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Founded in 1862, McQuade is a private, accredited not for profit organization dedicated to providing therapeutic residential care, special education, community group homes, emergency shelter services, and community based prevention programs for special needs children and their families. | ||||||||||||||||
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How You
Can Help
Donate
Online to McQuade
Capital Campaign
Annual Fund for the Children
President's Circle for Endowment
Honors
Memorials
Shirley and Harold Horowitz Music
and Cultural Arts Fund
Music-To-Go Fund
Bennett Bike & Recreational
Fund
Support Our Students Fund
Volunteers at McQuade
Internships at McQuade
McQuade
Wishlist - In-Kind Donations
Gifts to McQuade can be made for general support of our programs through the Annual Fund for the Children or designated for our Capital Campaign or specific funds. If you would like more information, please call Nicole Carroll Gjokaj, Director of Development at McQuade, (845) 561-0436, extension 158 or ngjokaj@mcquade.org.
Donate
Online to McQuade
Click here
for Online Giving or for information on where to mail your contribution.
Your donation will be handled by a secure website.
The Kaplan School, approved by the NY State Department of Education, is the hub of year-round special education and social activity for day and residential students at McQuade's New Windsor campus. In 1986, through a successful $500,000 Capital Campaign, co-chaired by William Kaplan and Gerald Kreisberg, the existing Kaplan School building was designed and constructed to educate 40 students. Now, 20 years later, the school facility has surpassed its physical capacity to serve the Hudson Valley's growing student population, which is becoming increasingly afflicted with severe emotional disturbance, requiring smaller class sizes and more intense instruction. By exceeding our physical capacity, we have also been prevented from offering a complete secondary education curriculum beyond the tenth grade, leaving our children to return to public schools at a vulnerable time in their recovery process.
Breaking through, gaining trust, and personally empowering these children is at the core of McQuade's work. To this end, recreation, vital to the human spirit, has proven to be remarkably effective. Swimming, in particular, has been an integral part of McQuade's therapeutic program and enjoyed by thousands of children for over 50 years at the New Windsor Campus pool. In 2004, McQuade's deteriorating pool had to be removed to ensure the safety of our children. Since that time, the children at McQuade have not had the opportunity to swim on campus, eliminating a valuable way of helping these children.
The Answer
McQuade is spearheading a capital building project that will extend and enhance our educational, therapeutic and recreational programs for now and in the future. Renovation and expansion of the Kaplan School facility and construction of a new pool for therapeutic and recreational use will best address the increasing needs of the over 2,500 Hudson Valley children McQuade serves each year.
The Kaplan School Renovation and Expansion
Renovation and expansion of the Kaplan School will allow McQuade to provide a more comprehensive therapeutic environment for special needs education.
The key design element
of the 22,000-square-foot school expansion is a street-like corridor with natural
lighting, invoking a feeling of the outdoors. Three new academic classrooms
provide for expanded curriculum for all grade levels, and for the first time,
to offer education for the eleventh and twelfth grades leading to a high school
diploma. Other grade levels already offered at the school will also benefit
from the facility expansion via smaller class sizes in secure spacious classrooms
and the addition of:
- Science Lab
- Media Center/Library
-Computer Center
-Independent Life Skills Classroom for education in nutritional eating,
personal hygiene, interpersonal communication, study and work habits and
ethical decision making
-Introduction to Occupations Classroom
-Auditorium/Cafeteria and Kitchen
-Art and Music rooms with natural lighting
-Medical Suite with full-time Psychiatrist, Psychologist and Nurse
-Offices for full-time Social Workers
-Administrative offices
-Time-away rooms for respite and individual tutoring
-ADA Accessibility for entire school
-Multiple Storage Areas
-State of the art safety features, durable comfortable furnishings, and
a warm and nurturing color scheme
The renovation and expansion of the Kaplan School is expected to be completed in the Fall of 2008.
Kaplan Therapeutic Aquatic Center Construction
The new center features a therapeutic swimming pool with a graded entry and 5' maximum depth to accommodate all levels of swimming ability, as well as children with physical disabilities and emotional issues such as fear of water. Many students come from impoverished backgrounds and have seldom had opportunity to swim. Therefore, swim instruction is integral to summer school curriculum and recreational activities for students at McQuade, providing a positive outlet for energy and a life skill. Research supports our experience that aquatic activities reduce tension, aggression and acting-out behaviors in emotionally disturbed populations.
The new pool opened on July 17, 2007.
Projected Cost
The total cost of both The Kaplan School Renovation and Expansion and The Aquatic Center construction is estimated at $12.1 million. McQuade has secured $9.6 million through a New York State bond issuance for the school.
To provide for the balance of the projected cost, McQuade Children's Services has launched the Campaign for the Children to raise $2.5 million over the next three years. The William and Elaine Kaplan Family Foundation has shown their continued commitment as McQuade's Legacy Donor by pledging $1.2 million for the renovation and expansion of the Kaplan School and $410,000 towards the construction of the Kaplan Therapeutic Aquatic Center. We need to raise an additional $900,000 to reach our goal.
How You Can Help
Through charitable contributions to the Campaign for the Children, you can help McQuade raise the $900,000 needed to complete this project. McQuade Children's Services would be honored to recognize contributors through special commemorative opportunities.
Gifts to the campaign may be made by a pledge payable over three years. Many donors find that a pledge enables them to give the best gift they can. Pledges may be paid quarterly, semi-annually or annually and may be redeemed by cash, check, securities, or bequests. One-time donations of any amount are also encouraged. Every dollar towards our $900,000 goal brings us one step closer to expanding and enhancing McQuade services for the increasing number of Hudson Valley children in need.
If you would like further information on our campaign, please contact Nicole Carroll Gjokaj, Director of Development at (845) 561-0436 ext. 158 or ngjokaj@mcquade.org.
Click here for the Capital Campaign Brochure
Click here for the Capital Campaign Pledge Form
Annual
Fund for the Children
The Annual Fund for the Children helps us expand our
impact on the lives of all the children at McQuade, who are trying to
become successful in their own right. It has an impact on every aspect
of our mission:
-Residential Care & Treatment
-Special Education
-Group Homes
-Emergency Shelters
-Diagnosis and Assessment
-Placement Intervention
-Family Preservation
-Independent Living Preparation
-Facility Improvements
-New Program Initiatives
-Emergency Funding Needs
President's
Circle for Endowment
By joining The President's Circle for Endowment and
renewing each year, you will share Dr. McQuade's vision and ensure that McQuade
will always be here, caring for children and families in perpetuity. Click
Here to see our President's Circle brochure.
Honors
Celebrate someone important to you, family, friend
or colleague, on their birthday, anniversary, or other occasion, by making
a gift to McQuade in their honor. We'll send them a personalized card
acknowledging your gift, but not the amount, in a card decorated with
artwork by one of our children.
Memorials
A gift to help children is always a beautiful and appropriate
tribute in memory of a loved one. We will send a personalized card acknowledging
your Memorial gift to the bereaved.
Shirley
and Harold Horowitz Music and Cultural Arts Fund
The Shirley and Harold Horowitz Music and Cultural
Arts Fund is a vital resource for McQuade to enhance cultural arts and
musical opportunities for the children in our care. The Fund was established
as a tribute to McQuade's former Executive Director, Harold Horowitz and
his wife. Mr. Horowitz and his family wanted to enable special needs children
to draw upon music and the arts as a source of strength, enjoyment and
solace.
Your gift to the Horowitz Music and Cultural Arts Fund provides for visiting
artists, music or art programs for children at McQuade.
Music-To-Go
Fund
Most children arrive at our special education Kaplan
School believing that they have failed at home and at school. We have
found our performing arts program, specifically the McQuade Percussion
and Dance Ensemble, to be uniquely effective in breaking through the cycle
of failure.
Our Percussion and Dance Ensemble Teacher, Judith Muldoon, teaches students to play conga and djembe drums, bells and other percussion instruments, as well as Brazilian and African movement, with the goal of not only working together toward the creation of a complete performance, but of learning how to teach a drumming workshop themselves so that when they are ready, they can bring something back to their families, new schools or communities. The Ensemble students help with every aspect of a performance or workshop costumes, booking, travel arrangements and care of their instruments.
A unique part of the Ensemble is the Music-To-Go program, whereby children who are discharged to their home school districts or other, less intensive placements are given their own new instruments to take with them. Each graduating musician has earned his instrument, and is encouraged to go out and teach others.
The Music-to-Go Fund is used to buy instruments for the children and also the transportation costs for taking the ensemble on the road to perform in the community. A donation of $200 can buy one child a drum of his own. We hope to have 12 children successfully complete the Percussion and Dance Ensemble each year for a total of $2,400 for each child to go home with a drum.
Bennett
Bike & Recreational Fund
The Bennett Bike Fund was established several years
ago in tribute to a loyal McQuade Administrator who was an avid cycling
enthusiast. Since then, contributions have been used to purchase mountain
bikes and touring bicycles for the boys and girls who are in residence
at McQuade's New Windsor Campus, in one of our Group Homes, or to children
who receive community based support from our agency.
Support
Our Students Fund
McQuade's Support Our Students (SOS) Fund help's provide
aftercare for our young adults entering independent living who might need
occasional help with starting up their lives. This could mean help with
rent, utility bills, groceries or tuition. It could mean counseling, job
coaching or mentoring. When children leave our agency and move into independence,
their safety nets evaporate. They leave the security of their social workers,
residential supervisors, and mentors, as well as their county financial
support.
Volunteers
at McQuade
There's a long and honorable tradition of volunteering
at McQuade. Since our founding in 1862, many hundreds, even thousands,
of volunteers have given generously of their time to help the children
in our care.
Children today may have different needs and problems, but the support of those in our community helps them discover their strengths and overcome their difficulties. Just as vital, is the support of volunteers who help us with our special events, mailings, and improve and maintain our buildings and grounds.
All volunteers interested in working directly with children will be required to complete an Application Form, Central Registry Child Abuse form, and a Commitment and Confidentiality form. Satisfactory responses on the above will lead to in-person interviews.
Our policy is for volunteers to work first in group situations with the children and once a comfort level is established, further commitments are made.
We need volunteers
with skills in these areas:
-Tutoring
-Recreation
-Mentoring
-Special Events
-Marketing and Public Relations
-Fundraising
-Grant Writing
-Arts and Crafts
-Clerical Support
You could also help by encouraging your company to sponsor or support one of our events or take on a special project!
You could also help by inviting us to your civic group, club or church to speak about McQuade!
Call our Coordinator of Volunteers and Mentors, Katherine Keating at (845) 561-0436 ext. 157 or e-mail at kkeating@mcquade.org for more information about volunteering at McQuade.
Internships
at McQuade
Internships are welcomed in Development, Grant writing,
Public Relations, Accounting, Social Work, Desktop Support, and Student
Teaching.
Call our Development Associate, Katherine Keating at (845) 561-0436 ext. 157 or e-mail at kkeating@mcquade.org for more information about interning at McQuade.
