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New Horizons
2005
2005 was an exciting year for the organization. We received new funding to support
important programming for victims of violence as well as individuals living with HIV/
AIDS. We also received funding to support existing initiatives in education, technology
and career services, among other areas. It was a time of prosperity for the organization
which continued to operate out of office locations in Long Beach and Hempstead.
P
rograms
in
2005
Círculo received funding through the Department of Justice to implement its first legal services program for victims of
domestic violence, called Proyecto Justicia, or Justice Project, through a grant written by Sarah Brewster. The project
enabled Círculo to hire an attorney to represent clients with domestic violence issues and related immigration issues.
In addition the project also provided advocacy staff to assist victims of violence. The program continued for four years.
Círculo was also awarded a federal grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide
permanent housing to homeless individuals living with HIV/AIDS, through a program the agency called Casa
Serenidad, or Serenity House. This grant was written by Sarah Brewster and Kathy Ballesteros. Casa Serenidad
provided rental assistance to individuals and families living with HIV and AIDS in scattered site housing in Nassau
County. The project was initially approved for a three year period. Círculo continues to operate this program today.
Additional projects approved in 2005 included a special grant from New York State to educate Nassau County
residents about HIV/AIDS prevention. This grant included funding for a mid-size bus that would enable Círculo
to visit communities and conduct educational outreach. This was a one year program.
Círculo also received legislative funding, supported by Senator Hannon, from New York State, to implement “Es
Mejor Saber”, “It’s better to know”, an HIV testing program in Nassau County. Es Mejor Saber utilized the social
networking strategy to bring those most at risk for HIV in for testing.
Additional funding supporting victims of violence in 2005 included funding from the Carlson Family Foundation.
The foundation provided support to victims of violence including case management, crisis intervention services, food
and transportation assistance.
Funding from the Allstate Foundation further supported victims of violence as they moved towards greater
self-sufficiency and financial stability. Círculo participated in a national pilot program to provide financial
education to victims of violence in Spanish.
Círculo’s after school program was approved for an additional five years ensuring that elementary school age
children in Long Beach would receive needed after-school care. Círculo’s project was one of only three advantage
programs on Long Island that received renewed funding. The Partners program served eighty-five (85) children
from four elementary schools in Long Beach. The program continues today in East Elementary School and provides
homework assistance, recreation, and social and cultural enrichment activities. The project also links with Social
Work Departments at local universities as a site for students to engage in social work practice.
Casa Salva, Círculo’s transitional program for victims of violence was also renewed. This program funded by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development provided rental assistance to individuals fleeing from violence.
The March of Dimes provided funding to Círculo in 2005 to support an initiative to educate women and their
partners about birth defects. “Comenzando Bien”, “Starting Well”, was funded for three years by the March of
Dimes. Information about healthy pregnancies was disseminated in this training and participants were linked to
resources for medical care.
While Círculo obtained grants in new areas, other grants were lost including a Ryan White grant to support
individuals living with HIV/AIDs with housing. Funding for Education programs that had seemed promising
also started to diminish as well.
C
írculo
C
enter
and
F
unding
for
its
D
ay
C
are
C
enter
Gil Bernardino continued to work with David Boone, a consultant, to outreach to different financial institutions to
secure funding for the Center. This was very challenging and difficult. The promise of an $800,000 grant to support
its Day Care Center was a reality but this grant was held in limbo because in order to use it, Círculo had to build its
Day Care Center. The agency still had problems securing financing and could not get a financial institution to lend
funds for the construction. In the end, the agency had to forgo the $800,000 day care grant because it could not get
funding for the Center and therefore grant funds would not be released. No more extensions were provided. This was
devastating and disheartening. The future seemed dim for the Center. With the loss of this funding as leveraging, it
seemed even more difficult to get a lender to finance construction of the Center.
2006
F
unding
for
the
C
írculo
C
enter
A
pproved
Círculo continued to work towards financing for its Center despite the challenging news of 2005 that resulted in
Círculo having to forgo funding for its Day Care Center, David Boone, a longtime friend of Círculo, continued to
lend his support and time helping Círculo find a funder. He collaborated with Sarah Brewster and with Círculo’s
financial consultant to update existing financials. Círculo had two strong prospects in 2006 and was hopeful that it
would find a lender. With this potential news, Sarah Brewster, an administrator at Círculo, met with representatives
from Triton Construction and its original architect, John Capobianco, to discuss the project and review plans while