Published February 19, 2015
New York, NY — Covenant House New York has been awarded a grant from Children’s Hope India to support 20 homeless youth in the New York shelter’s Certified Nurses Aide Program.
On Feb 18, 2015, six students from Covenant House’s Nurse’s Aide Training Program attended a grant celebration ceremony with Covenant House staff and Trustees from Children’s Hope India, who awarded $25,000 to support this vocational training program. These students were coming to the end of their sixteen week classroom training, so it was a good time to ask them what they plan to do once they graduate.
The students, five young women and one young man, introduced themselves to Children’s Hope India and expressed their gratitude for the opportunity. Each one indicated that they were going to put their certification to immediate use, and go to work as Nurse’s Aides as soon as they are licensed. All have already gained experience volunteering at a local hospital or nursing home. Some talked about a short term goal to gain another certification as a Medical Assistant Phlebotomist or EKG Technician. One student said that she saw herself working in a hospital in the future. A number of the students indicated that they planned to go on to become Registered Nurses (RN), and two students said they would ultimately like to become Pediatricians. Another said that what she liked is that her future was wide open, and that no matter what, she will always have these skills and this certification. All agreed with Children’s Hope India that the medical field offers many opportunities for good and meaningful work.
The students and Covenant House staff are very grateful to Children’s Hope India for this grant, and for CHI’s commitment to education as a pathway to personal fulfillment and economic self-sufficiency for young people.
“Once a homeless young person is off the streets and out of crisis, our biggest challenge is helping our kids build a bridge from homelessness to hope,” said Covenant House New York Executive Director Creighton Drury. “With this grant, Children’s Hope India has opened their hearts to our kids, and opened a door of opportunity that will help to change lives. We are so grateful.”
“This grant underscores our guiding principle that “Every Child Counts,” said Meera Rao, Executive Director of Children’s Hope India. “Our mission is to give impoverished and underprivileged children a chance for a brighter future. We do this by partnering with local organizations like Covenant House that improve children’s access to education, medical care, shelter, nutritious meals, and job skills training. We hope our support will make a pivotal difference in the lives of the 20 students and will help lead them from poverty to prosperity.”
The Nurse’s Aide Training at Covenant House includes two weeks of life-skills workshops, three months of theoretical and clinical course work at Covenant House New York’s state-approved facilities, and two weeks internship at a nursing home. After their internships, trainees take the NY State Certification exam.
For more information about Covenant House, to go www.covenanthouse.org