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For Immediate Release
December 2, 2003
Contact: Kathy Rosenthal
(516) 496-7550
IBM, BOOKS FOR KIDS AND STARBUCKS COFFEE
INVEST IN HEMPSTEAD VILLAGE WITH F•E•G•S
On December 12, 2003, F•E•G•S, one of the
nation’s largest not-for-profit human service agencies,
will dedicate its new Hempstead Multi-Service Center at 175
Fulton Avenue, Hempstead, New York, beginning at 10 a.m.
The 21,000 square foot facility houses a Family Computer Learning
Center donated by the IBM Corporation, a Children’s
Library and Literacy Center donated by Books for Kids/Starbucks
Coffee Company, and a broad array of health and human service
programs including case management, counseling, employment
and family services.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),
the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the Nassau
County Department of Mental Health Mental Retardation and
Developmental Disabilities license and support many of these
services. UJA Federation of New York, the United Way of Long
Island and various foundations fund the Center’s initiatives
as well.
Among the featured speakers at the opening will be U.S. Representative
Carolyn McCarthy, State Assembly Member Tom DiNapoli, County
Mental Health Commissioner Howard Sovronsky, and several participants
in various F•E•G•S programs.
“This one-stop service center is a wonderful example
of what can be accomplished when the public, private and non-profit
sectors collaborate to bring needed services into a community,”
said Al Miller, F•E•G•S CEO.
Speaking about the Computer Center, the second such facility
which IBM has helped F•E•G•S establish on
Long Island, Jim Houlihan, Senior
F•E•G•S Hempstead Center
Location Executive for IBM on Long Island, said, “It’s
not surprising that F•E•G•S has become one
of the largest and most diversified private non-profit health-related
and human service organizations in the U.S. – it’s
the result of nearly 70 years of compassion and commitment
to helping people in need. IBM is proud to support this new
facility that will expand the excellent work that F•E•G•S
does every day.”
“The facility at F•E•G•S Hempstead
Multi-Service Center is one of ten children’s library
projects undertaken by Books for Kids and Starbucks throughout
the New York metro region in 2003,” according to Dan
Lewis, Starbucks regional spokesperson. “At Starbucks,
we believe in the importance of giving back to the community.
By creating a warm, welcoming place that exposes these young
children to the magic of reading, we hope to foster positive
early experiences that will enhance future literacy and the
love of books.”
It is expected that five thousand community residents will
be served each year through the various programs located at
the F•E•G•S Center. In addition to the services
listed above, the Center features a gently used clothing “boutique”
and a food pantry; Prison Families Anonymous, a volunteer
program for families of incarcerated individuals; programs
for adults and children coping with domestic violence, AIDS/HIV
and other catastrophic illnesses as well as a large corps
of volunteers who work with families in crisis and who also
make donated computers available to homebound clients who
otherwise could not afford them.
Funding from the J.E. and Z.B. Butler Foundation, the Schnurmacher
Foundation and the Alan Morton Foundation through the Long
Island Community Foundation supports these programs.
For more information about the Center, or to access services,
call (516) 485-5710.
www.fegs.org
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