The summer volunteer review

Posted by Calvin on August 26, 2010 under Partnerships, Special Events | Be the First to Comment

With the summer nearing an end, it’s time to acknowledge some of The Doe Fund’s most ardent supporters: our dedicated volunteer base! During the summer months, we were fortunate to have the help of over 100 individual volunteers, plus over a dozen groups. Ongoing partners – including Barclays, HSBC, and Morgan Stanley – brought their enthusiasm and experience to mock interviews and resume building events. Goldman Sachs joined us for their annual Career Day event as part of their Community Teamworks volunteer initiative. The event featured roundtable discussions designed to equip our trainees for a successful job search. We also had the pleasure of working with new groups, such as Christie’s, John Jay College, and Wells Fargo, a group that came to us through our relationship with Robin Hood. They also arranged our final corporate volunteer group of the summer, Redburn, which will help our guys out next Wednesday with fine-tuning their resumes. Thanks to all our volunteers for giving generously of their time and expertise!

Spotless in Far Rockaway

Posted by Calvin on August 17, 2010 under At Work, News | Be the First to Comment

Community members in the Rockaways and Western Queens have seen positive changes in their neighborhood. NY1 noticed too, running a story on how our “men in blue” are making it happen. One resident acknowledged the great work our trainees are doing through the Community Improvement Project:

There’s no paper, nothing to slip and slide and accidentally fall on. It’s been looking very, very, very nice, and very clean.

View the news clip here

Five Questions with Ethan Hawke

Posted by Shannon on August 11, 2010 under Community Comment, Five Questions, Special Events | Be the First to Comment

We recently sat down with Ethan Hawke—award-winning actor, author, and long-time Doe Fund supporter—and chatted about the “men in blue” and what it means to be a part of a community. On October 28, we will be honoring him at our annual Gala – click here for more information and to buy tickets. Read on for his compelling answers and be sure to become a fan of The Doe Fund on Facebook to see great photos from his visit!

1. How did you first learn about The Doe Fund and what inspired you to become involved?

I discovered The Doe Fund at a point in my career when I had established some financial stability – I think it was soon after the success of Reality Bites. It was the first time I had felt able to give a substantial amount of money to others in need.  My mother made it clear that not only was I able to give, but obligated to. We did a lot of research about various homeless shelters, and we visited and toured various nonprofits in New York City as part of a mission to make me a better person.  I was very impressed with The Doe Fund, not to mention [the founders] George and Harriet.

I was impressed by the strength and integrity of the men and what they were going through, so my mother and I started working with them.  I formed a friendship with George and Harriet over the years, and as our friendship deepened, so did my respect for the organization.

It is interesting that now I have done a lot more films where I play a criminal, a law enforcement officer, and/or a drug user.  I have learned a lot from those parts.  I have embraced those opportunities because those stories are so important to tell.

2. What has been the most rewarding part of your involvement with The Doe Fund?

Falling in love with my then-girlfriend, now my wife, when she worked there.

Second to that, as a child of divorce and as a divorced father, knowing I may be playing some small part in getting families back together means a tremendous amount to me.

Last but not least, because the rate of return to prison is so high, it is hugely important to know that The Doe Fund is decreasing recidivism and helping people get their life back.

3. Tell us your favorite “men in blue” story.

One of my favorite “men in blue” stories would have to be about Brendon. After “pushing the bucket” during his time in the Ready, Willing & Able program, he interned with NYC Animal Care. Today, he does amazing work rescuing animals throughout New York City, upstate New York, and even in Canada. One of the things I think is so special about him, though, is that he makes sure to keep his strong ties to The Doe Fund. He goes back to visit the Harlem Center for Opportunity and the program director, Nazerine, and even participates in orientation to act as an example of the amazing success that can come out of the program.

4. The “men in blue” are such an integral part of our community in New York— what does community mean to you as a New Yorker?

Community to me means an implicit understanding that we are all in this together, that we are bound together.  As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  That is true for other challenges in society—poverty, violence, mental illness, addiction. If one person is suffering the world is suffering.

I also think that in a way, New Yorkers have to work harder to maintain the fabric of our community than those in a small town upstate.  It is easy to ignore our responsibility to others, because there is SO MUCH going on and SO MANY people [that] you can shut down and isolate yourself.  We all lose when we do that. George and Harriet continue to do the opposite: to forge a strong community—one with diversity and made up of people with a variety of experiences and backgrounds. 

5. Why do you think it is important to support The Doe Fund and how would you encourage others to get involved?

Every time I go to The Doe Fund graduation or a benefit, I see the adversity that these men have gone through and their subsequent triumphs, and I am filled with awe.  It humbles me.  It makes me love this city and the people in it. Our newspapers and televisions are full of stories of failure, and sometimes we forget to notice that there are so many stories of triumph.

When some of us are dealt such a good hand and some of us such a poor hand, it is important to remember that life is not a game.  If we don’t provide a net for people to help themselves and if we don’t look after each other, we will all pay the price. The same is true for our environment… heck, people are our environment.  For those born without a net, we need to have a society that provides one.

This week’s Community Comment: A NYC accomplishment

Posted by Ken on August 3, 2010 under Community Comment | Be the First to Comment

What an accomplishment!
Probably the most noticable changes in New York have been accomplished by your people. Their demeanor–professional and friendly-has earned the respect of all New Yorkers. They have made a difference in the neighborhoods they serve.

- an Upper West Side resident

Ethan Hawke on the “men in blue”

Posted by Calvin on July 29, 2010 under News, Partnerships | Read the First Comment

The Doe Fund is delighted to recognize Ethan Hawke as our 2010 Gala Honoree on October 28th at Cipriani 42nd Street. Hawke, a supporter of ours since we first began, recently shared his insights on Ready, Willing & Able and the “men in blue” with Variety Magazine. In the article he also credits his mother, Leslie Hawke, who not only introduced Ethan to The Doe Fund, but even adapted our Ready, Willing & Able program model in Romania to help mothers with at-risk children to find and retain employment and better manage their families. Ethan had this to say about the “men in blue”:

“I realized that men and women have been struggling to get along for eternity. You think your situation is so unique, but we have so much to learn from each other. I was really humbled by what these guys have to recover from.”

Read the entire article here

Ready, Willing & Able alumni take a break from work

Posted by Calvin on July 23, 2010 under Special Events | Be the First to Comment

Last Saturday, The Doe Fund’s Graduate Services department held its Fourth Annual Ready, Willing & Able Alumni Family Day Celebration. Over 60 alums, their families, and Doe Fund staff came together and picknicked at Riverbank State Park. The Doe Fund’s Food Services team catered the event, and Crazy Daisy the Clown provided children’s entertainment complete with balloon animals and face painting.

Running for the Men in Blue

Posted by Brigitte on July 21, 2010 under News, Special Events | Be the First to Comment

Check out sisters Nikki Carpenter and Gina Valenti on why they’re running the 2010 ING NYC Marathon for the “men in blue.”

You can support Nikki, Gina, and our other runners by clicking here to donate to Ready, Willing & Able in support of the Marathon. And be sure to come out on Sunday, November 7, the day of the big race and cheer them on!

Celebrating 14 years in Harlem

Posted by Maire on July 15, 2010 under Special Events | Be the First to Comment

This week’s Community Comment: Extended family

Posted by Ken on July 13, 2010 under Community Comment | Be the First to Comment

Your work is special and rewarding.  I remember about 10 or 12 years ago meeting my first “man in blue” on 86th street and Lexington Avenue.  Since then I feel The Doe Fund has become a part of my New York City family.

- an Upper East Side resident

Camp Robin Hood

Posted by Calvin on July 7, 2010 under Partnerships, Special Events | Be the First to Comment

Camp Robin Hood is not your typical summer camp. Every year it features one-week sessions in the month of June designed to engage teens whose families are involved with Robin Hood and introduce them to the work of the Robin Hood Foundation’s grant recipients through meaningful volunteer activities. Robin Hood supports more than 200 poverty-fighting organizations – including shelters, soup kitchens, job training programs, schools, health clinics, and other groups. Camp Robin Hood combines education on poverty issues, hands-on volunteering, and opportunities to hear the personal stories of program participants. The Doe Fund is fortunate to have the extraordinary support of the Foundation and we’re also delighted to participate in Camp Robin Hood every summer. This year, we hosted a group of teens who met with our Ready, Willing & Able trainees and worked side by side with them in our Community Improvement Project. Participants noted several event highlights, including talking with the trainees, hearing their stories, having lunch together, and cleaning the streets with the “men in blue.”