YWCA, YRDC, and BOCES
Sign Now
DUTCHESS COUNTY SHOULD BE PENNY-WISE ENSURE ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR YWCA, YRDC, and BOCES-- AND NOT BE POUND-FOOLISH
[County Legislator Joel Tyner submitted this emergency resolution below on Monday, February 7th-- please contacat our County Legislature at 486-2100 or [email protected], our County Executive at 486-2000 or [email protected], our state legislators and Governor at (877) 255-9417, and Congress at (800) 839-5276 to make a difference on this crucial issue! Contact the Real Majority Project at 876-2488 for more information.]
WHEREAS, the County Executive has pointed out that investing up front with funding for crucial programs for county residents often saves much more money a bit later, and
WHEREAS, due to recent circumstances, three important nonprofit agencies here in Dutchess County-- YWCA, Youth Resource Development Corporation, and BOCES Adult Services-- have been forced to stop serving thousands of county residents, and
WHEREAS, $500,000 is needed for the YWCA to fix their pool, pay debts and pay back vendors for fuel, oil and other services, and
WHEREAS, $1.5 million is needed for YRDC, to replace recent funding cuts-- $550,000 in contracts with the state Department of Labor and $1 million in AmeriCorps funding over the past fiscal year, and
WHEREAS, $330,000 is needed for BOCES adult education programs cut by 40\% in October; these programs and YRDC's employment and job training programs helped people all over our community and those just getting out of our County Jail become self-sufficient and not a burden on local taxpayers, and
WHEREAS, the funding crisis that has hit these three agencies, along with the cuts to services, have caused a serious negative impact on the entire county; in fact, this situation has now reached crisis proportions; due to this emergency now we must address this issue now, in February, and therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Dutchess County Legislature hereby calls for $2.
to be immediately added to the county budget and distributed as needed to the YWCA, YRDC, and BOCES, as the attached recent newspaper articles attest below, and hereby calls on local state legislators and federal representatives to help, so that this burden does not fall entirely and unfairly on county taxpayers, and be it further
RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be sent to County Executive William M. Steinhaus, Governor George E. Pataki, Senators Stephen M. Saland and Vincent Leibell, Assemblymen Thomas Kirwan, Joel M. Miller, Patrick R. Manning, Willis H. Stephens Jr., and Kevin Cahill, President George W. Bush, Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Congressmembers Sue Kelly, Maurice Hinchey, and John Sweeney.
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Supporting documentation:
"Cash Problems Shut County YWCA"
by Michelle J. Lee [2/6/05 Poughkeepsie Journal]
A community services mainstay for over 100 years, the YWCA of Dutchess County abruptly shut its doors to hundreds of clients Friday because of financial problems.
The decision to close was made Friday afternoon when the organization could no longer pay for liability and employee insurance, YWCA board President Patricia Anderson said.
Without insurance, the Dutchess County Youth Bureau had to cut $20,000 in state funding for teen and family services, said Betsy Brockway, the youth bureau executive director.
Pool needs repairs
Further complicating matters, the swimming pool at the Bancroft Road headquarters was closed Wednesday after an inspection showed it had structural problems that need to be repaired.
The 70 to 80 YWCA staff members, mostly part-time workers, ran eight programs for about 350 children, teenagers and adults, YWCA interim Executive Director Darline Beatty said.
Steve Fellenz, an IBM engineer from Fishkill, was one of the dozens of parents left scrambling for alternative child-care services.
''This hit me out of the blue,'' said Fellenz, whose 2-year-old daughter, Samantha, attends the Castleland Day Care Center.
Fellenz said he liked the program and it was unfortunate the center had to close. But he would have appreciated more warning.
While Samantha's grandparents can temporarily watch her, Fellenz said he now has to ''race with other families'' to find another day-care center.
Christine Stauch, a single mother from New Windsor, called the Castleland Day Care Center and staff ''a godsend.'' She, too, was angry at the sudden closing.
''If they hadn't paid their insurance, they had to know far along that they were closing,'' she said. ''They should have let us know long in advance and not left us in the lurch.''
The YWCA has been struggling financially since the agency failed to make payroll in October 2003, citing a decrease in program fees.
Last April, the YWCA transferred its battered women's program to the Grace Smith House and Family Partnership Center to save money.
In November, Executive Director Ethel Paxton resigned after eight years of service, citing personal reasons.
On Saturday, Anderson said the decision to shut down the YWCA was an emergency situation and the YWCA board was in the middle of working on a proposal to rent part of their facilities to other organizations to generate funds.
''I was almost crying yesterday. It's heartbreaking,'' Anderson said. ''Unfortunately, we couldn't move fast enough on some of the plans we had in motion.''
Anderson said the agency held several discussions with the regional and national branches of the YWCA.
Consultant's help was sought
They had a private consulting firm study their operations and were following the firm's plan to improve their financial situation. She declined to name the firm.
Another plan involved negotiations to sell part of the Bancroft Road property to another organization, YWCA Vice President Carol Rohde said.
She declined to identify the prospective buyer and said the board is uncertain where the proposal stands given recent events.
The YWCA needs about $500,000 to fix the pool, pay debts and pay back vendors for fuel, oil and other services, Rohde said.
The agency also owes the Internal Revenue Service money for back taxes from June 2003 to June 2004. The agency has paid federal taxes from July 2004 to the present, she said.
The board will meet this week to decide what the next step will be, Rohde said. ''We really would like to keep going. We provided a good resource for young women and young men with some of our programs,'' she said. ''We're just devastated.''
Brockway said the YWCA had excellent services and committed staff, but the youth bureau could no longer use the agency without insurance.
She said there will be a ripple effect among the former employees and families that used the YWCA and the Youth Resource Development Corps, another Poughkeepsie nonprofit that closed on Friday.
''In a community, all of us care about these services and we're going to have a lot of meetings on how to handle and get services back in place,'' Brockway said. ''But it will take time.''
********************************************
"City Agency Facing Cash Crunch to Shut:
Nonprofit Served Area for 20 Years"
by Michael Valkys [Poughkeepsie Journal 2/5/05]
Youth Resource Development Corp., which recently celebrated 20 years of providing job training and life skills to local young people, will file for bankruptcy and suspend its programs immediately, officials said Friday.
The agency's board of directors approved the filing Thursday night following a dire financial report from interim Executive Director Jennifer Tether Bowser. The filing could come as soon as Monday.
Officials said they will likely file for Chapter 11 protection, which could allow the City of Poughkeepsie nonprofit to reopen in the future, if funds materialize. That did not seem likely Friday.
''The problem is so large that we really need a six-figure contract'' to survive, Tether Bowser said. ''At this time, we have nothing coming in.''
Programs were held Friday and YRDC officials were working with other local groups to keep providing services in the coming weeks and months.
The agency, which has served thousands of young people over the years, has been hurt in the past 12 months by the loss of state and federal contracts.
It had hoped to raise money through private donations and held a fund-raiser last month, but there simply wasn't enough money to continue.
YRDC's closing has left the agency scrambling to find other providers of services such as job training, general equivalency diploma education and more.
''Our goal is to transition the kids into other programs,'' YRDC Assistant Director Lisa Gallina said.
She said the Poughkeepsie school district, the city-based Children's Media Project and other community groups could step in to continue providing services to more than 100 students. The YRDC served five times that many young people as recently as last year.
All nine staff members were laid off Friday. A year ago, the agency had 32 staffers.
Volunteers may be kept on to help young people and parents with the transition to new programs, said Tom Dietz, YRDC board vice chairman and acting treasurer.
Dietz said YRDC recently lost about $550,000 in contracts with the state Department of Labor and $1 million in AmeriCorps funding over the past fiscal year.
AmeriCorps is modeled after the Peace Corps and provides stipends to young people who work with community service organizations.
He said the bankruptcy filing was a difficult choice given the agency's two-decade history and the need in the community for services YRDC provides.
''I don't know how to characterize it except as a sad day,'' Dietz said. ''Nobody else runs the programs this agency runs.''
On Cannon Street, the Victorian home that has served as YRDC's headquarters was full of activity Friday. Staff and young people were packing up 20 years of memories and achievement.
Staffers help pack up
Smiling photos of YRDC workers and those they served stared silently from the walls. Staffers cleaned out desks and made phone calls to spread the bad news.
''I'm sad for the kids,'' said Sabrina Murray, a Queens native and AmeriCorps worker, as she packed away materials. ''A lot of these kids don't have anybody. You could see in their faces when we told them [that] they were upset.''
The YRDC worked with 577 students last year and provided 40,000 hours of service. It has worked with a number of community groups -- Poughkeepsie city schools, Planned Parenthood, the Institute of Ecosystems Studies are only a few. It also has worked with Grace Smith House, a home for battered women, and Dutchess Outreach, a program that helps the area's needy.
The agency held a fund-raiser last month at the Dutchess Golf & Country Club. After paying for the facility, officials said the event raised $2,000 short of what they needed and their goal of $5,000 to $10,000.
Dietz said filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy at least holds out the slim hope the agency might be able to make a comeback at some point.
Tether Bowser said that is unlikely and stressed services for young people are still desperately needed. ''The future is very bleak and grim,'' she said. ''Perhaps it will be a wake-up call.''
Board Chairwoman Sharone Wellington urged residents to contact Gov. George Pataki's office and those of other local representatives in Albany to plead for funds to keep YRDC alive.
''YRDC has filled such a great need in Dutchess County,'' Wellington said.
For Tether Bowser, Friday was a sad day. She came to YRDC in 1996 as an AmeriCorps member. She was named to the agency's top spot in December.
''I have such a heavy heart and disappointment,'' she said. ''We have such a passionate staff, and the students and AmeriCorps members. It's a shame to see something so good have to come to an end.''
Michael Valkys can be reached at [email protected]
Programs that were run by YRDC
YouthWork
An employment and training skills program aimed at drop-outs. Designed to help young people get their GEDs, find jobs or to enroll in college.
Summer Youth Employment Project
This program offers six-week summer jobs for those ages 14 and over.
Poughkeepsie's Promise
After-school programs in the Poughkeepsie city school district.
Public Land Corps
Sponsored by the National Park Service. Participants improve safety and accessibility at historic sites while learning about the sites and gaining job skills.
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"BOCES Cuts 7 staff in Division: Adult Class Students Voice Opposition" by Michael Valkys [Poughkeepsie Journal 10/4/04]
Seven staff members were cut Wednesday night from adult programs at Dutchess County BOCES despite pleas from former and current students and staff not to do so.
The BOCES board voted 4-2 at a lengthy meeting at Board of Cooperative Educational Services headquarters.
A 2002 graduate of the BOCES adult program urged the board not to cut the staff.
''The only place that gave me a chance was BOCES,'' City of Poughkeepsie resident Holly Williams said. ''The only reason I am the person I am today is because of these people here.''
But BOCES board members said a $330,000 deficit due a lack of state and federal funding made the cuts necessary.
''If we allow a deficit to happen, we have no way of making it up,'' board President Edward McCormick said.
Programs not affected
BOCES officials said the cuts should not affect students.
But staff and students were not convinced.
''It's just devastating,'' said Jenny Pritchard, president of the Adult Education Instructors Association, the union for BOCES workers in adult education.
She noted that the cuts are more than one-third of the staff of 18.
''The programs will not survive this,'' she said.
BOCES's annual adult division budget is about $2.5 million.
Some have expressed concern that BOCES may move programs from the Family Partnership Center in the City of Poughkeepsie to a site off Route 55 in the Town of Poughkeepsie.
But BOCES board members Wednesday said there are no such plans at this time.
City of Poughkeepsie resident Ramayana Jones urged the board to keep programs that helped him after he was released from prison.
''We're putting money over lives,'' Jones said. ''Education helps heal the nation.''
Some board members tried to have the vote postponed, saying they needed more information.
Board member Karen Orton voted against the plan to lay off workers.
''I have a whole lot of questions,'' Orton said. ''I'm not ready to vote on this tonight.''
But the vote did go through.
BOCES officials said the positions may be reinstated if enrollment and funding improve.
[County Legislator Joel Tyner submitted this emergency resolution below on Monday, February 7th-- please contacat our County Legislature at 486-2100 or [email protected], our County Executive at 486-2000 or [email protected], our state legislators and Governor at (877) 255-9417, and Congress at (800) 839-5276 to make a difference on this crucial issue! Contact the Real Majority Project at 876-2488 for more information.]
WHEREAS, the County Executive has pointed out that investing up front with funding for crucial programs for county residents often saves much more money a bit later, and
WHEREAS, due to recent circumstances, three important nonprofit agencies here in Dutchess County-- YWCA, Youth Resource Development Corporation, and BOCES Adult Services-- have been forced to stop serving thousands of county residents, and
WHEREAS, $500,000 is needed for the YWCA to fix their pool, pay debts and pay back vendors for fuel, oil and other services, and
WHEREAS, $1.5 million is needed for YRDC, to replace recent funding cuts-- $550,000 in contracts with the state Department of Labor and $1 million in AmeriCorps funding over the past fiscal year, and
WHEREAS, $330,000 is needed for BOCES adult education programs cut by 40\% in October; these programs and YRDC's employment and job training programs helped people all over our community and those just getting out of our County Jail become self-sufficient and not a burden on local taxpayers, and
WHEREAS, the funding crisis that has hit these three agencies, along with the cuts to services, have caused a serious negative impact on the entire county; in fact, this situation has now reached crisis proportions; due to this emergency now we must address this issue now, in February, and therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Dutchess County Legislature hereby calls for $2.
to be immediately added to the county budget and distributed as needed to the YWCA, YRDC, and BOCES, as the attached recent newspaper articles attest below, and hereby calls on local state legislators and federal representatives to help, so that this burden does not fall entirely and unfairly on county taxpayers, and be it further
RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be sent to County Executive William M. Steinhaus, Governor George E. Pataki, Senators Stephen M. Saland and Vincent Leibell, Assemblymen Thomas Kirwan, Joel M. Miller, Patrick R. Manning, Willis H. Stephens Jr., and Kevin Cahill, President George W. Bush, Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Congressmembers Sue Kelly, Maurice Hinchey, and John Sweeney.
***********************************************
***********************************************
***********************************************
Supporting documentation:
"Cash Problems Shut County YWCA"
by Michelle J. Lee [2/6/05 Poughkeepsie Journal]
A community services mainstay for over 100 years, the YWCA of Dutchess County abruptly shut its doors to hundreds of clients Friday because of financial problems.
The decision to close was made Friday afternoon when the organization could no longer pay for liability and employee insurance, YWCA board President Patricia Anderson said.
Without insurance, the Dutchess County Youth Bureau had to cut $20,000 in state funding for teen and family services, said Betsy Brockway, the youth bureau executive director.
Pool needs repairs
Further complicating matters, the swimming pool at the Bancroft Road headquarters was closed Wednesday after an inspection showed it had structural problems that need to be repaired.
The 70 to 80 YWCA staff members, mostly part-time workers, ran eight programs for about 350 children, teenagers and adults, YWCA interim Executive Director Darline Beatty said.
Steve Fellenz, an IBM engineer from Fishkill, was one of the dozens of parents left scrambling for alternative child-care services.
''This hit me out of the blue,'' said Fellenz, whose 2-year-old daughter, Samantha, attends the Castleland Day Care Center.
Fellenz said he liked the program and it was unfortunate the center had to close. But he would have appreciated more warning.
While Samantha's grandparents can temporarily watch her, Fellenz said he now has to ''race with other families'' to find another day-care center.
Christine Stauch, a single mother from New Windsor, called the Castleland Day Care Center and staff ''a godsend.'' She, too, was angry at the sudden closing.
''If they hadn't paid their insurance, they had to know far along that they were closing,'' she said. ''They should have let us know long in advance and not left us in the lurch.''
The YWCA has been struggling financially since the agency failed to make payroll in October 2003, citing a decrease in program fees.
Last April, the YWCA transferred its battered women's program to the Grace Smith House and Family Partnership Center to save money.
In November, Executive Director Ethel Paxton resigned after eight years of service, citing personal reasons.
On Saturday, Anderson said the decision to shut down the YWCA was an emergency situation and the YWCA board was in the middle of working on a proposal to rent part of their facilities to other organizations to generate funds.
''I was almost crying yesterday. It's heartbreaking,'' Anderson said. ''Unfortunately, we couldn't move fast enough on some of the plans we had in motion.''
Anderson said the agency held several discussions with the regional and national branches of the YWCA.
Consultant's help was sought
They had a private consulting firm study their operations and were following the firm's plan to improve their financial situation. She declined to name the firm.
Another plan involved negotiations to sell part of the Bancroft Road property to another organization, YWCA Vice President Carol Rohde said.
She declined to identify the prospective buyer and said the board is uncertain where the proposal stands given recent events.
The YWCA needs about $500,000 to fix the pool, pay debts and pay back vendors for fuel, oil and other services, Rohde said.
The agency also owes the Internal Revenue Service money for back taxes from June 2003 to June 2004. The agency has paid federal taxes from July 2004 to the present, she said.
The board will meet this week to decide what the next step will be, Rohde said. ''We really would like to keep going. We provided a good resource for young women and young men with some of our programs,'' she said. ''We're just devastated.''
Brockway said the YWCA had excellent services and committed staff, but the youth bureau could no longer use the agency without insurance.
She said there will be a ripple effect among the former employees and families that used the YWCA and the Youth Resource Development Corps, another Poughkeepsie nonprofit that closed on Friday.
''In a community, all of us care about these services and we're going to have a lot of meetings on how to handle and get services back in place,'' Brockway said. ''But it will take time.''
********************************************
"City Agency Facing Cash Crunch to Shut:
Nonprofit Served Area for 20 Years"
by Michael Valkys [Poughkeepsie Journal 2/5/05]
Youth Resource Development Corp., which recently celebrated 20 years of providing job training and life skills to local young people, will file for bankruptcy and suspend its programs immediately, officials said Friday.
The agency's board of directors approved the filing Thursday night following a dire financial report from interim Executive Director Jennifer Tether Bowser. The filing could come as soon as Monday.
Officials said they will likely file for Chapter 11 protection, which could allow the City of Poughkeepsie nonprofit to reopen in the future, if funds materialize. That did not seem likely Friday.
''The problem is so large that we really need a six-figure contract'' to survive, Tether Bowser said. ''At this time, we have nothing coming in.''
Programs were held Friday and YRDC officials were working with other local groups to keep providing services in the coming weeks and months.
The agency, which has served thousands of young people over the years, has been hurt in the past 12 months by the loss of state and federal contracts.
It had hoped to raise money through private donations and held a fund-raiser last month, but there simply wasn't enough money to continue.
YRDC's closing has left the agency scrambling to find other providers of services such as job training, general equivalency diploma education and more.
''Our goal is to transition the kids into other programs,'' YRDC Assistant Director Lisa Gallina said.
She said the Poughkeepsie school district, the city-based Children's Media Project and other community groups could step in to continue providing services to more than 100 students. The YRDC served five times that many young people as recently as last year.
All nine staff members were laid off Friday. A year ago, the agency had 32 staffers.
Volunteers may be kept on to help young people and parents with the transition to new programs, said Tom Dietz, YRDC board vice chairman and acting treasurer.
Dietz said YRDC recently lost about $550,000 in contracts with the state Department of Labor and $1 million in AmeriCorps funding over the past fiscal year.
AmeriCorps is modeled after the Peace Corps and provides stipends to young people who work with community service organizations.
He said the bankruptcy filing was a difficult choice given the agency's two-decade history and the need in the community for services YRDC provides.
''I don't know how to characterize it except as a sad day,'' Dietz said. ''Nobody else runs the programs this agency runs.''
On Cannon Street, the Victorian home that has served as YRDC's headquarters was full of activity Friday. Staff and young people were packing up 20 years of memories and achievement.
Staffers help pack up
Smiling photos of YRDC workers and those they served stared silently from the walls. Staffers cleaned out desks and made phone calls to spread the bad news.
''I'm sad for the kids,'' said Sabrina Murray, a Queens native and AmeriCorps worker, as she packed away materials. ''A lot of these kids don't have anybody. You could see in their faces when we told them [that] they were upset.''
The YRDC worked with 577 students last year and provided 40,000 hours of service. It has worked with a number of community groups -- Poughkeepsie city schools, Planned Parenthood, the Institute of Ecosystems Studies are only a few. It also has worked with Grace Smith House, a home for battered women, and Dutchess Outreach, a program that helps the area's needy.
The agency held a fund-raiser last month at the Dutchess Golf & Country Club. After paying for the facility, officials said the event raised $2,000 short of what they needed and their goal of $5,000 to $10,000.
Dietz said filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy at least holds out the slim hope the agency might be able to make a comeback at some point.
Tether Bowser said that is unlikely and stressed services for young people are still desperately needed. ''The future is very bleak and grim,'' she said. ''Perhaps it will be a wake-up call.''
Board Chairwoman Sharone Wellington urged residents to contact Gov. George Pataki's office and those of other local representatives in Albany to plead for funds to keep YRDC alive.
''YRDC has filled such a great need in Dutchess County,'' Wellington said.
For Tether Bowser, Friday was a sad day. She came to YRDC in 1996 as an AmeriCorps member. She was named to the agency's top spot in December.
''I have such a heavy heart and disappointment,'' she said. ''We have such a passionate staff, and the students and AmeriCorps members. It's a shame to see something so good have to come to an end.''
Michael Valkys can be reached at [email protected]
Programs that were run by YRDC
YouthWork
An employment and training skills program aimed at drop-outs. Designed to help young people get their GEDs, find jobs or to enroll in college.
Summer Youth Employment Project
This program offers six-week summer jobs for those ages 14 and over.
Poughkeepsie's Promise
After-school programs in the Poughkeepsie city school district.
Public Land Corps
Sponsored by the National Park Service. Participants improve safety and accessibility at historic sites while learning about the sites and gaining job skills.
******************************************
"BOCES Cuts 7 staff in Division: Adult Class Students Voice Opposition" by Michael Valkys [Poughkeepsie Journal 10/4/04]
Seven staff members were cut Wednesday night from adult programs at Dutchess County BOCES despite pleas from former and current students and staff not to do so.
The BOCES board voted 4-2 at a lengthy meeting at Board of Cooperative Educational Services headquarters.
A 2002 graduate of the BOCES adult program urged the board not to cut the staff.
''The only place that gave me a chance was BOCES,'' City of Poughkeepsie resident Holly Williams said. ''The only reason I am the person I am today is because of these people here.''
But BOCES board members said a $330,000 deficit due a lack of state and federal funding made the cuts necessary.
''If we allow a deficit to happen, we have no way of making it up,'' board President Edward McCormick said.
Programs not affected
BOCES officials said the cuts should not affect students.
But staff and students were not convinced.
''It's just devastating,'' said Jenny Pritchard, president of the Adult Education Instructors Association, the union for BOCES workers in adult education.
She noted that the cuts are more than one-third of the staff of 18.
''The programs will not survive this,'' she said.
BOCES's annual adult division budget is about $2.5 million.
Some have expressed concern that BOCES may move programs from the Family Partnership Center in the City of Poughkeepsie to a site off Route 55 in the Town of Poughkeepsie.
But BOCES board members Wednesday said there are no such plans at this time.
City of Poughkeepsie resident Ramayana Jones urged the board to keep programs that helped him after he was released from prison.
''We're putting money over lives,'' Jones said. ''Education helps heal the nation.''
Some board members tried to have the vote postponed, saying they needed more information.
Board member Karen Orton voted against the plan to lay off workers.
''I have a whole lot of questions,'' Orton said. ''I'm not ready to vote on this tonight.''
But the vote did go through.
BOCES officials said the positions may be reinstated if enrollment and funding improve.
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Shoutbox
Goal
200 signatures
Goal: 1,000
Latest Signatures
25 December 2015
200.
Benjamin D
|
Please grant the requested funding! These services are so important to the lives of countless Dutchess County Residents.
7 December 2015
199.
Victoria E
|
community organizations such as the YWCA provide good environments for community members to make positive changes in their lives. Without these programs Dutchess County will be a less desirable place to live. What community doesn't have a Y?
2 July 2015
198.
Camilla Wygane
|
Children, Senior Citizens, Teens in Trouble and just ordinary citizens who like to swim, exercise and learn new skills will find their lives made darker and more limited by these closings. If you think that the YM can take over, think again. They have bec
21 April 2015
197.
Kathryn H
|
Organizations like these are what keep communities strong, and funding them lets the people in the communities know that the government cares about what happens to the people
5 March 2015
196.
Lauren F
|
These organizations assist so many in Dutchess County. Their closings will not bring good results.
12 February 2015
195.
Daniel G
|
These type of programs are what the foundation of this nation was built upon. We need to stop trying to seperate ourselves from that.
3 February 2015
194.
Delia F
|
It is irresponsible and unconscionable that you are closing much-needed social institutions to save money for the unnecessary and unwanted jail expansion. With this kind of planning, you're just paving the way to send Poughkeepsie's youth to jail! What a
13 November 2014
193.
Wilburn B
|
In my view, many of the programs undertaken by these organizations are so fundamental as to deserve full, permanent government financing. It is certainly worth the sacrifice to temporarily lend these groups a hand.
14 September 2014
192.
Cathy T
|
it is a sin that programs that help the community need to beg for help when they help so many unnamed individuals
25 August 2014
191.
Chandra R
|
Money should be spent on fortifying, not punishing, the community. The government should be an ally of the people, not their main obstacle. Please seize this opportunity to regain our faith and save the county.
10 June 2014
190.
Bernice W
|
As an aspiring educator, please do not do this to the children. They are our future.
17 March 2014
189.
Jina A
|
Please carefully consider the negative impact that will result from eliminating these programs.
16 March 2014
6 February 2014
187.
Phillippa W
|
Any money we spend on such programs is helping to give at-risk teens a chance to make a living, gain some pride and become useful members of our community. We neglect them at our peril.
7 January 2014
26 November 2013
2 November 2013
184.
Julia B
|
The YWCA has provided such wonderful things for the commuinity. The Battered Women's Hotline is something that must not be taken awayfrom this community!
1 November 2013
183.
Jean Barajas
|
As a member of my local YWCA, I have experienced the different opportunities that are provided by these organizations. They provide services to both children and adults that are fun, interesting, and critical to building a strong community. I think it wou
30 October 2013
182.
Samantha O
|
YWCA, YRDC, and BOCES all offer progams that essentialially impact families, children, and communities. They ought to be preserved as much as possible.
3 October 2013
181.
Rebecca S
|
This is just another way in which tax dollars could be spent well. We need to get our priorities strait in Dutchess County.
1 October 2013
180.
Noah C
|
I have read the petition and believe that other budget cuts should come before the ones suggested.
26 September 2013
179.
Brian Gm
|
With the release of the latest federal budget, which has the typical republican cuts in education and community programs along side staggering increases in Pentagon spending, we need to bring local resources to support these critical organizations. Do we
9 September 2013
30 August 2013
177.
Robin L
|
These programs are essential to the community do not take from these young men and women an opportunity at success.
30 July 2013
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