| The Family of Amber and Amanda |
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Another successful partnership was formed with the family of Itzora Moscoso. Ms. Moscoso is the mother of four daughters, two of whom are students at P.S. 57. In September 2004, she received a letter inviting her to a school event where a "special announcement" was to be made. Unable to attend the event because she was in the midst of a high-risk pregnancy, she did not visit the school or the new Say Yes office housed at P.S. 57 until May 2005. At that time, she learned more about the new program in which her daughter, Amber, then a kindergartner, would participate. The Say Yes Program Manager was responsible for introducing Ms. Moscoso to the many opportunities offered by the Say Yes program. "The Program Manager was wonderful," commented Ms. Moscoso in the wake of her May visit. "She made me feel very at ease and very welcome." Although Ms. Moscoso wanted to give her daughters "the best," as she put it, she was overwhelmed at the time by the many challenges she faced, including caring for her sickly older child, Amanda. Amanda missed school frequently as a result of her illnesses, and Ms. Moscoso had a health battle of her own to contend with. When Say Yes staff intervened successfully on Amanda's behalf after she was dismissed from an after-school program, Ms. Moscoso saw first-hand the kind of vital support that Say Yes regularly provides students. At the same time that the Program Manager was negotiating Amanda's return with the after-school coordinator, Amanda's sister, Amber, a Say Yes scholarship student, was attending the Say Yes after-school club, where she received one-on-one homework help, studied dance and music, and was given extra attention in her favorite subject: art. Both group leaders and Ms. Moscoso were astonished by Amber's transformation in the course of her second year in the after-school program. She changed from being a child who cried often, had difficulty completing homework, and tended to isolate herself from the larger class into a cooperative student who completed her homework with enthusiasm, excelled at music as well as art, and loved to participate with other students in group activities. Say Yes demonstrated its value to Ms. Moscoso and her family yet again during a crisis in which, as a result of school absences due to illness on both Amanda and Amber's part, Ms. Moscoso was reported to the Agency for Children's Services (ACS). The assigned ACS worker threatened to remove the children from their home. Distraught and scared, Ms. Moscoso turned to Say Yes, which referred her to Bingham McCutchen, the pro bono law firm for NYC chapter scholarship families. When the charges made by the ACS caseworker led to a court summons, Bingham McCutchen gave Ms. Moscoso free legal counseling. During the court ordeal, Say Yes gave the family referrals to various community family service programs that could address their additional needs. With help from the Say Yes attorney, Ms. Moscoso ultimately won the family court case. Moreover, at the case's conclusion the judge expressed her thanks to the Say Yes Program Manager (who was present at the proceedings), wished the family well in their future educational endeavors, and dismissed the charges with minimal stipulations. "If it weren't for this program, I don't know what would have happened to us," said Ms. Moscoso. "Say Yes was with me every step of the way through the crisis. They never let go, and they never gave up." In 2006, Amanda was able to join Amber in attending the Say Yes Summer Program. In the 2006/2007 school year, after Say Yes began accepting siblings into its out-of-school projects, Amanda went on to participate in the Say Yes after-school program. Together, the summer and after-school programs have made a tremendous difference in the academic performance of the girls. "My daughters have gained enormously in terms of self-confidence and discipline thanks to the Say Yes initiatives," said Ms. Moscoso. "They are both much more motivated to complete their homework." In fact, in December 2006 each of the girls won special prizes for stellar school attendance. Ms. Moscoso is very proud of them. She is also very happy with the Say Yes services, and the excellent education her children have received at P.S. 57. She is currently able to attend all Say Yes meetings and remains actively involved in her daughters' school activities. Indeed, Ms. Moscoso is so pleased with the results of her involvement with Say Yes that she plans to take advantage of other Say Yes benefits as well, including the promise of scholarships for family members. Her dream is to go back to school herself to pursue a degree in social work so that she can work with autistic children, as she did earlier in her career. "What I like best about Say Yes is the education they offer," said Ms. Moscoso. "It gives me confidence and hope that in the future I will be able to provide for my family. Just the experience of discovering how much better I can do with their help has been amazing. There's no other way to describe it - Say Yes has been a huge blessing in my life." The New York chapter consists of five schools throughout Harlem: P.S. 57, P.S. 83, P.S. 161, P.S. 180, and P.S. 182. There are a total of 372 Say Yes students throughout all of the schools. |
