Celebrating 25 Years of Community Living
Network Outsource joined the Institute for Community Living (ICL) for its Giving Voice to Independence 25th Anniversary Gala on Wednesday night at the Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park. The evening was a celebration of the accomplishments of our client, ICL, in improving the lives of individuals with psychiatric and developmental disabilities.
In his opening address, ICL President and CEO Dr. Peter C. Campanelli, recalled the day in 1986 when the organization first opened its doors in downtown Brooklyn. The building, he said, overlooked a park filled with makeshift cardboard dwellings, occupied mostly by disabled individuals with no prospects and nowhere to go.
Today, after ICL’s 25 years of commitment to serving this underrepresented population and many more doors opening on homes, residencies and developmental programs, that cardboard village, as well as countless others that had plagued New York City, is no more. And with the help of ICL’s dedicated staff, many of its occupants have gone on to lead productive lives.
Dr. Campanelli based the idea of ICL on his doctoral dissertation. Through an unwavering commitment to their goal, he and his staff have been able to transform his thesis into a program that now serves more than 9,000 adults, veterans, children and families affected by psychiatric and developmental disabilities in New York and Pennsylvania.
At the gala, three individuals were honored for their own personal accomplishments and contributions to improving community living. Commissioner/ CEO of NYS Homes and Community Renewal Darryl C. Towns received the ICL Public Service Award for his support of not-for-profit housing agencies and affordable housing projects for veterans. Brenda Nelson, a former ICL resident, was given the Beacon of Hope Award for the strides she has made in turning her life around from drug addiction to owning her own apartment and working full-time. Finally, JPMorgan Chase was awarded the ICL Corporate Achievement Award for its generous contributions to nonprofit organizations in New York and all over the world.
The night concluded with a keynote address from actress and mental health activist Anna “Patty” Duke, star of the Patty Duke Show. She spoke about her battle with bipolar disorder and how the diagnosis and proper treatment helped her survive.
We are very happy to have participated in this milestone event. Network Outsource is proud to partner with organizations like ICL, which, like many of our other clients, are doing great things for the community. Any opportunity to assist in their operations is a chance for us to give back, even in a small way.
If you would like to make a contribution to ICL or learn more about the organization’s work, visit http://www.iclinc.net/Home.aspx.
