American Red Cross Awards $100,000 Superstorm Sandy Grant to Children’s Health Fund for Emotional Support in Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, N.Y., December 4, 2013 — The American Red Cross has awarded a $100,000 grant to Children’s Health Fund to support mental health services for children and families affected by Superstorm Sandy in Brooklyn.

The funding will be used to help 530 children and families in Gerritsen Beach with Sandy-related mental health challenges to build the coping skills necessary to more fully recover.

“The trauma of Hurricane Sandy is still palpable in Gerritsen Beach,” said Dr. Delaney Gracy, chief medical officer, Children’s Health Fund. “Many of the community’s children are processing the memory of their own frightening experiences while trying to cope with the dislocation of their family and friends, the loss of once valued possessions, and the exhausting demands of rebuilding. We are very grateful that Red Cross is committed to long-term recovery, supporting our ongoing work to help the families in Gerritsen Beach.”

Emotional support is a major element in recovery, and Superstorm Sandy’s widespread devastation property by Sandy left immediate and lasting emotional needs for children and families affected by the storm.

“Children were affected by Superstorm Sandy in ways that people often overlook, and this grant will help support the youth and families of Gerritsen Beach in their recovery,” said Josh Lockwood, CEO, Red Cross Greater New York Region.

State Senator Martin Golden was pleased about Children’s Health Fund’s collaboration with the Red Cross.

“More than one year after Superstorm Sandy devastated our community, many people are still struggling. These hardships are felt even more during the holidays and the cold weather,” Golden said. “Thankfully programs like The Children's Health Fund are still up and running in Gerritsen Beach to continue to assist those effected by the storm. I want to thank the Red Cross for securing this grant to allow the Children's Health Fund to continue to help those in need and I urge all of my constituents who are still trying to get back on their feet to reach out to organizations like these for assistance."

Superstorm Sandy is the largest U.S. operation by the Red Cross in more than five years, and thanks to the public’s generous support, the Red Cross has received $308 million in donations for Sandy emergency relief and recovery efforts. As of September 30, the Red Cross has spent or committed $280 million, nearly 90 percent of the donated funds.

The Red Cross has partnered with and funded numerous community-based organizations to support the recovery of individuals and families in Brooklyn who were affected by Sandy. These partners include Brooklyn Community Foundation, Food Bank For New York City, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, National Baptist Convention USA, New York Disaster Interfaith Services, Operation Hope, and Visiting Nurse Service of New York. Sandy recovery efforts focus on the areas of housing assistance, case management, mental health services, volunteer coordination and food security. Additional community grants will be announced in the weeks ahead.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossNY.

About Children’s Health Fund:

Children’s Health Fund was created in in 1987 in response to an unacceptable situation. For thousands of kids packed into New York City’s homeless shelters, their chance for the future was dim. That inspired singer/songwriter Paul Simon and pediatrician/child advocate Irwin Redlener, MD, to do something life-changing for these children. Adequate medical care was an essential first step in helping them to be healthy and ready to learn, to have dreams and the hope of achieving them. Today, Children’s Health Fund has 50 mobile clinics, each a “doctor’s offices on wheels,” serving hundreds of locations across the country. And, over the past 26 years, the organization has grown to support almost 250,000 health care visits each year for disadvantaged children. For more information, visit childrenshealthfund.org.