This program offers support, empowerment, and memorable experiences to local community members. Throughout the season,  Brandon Nimmo is meeting with individuals from diverse communities, including the elderly, youth in foster care, individuals with disabilities, military personnel, first responders, and under-served youth. We were thrilled to be a part of the first installment of Nimmo’s 9!

Right before the May 30 Mets vs. Diamondbacks game (the Mets won!), Brandon met with and recognized nine employees of the Child Center team. They got to speak with Brandon about their work and how it helps strengthen the local community. Brandon listened intently to their individual stories and presented them with a signed baseball bat that will be displayed at The Child Center’s Cohen Family Wellness Center.

NY Mets Outfielder Brandon Nimmo presents a bat to be displayed at The Child Center of NY's Cohen Family Wellness Center

SNY posted a clip of our team members chatting with Brandon. Through this interaction, two things were crystal clear: Brandon’s genuine interest in mental health and his gratitude for those who provide mental health services. Our nine colleagues who attended could not stop raving about the experience and how meaningful it was to feel seen and appreciated by someone outside our organization in such a public and personal way.

“Vising Citi Field with my co-workers was truly memorable and impactful, as it highlighted the importance of mental health awareness,” said Sarah Garner, a social worker who works with adolescents and adults at the Cohen Family Wellness Center. “One of the standout moments was sharing with Brandon our mission of helping individuals overcome life’s challenges. Hearing him share his personal stories about mental health was incredibly meaningful. As a lifelong Mets fan, stepping onto that field with everyone was an unforgettable experience.”

Sarah Garner, a social worker who works with adolescents and adults at the Cohen Family Wellness Center, chats with Brandon Nimmo

Sarah chatting with Brandon before the game.

Our employees are the heart and soul of The Child Center. They are the unsung heroes who change lives, often in some of the most challenging circumstances imaginable. We are delighted to see them get the recognition they so richly deserve.

The New York Mets and the Amazin’ Mets Foundation have been longtime supporters of The Child Center.  From a dramatic renovation and expansion of services at our Cohen Family Wellness Center, which was made possible by the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, to Mets players having been generous with sharing their time and resources with Child Center employees and clients for years,  we are deeply grateful for the Mets’ commitment to shining a spotlight on mental health issues, their dedication to the community, and their support for The Child Center’s efforts to make mental health services accessible to all.

Photo of the Month: Brooklyn Pride!

Staff and volunteers of Brooklyn Community Pride Center stand at a table with information during the 28th Annual Brooklyn Pride Multicultural Festival.

Brooklyn Community Pride Center staff and volunteers tabling at the 28th Annual Brooklyn Pride Multicultural Festival.

On Saturday, June 8, our friends and partners at the Brooklyn Community Pride Center participated in the 28th Annual Brooklyn Pride Multicultural Festival. Their presence  showed the Brooklyn LGBTQ+ community that the Pride Center is here for them with compassion, support, and, yes, pride!

The Pride Center has participated in the Brooklyn Pride Multicultural Festival and Twilight Parade in Park Slope every year since the Center’s inception in 2008. “Having celebrations like Brooklyn Pride is essential, as they uplift and celebrate our diverse and expansive community right here in our own backyard,” said Omari Scott, the Pride Center’s director of development and communications. This year, the Pride Center was one of dozens of contingents, in what appeared to be Brooklyn Pride’s largest Twilight Parade yet.

The Child Center’s partnership with Brooklyn Community Pride Center is part of The Child Center’s behavioral health consultation model. The model is based on the belief that community trust is one of the most important components of service. Here’s how it works: The Child Center lends its mental health expertise to other organizations—like Brooklyn Community Pride Center—that already have relationships and earned trust with people in their communities. Brooklyn Community Pride Center delivers the clinical services through a Child Center satellite license. LGBTQ+ youth and adults who know and trust the Pride Center can access the care they need and deserve in a place where they already feel comfortable. In this way, we all reach more New Yorkers with what they need to thrive.

Brooklyn Community Pride Center is dedicated to meeting the community’s needs in many ways, including the provision of HIV self-test kits, mailed discreetly to your home at no cost. Condoms, as well as other safer sex and harm reduction supplies, are included upon request. When you report your test result back to the Pride Center, you’ll receive an electronic $20 Visa gift card. Pride Center staff can connect you with other sexual health services, too, such as PrEP, a medication used to prevent HIV. Reach out to them with questions by text at 347-943-4227 or via email at resources@lgbtbrooklyn.org.

As Pride Month continues, so do the celebrations! Check out this full listing of BCPC’s Pride programming.

Happy Pride Month, and remember that The Child Center and Brooklyn Community Pride Center are here for LGTQ+ community members year round!

Expanding Perinatal Mental Health

Terry Gomez, Ph.D. at the Women's Pavilion at Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
Terry Gomez, Ph.D. at the Women's Pavilion at Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst

Perinatal Infant Mental Health Consultant Terry Gomez, Ph.D., delivering her presentation at Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst’s “baby shower”

Congresswomen Meng and Ocasio-Cortez support new services at Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, a Child Center partner.

Terry Gomez, Ph.D., has attended her fair share of baby showers, but the one she attended last month was a first: One of the gifts was a check for 3.8 million dollars.

The gift givers were U.S. Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Grace Meng, and the recipients are the many pregnant and new moms receiving care at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst’s Women’s Pavilion.

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