Cabrini Immigrant Services – Dobbs Ferry (CIS-DF) held a STARS (StoryTelling, Art, Reading and Socialization) Program for students in Grades 3-5 on November 11th. In addition to being Veterans Day, it was also National Young Readers Day. Dr. Wendy Mages, a trained storyteller, told the story, The Empty Pot, by Demi. A great discussion took place following the story. The students spoke about the importance of having good character. Words such as honesty, compassion, responsibility, etc. were suggested as the ways in which we should act towards one another.
After the discussion, the students created “A Tree of Integrity.” On the trunk, branches and leaves of the tree, the words that were used during the discussion were written on painted leaves. The tree, which hangs in our classroom, is a reminder to always be people with integrity.
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An estimated 2.9 million New Yorkers, including 1 million children, did not receive their food benefits on November 1st. While partial SNAP payments have been ordered to resume, it’s still unclear when families will get their full benefits. In the meantime, community food pantries, like ours, across the city are trying filling the gap and feed our communities.
As November approaches, we begin to think about our deceased family, friends and loved ones in a special way. On October 29th, some of the clients from Cabrini Immigrant Services, (CIS) Dobbs Ferry, NY, shared their celebration of Día de los Muertos, (the Day of the Dead), with the residents at St. Cabrini Nursing Home.
We are deeply saddened over the loss of our friend, Brigid K. Sullivan. It has been two months since she passed, and to honor her life and care, we have dedicated our community room at CIS-NYC in her name: the Brigid K. Sullivan Community Room.
Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry (CIS-DF), held a STARS (StoryTelling, Art, Reading and Socialization) for Kids Program for students in Grades Kindergarten-. The STARS program has helped our students by increasing their attention span, improving their imagination and creative thinking as well as building confidence in their verbal and artistic expression.
Our Nutrition Group, hosted by the CIS-NYC Social Services team, carried out its first recipe session last Friday with 17 participants. During the session, participants prepared healthy salad wraps and learned practical ways to add more fruits and vegetables to their daily meals. This hands-on activity is part of our ongoing effort to promote healthy eating habits and increase access to nutritional education for immigrant families.
On Thursday, October 2nd, the walls at Cabrini Immigrant Services – Dobbs Ferry, NY (CIS-DF) were bursting with excitement and pride. A special celebration was taking place for four of our students who attend our Sharing Stories! Making Movies! Program. We invited the students’ parents, siblings and some other special guests to share in the celebration. Everyone knew what was going to happen except for the four students. We wanted them to be surprised.
The Cabrini Social Justice Ambassadors of the Cabrini University CAVS (Cabrini Alumni, Volunteers and Supporters) under the direction of Dr. Jerry Zurek, former Chair of the Communications Department, hosted a Zoom with Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS) leaders Lorraine Campanelli, Director of Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry, NY and Amelia Scdoris, Justice for Immigrants Coordinator, at Cabrini Immigrant Services-NYC.