Community Corner

Samuel Field Y to Host Workshops on Employment, Financial Assistance

Center will offer five free classes this month through its Connect to Care program.

The is offering five free sessions through its Connect to Care program this month that will help local residents with issues of employment and financial assistance.

Jenna Sangastiano, who provides mental health counseling at the Y, said Connect to Care was created in response to the economic downturn as a means to aid Queens residents.

“We figure a lot of these workshops will be phenomenal for Queens residents,” she said. “It’s great for them to have all this information, considering the financial times we’re in. This will give them access to employment and free legal services. It will help people get back on their feet.”

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All five workshops are free and attendees do not have to be Connect to Care clients to participate.

On March 13, the Y will host a session from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on coping with stress while unemployed.

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A workshop on elder care and planning ahead will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon on March 14 at the Flushing-Fresh Meadows Jewish Center. An attorney specializing in elder care will be present to answer questions.

On March 21, the Y will hold a class from noon to 2 p.m. on how to stretch the dollar and make ends meet under the current economic climate.

This event will include discussions on health, benefits, housing prescriptions and entitlements. There will also be a panel of nine individuals, including former state Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza, who will discuss veterans’ benefits, as well as a financial counselor and a Verizon representative, who will talk about how to make a phone plan match a budget.

The event will include a fair, during which attendees can speak one-on-one with specialists about their personal concerns.

A March 22 event will focus on the process of beginning a new career. It will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

On March 27, a program called “The Blue Ocean” will include strategies on how to distinguish oneself as a business or individual in the current marketplace.

It will run from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Other skills that will be taught during the programs include interview preparation, learning about social media, money management and spiritual care.

The sessions are meant for all ages.

“As long as they have a need, we’re willing to help,” Sangastiano said of the programs’ targeted participants. “Many of our clients are in their 40s through 60s, but we’re also trying to open it up to younger people.”

To register in advance for the program, email connect-to-care@sfy.org.

For more information, visit the Samuel Field Y’s website. The Y is located at 58-20 Little Neck Parkway.


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