You Offered Consistency to the Most Vulnerable
Dear Friends,
As New York reopens, we want to thank you for providing a consistent support system for ACE participants and graduates. These men and women have already faced unthinkable hardship. In the past, they had to ask themselves, ‘Where am I sleeping tonight? How am I going to pay for basic needs? When will I be with my family again?’ They could hardly imagine that things could get worse.
Then Covid-19 struck and many ACE graduates lost their jobs. Shelters and treatment programs locked down, disconnecting residents from their critical support systems. Many New Yorkers who had been working for years to overcome homelessness, unemployment, or addiction were cut off from the resources they needed.
Because of partners like you, however, our most vulnerable neighbors were able to come to ACE for help during the worst stretches of the pandemic. Over 600 New Yorkers who faced the most dire circumstances received support and
services from ACE over the past year. Because of you, we helped over 100 men and women regain employment, provided groceries and metro cards, prepared and delivered 80,000 meals to people in need, and much more.
ACE was one of the first workforce development programs to reopen its doors to in-person services. We’ve been providing on-site classes, training, work experience and more since October 2020, and we continue to increase capacity according to official guidelines.
Now, we are preparing for what is next. With the city reopening and eviction protections set to expire, we are bracing for an already historic need to become even greater. As ACE’s services become even more critical, we thank you for standing by the men and women who are working so hard to reach their goals of employment, economic self-sufficiency, and family reunification.
Sincerely,
James Martin
Executive Director
Shane’s Story – In His Words – Whatever It Takes
I’m the youngest of four. My mom was working three jobs because my father wasn’t there, so there wasn’t any parental figure. My sisters left the house at 18 and my brother left when he was 15. So basically it was just me. I did a lot of hanging out with the wrong crowd and was in situations where I shouldn’t be.
I got into some trouble and I had a lot of time to sit and think by myself. A liquid had a power over me, physically and mentally. I had seen a glimmer of hope in my brother. He had been involved in drugs as well, but he changed his whole life around. I had a moment of clarity and made a decision that I was going to change my life. I was going to do whatever it takes, because I used to do whatever it takes to get that next drink.
“I was going to do whatever it takes, because I used to do whatever it takes to get that next drink.”
I begged the judge and lawyer to just give me another chance. I said, ‘put me in a program and you will not be disappointed’. They gave me a shot and mandated me into an 18-month in-patient treatment program. While I was in that program, I heard about ACE.
When I came to ACE, I had to work for everything. I sweat every day and I came home tired. It was very fulfilling to me though because I knew I earned everything that I got. I was beginning to appreciate what it is to go to work every day, to sweat, then go home and say to myself, ‘I did something positive today’. At that point I realized I can’t go around my problems, I had to go through them. Little by little, I gained my confidence back.
“I begged the judge and lawyer to just give me another chance. I said, ‘put me in a program and you will not be disappointed’.”
I knew I wanted to be in the medical field, but I didn’t know how. I was bugging [my counselor] Rachel, asking her what do I do. I decided on ‘Sterile Processing’, and ACE helped me pay for my first license. It made me feel like there were people who really cared.
I got a job offer from a major hospital in Manhattan. They offered me over $27 an hour. Now things were starting to click. I knew this was the right move.
I was a Sterile Processing Tech for three years, which is the person who gets the surgical instruments that were soiled, then decontaminates and cleans them. I knew I wanted to do more, though, so I started looking into the management aspect and getting more certifications. Now, I have four certifications. If you show me a surgical instrument I can tell you what it is, what it’s for, how you assemble and disassemble it, and how you clean it.
I was a Sterile Processing Tech for three years, which is the person who gets the surgical instruments that were soiled, then decontaminates and cleans them. I knew I wanted to do more, though, so I started looking into the management aspect and getting more certifications. Now, I have four certifications. If you show me a surgical instrument I can tell you what it is, what it’s for, how you assemble and disassemble it, and how you clean it.
“When you see National Guard in your hospital, they don’t wear scrubs, they wear fatigues.”
Today, I’m Assistant Director of Sterile Processing at a major NYC Hospital. It’s an amazing feeling to have a doctor depend on you. They call you up and say ‘Mr. Lopez we need a neuro tray’. They want you in the room. You’re a part of something.
I’ve been married for two and a half years. I met my wife at an appointment and she was the receptionist. For some reason, I felt very comfortable and I struck up a conversation with her. She saw something in me that I didn’t even see. That I was somebody special.
She’s been my rock because this pandemic has been horrible. Last March when it all started, when I started seeing it, my heart started beating faster. When you see National Guard in your hospital, they don’t wear scrubs, they wear fatigues. On one shift alone, I would see over 100 people carried out. My wife was there for me through that. She was the person who could talk me off that ledge. To see something like that is surreal, but this is what we’re trained to do. It all came into focus that this is where I was meant to be.
“Seven years ago, I was sitting in a jail cell by myself with nothing but time to think. I didn’t think I had a future”
Now, my family is back in my life. My mother is extremely proud of me. She can’t stop talking about me. My brother is back in my life too. For a long time we didn’t talk due to my addiction. My twin sisters, they’re back in my life. My nieces and nephews, they all look up to me. They saw me when I was really low, and they saw me come back up. I feel like crying because I never thought that I could do it. But to be able to do something different and conquer, I know now I can do anything.
Seven years ago, I was sitting in a jail cell by myself with nothing but time to think. I didn’t think I had a future, but I decided I was going to do whatever it took to get to where I needed to be. Now, I’m married, I have a great position in a NYC trauma hospital, and I make really good money. I’m not worried about paying my rent or how am I going to find a place to stay. I don’t have to hold my head down in shame. I’m really grateful to ACE for giving me the opportunity.
Shane worked extremely hard to reach his goals, and you offered the resources for him to make his comeback. There are hundreds more men and women at ACE who, because of your support, will have the opportunity to reach their goals of employment, independence, and family reunification. Consider making a tax-deductible gift today.
Look for the ACE Team in Prospect Park
ACE has teamed up with Prospect Park Alliance to help keep one of New York City’s most beautiful public spaces clean for all to enjoy. This summer you can find the team in Prospect Park 5 days per week, so if you see them say hello.
We’re grateful to our partners at Prospect Park Alliance. Each opportunity to keep our city looking its best opens up for meaningful employment for New Yorkers who are overcoming .
Thanks to a network of incredible partners, the ACE team is hard at work on over 1580 NYC blocks and dozens of public plazas and parks every day.
You Made Incredible Achievements Possible in 2020
YOUR SUPPORT MAKES LIFE CHANGING SUCCESSES POSSIBLE. CONSIDER BECOMING A MONTHLY SUSTAINER TODAY, AND OFFERING A CONSISTENT PATH FOR NEW YORKERS OVERCOMING HOMELESSNESS.
