"Collaboration is how we got here": The Felix Organization’s 18th Year
Written by: Liv Colavito/ The Felix Organization
Well, you are probably wondering how we got into this situation (queue “exciting music”)…..In 2006, Sheila Jaffe and Darryl "Run DMC" McDaniels had a vision and here we are 18 years later having impacted the lives of over 18,000 children in the foster care system–and how did we achieve that? Collaboration!
According to our Executive Director, Amanda Simonetta, partnership and cooperation have been the name of the game from the beginning of Felix’s journey; starting with Sheila and Darryl’s partnership, and continuing with the coordination with child welfare agencies, campsites and folks of all walks of life who want to make a difference in the lives of foster youth.
In an absolute banner year, in 2024, we met with nearly 10 different foster care agencies to establish new connections and reach a wider network of youth that could benefit from our programs and resources. With this value of collaboration and partnership in mind, roll the tape!
Though we are looking back at 2024, let’s talk Felix Forward:
Felix Forward, our initiative to provide year-round support and enrichment for foster youth and their families who face financial limitations, helps us to keep Felix kids engaged outside of the camp season.
Through the Felix Friendship Circle, we sent nearly 40 kids and families to several sporting events in 2024, including Rangers and Knicks games at MSG and home Yankee games at their stadium in the Bronx thanks to our ongoing partnership with Cantor Fitzgerald.
Over 60 youth received our Beyond Camp mini grants, which totaled over $21,000 in funds to support individual activities like gymnastics, martial arts and football training camps, as well as supplies and resources to make the school year a success. Essential partnerships with foster care agencies will enable this to grow even further!
Let’s talk this way about “Walk This Way”---our biggest fundraising event of the year! With all hands on deck and the help of over 300 Felix supporters, we were able to raise nearly $200,000 to send Felix kids to camp in honor of National Foster Care Month! Now that is a collaboration of efforts.
While this was our fourth year to “Walk This Way” for foster youth, it was our first year to “Slay This Way”! The successful partnership of our very own Felix Advisory board member Dolly Fox and New York pop artist Ashley Longshore, this night of live music and exceptional entertainment will become a Felix tradition! Funds raised by “Slay”--all $110,000 of it!--were dedicated to sending LGBTQ+ youth and allies to Camp Felix Pride and providing year-round enrichment opportunities for all of our kids!
We had a whopping 500 children attend our summer camps this year–so many core memories made on the zipline, in the lake and in the gaga ball pit. For some Felix campers, this is their first time out of the city and into nature, but do not worry, New York flare travels with them–especially when programs from our partner A BroaderWay roll up to camp!
There is something for everyone at Camp Felix, thanks to some incredible collaborators! Some of our teen campers stretched out of their comfort zone by practicing yoga, led by friend of Felix, Demetrius Napolitano! Others did art and animation classes with Kyle Warren, longtime Camp Felix program staff and art teacher extraordinaire.
At the end of each session, campers put on a talent show, dancing, singing and telling jokes to their fellow campers! Camp Felix Pride even featured a “Dress Up and Talent” show for the campers to “work the runway, sweetie!”
Though camp season only lasts a few weeks, Felix has a knack for keeping our kids busy and having fun all year long! Over 80 youth went on new adventures through our Camp Felix Road Trips program, thanks to partnerships with Haven Academy, Good Shepherd Services, New York Foundling and Seaman’s Society. From surfing in the ocean, scavenger hunting at Manitoga: The Russell Wright Design Center and sailing along the Hudson aboard the Sloop Clearwater to riding horses at HorseAbility, Felix kids step out of their comfort zones with gusto!
Discoveries abound as teens from the Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie pulled on their waders and explored the Hudson River watershed and wildlife at Mills Norrie State Park—another successful year for Camp Felix Day Trippers!
With the help of our friends at Road Recovery, we sent 11 youth from The New York Foundling over to Threshold Studios in NYC to write and record an original song. Threshold Studios must be the place to be, because DMC made an appearance to spit a few bars and be part of the experience!
At Felix, keeping up with alumni is paramount, which is why we created our Youth Board, a fun and supportive community that gives Felix programs alumni access to volunteer opportunities, leadership guidance, special outings, and much more. The Youth Board closed out the 2024 season with an outing that included a pizza lunch and a Paul Taylor Dance Company show at Lincoln Center!
Oh wait! You think that was all 2024 had in store? Don’t forget about holidays, Felix style!
The holiday season kicked off with 40+ middle school students from Haven Academy lacing up their ice skates and having a ball at Wollman Rink in Central Park.
Cut to Hill Country BBQ for the Thanksgiving “Feast-i-val” where 100 kids and families gathered for amazing food and stacked goody bags—honorable mention to the ladies who did the “cha-cha” real smooth on the dance floor after all of that great food!
To put a bow on an already incredible year, Christmastime brought so much generosity and love for Felix kids. With donations over $113,000 in gift cards, toys, and additional in-kind items, we distributed holiday cheer to youth from our 13 partner organizations! 2024 was the year of the Squishmallow…or as some like to call them “Squish-i-mals”...you know who you are!
And to round it all out, how about a trip to Radio City Music Hall for the Christmas Spectacular? Yep, we got the Rockettes in the books too!
We have our work cut out for us in 2025, but if collaboration got us this far, what’s another year?
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