[Photo of University Settlement reps and members of the Community Wellness Working Group. Left to right: Ed Elder (Morningside Mtg), Jennifer Vallone (University Settlement), Ted Bongiovanni (Brooklyn Mtg/NYQM), nova sturrup (Brooklyn Mtg/NYQM), Niki Lao (University Settlement), Bing Ji (University Settlement), Charlene Rae (Morningside Mtg), Rosalba Manzul (University Settlement). Oct. 1, 2024, Brooklyn Meeting.]
The NYQM Community Wellness Team
Members of the New York Quarter community, including the Concern for Quaker Living (CQL) working group, Ministry and Counsel Committee, and NYQM staff members, have noticed issues relating to support rising up in our meetings. There is a need for support that is beyond the capacity of our meetings’ Pastoral Care Committees. Members of our meeting communities could use help accessing NYC services — applying for public housing, getting on Medicaid, applying for EBT/ food stamps, accessing low cost therapy, and more. NYC Quakers could also benefit from educational and personal development programs designed for our community. To provide that help, New York Quarterly Meeting has contracted with University Settlement, an organization that helps connect people with New York City services and provides programs and workshops on health and wellness. The team from University Settlement attended a kick-off meeting with NYQM members on October 1st. NYQM’s community organizer, nova sturrup, provided them with an orientation to our NYC Quaker community and to Quakerism and Quaker practice more generally. Members of the team from University Settlement will join each meeting for worship in NYC to introduce themselves and connect with Friends.
Contact: communitywellness@nycquakers.org
University Settlement Office Hours
Every other Tuesday, 1:30-3:30 pm at Brooklyn Meeting, 110 Schermerhorn St., Brooklyn, NY University Settlement (Rosalba, Jennifer, and Bing) is coming to the Brooklyn Meetinghouse to meet with you in person. Come stop by and say hi, or ask questions! We are excited to tell you all about the Community Wellness Initiative between New York Quarterly Meeting (AKA the Quaker meetings in NYC) and University Settlement.
Community Wellness Advisory Board
A Community Wellness Advisory Board is being formed with nova sturrup and members of local meetings’ Pastoral Care or Ministry & Counsel Committees. Ideally, the board will include a member from every Quaker meeting in NYC. (Email nova if you’re interested.) These members will identify ways the community wellness team can help Friends in their meetings. If you have questions, please send them to nova sturrup, NYQM Community Organizer, at nova@nycquakers.org.
Discernment process (how this happened)
New York Quarterly Meeting went through an extensive discernment process to choose this service provider. First, an advisory group including members of CQL, NYQM’s Ministry and Counsel, the NYYM ARCH (Aging Resources Consultation and Help) Director, and NYQM staff held meetings to discern what was needed. Then, available service providers were identified and researched during an information gathering phase. The advisory group from NYQM met with a few agencies and reviewed their proposals. One of the agencies, University Settlement, was the advisory group’s unanimous choice — the agency most in line with our needs and values.
