St. Cabrini Home, Inc., caring for people in need since 1890

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January 2010

Dear friend,

If you visited our campus today, you would be greeted at our main administration building. You would visit some of our historical sites such as our well, chapel, and shrine. You might tour our museum and meet some of our staff and volunteers. You might also encounter small groups of well-behaved, smiling young ladies. They would be attending school, enjoying meals with their peers, joking with friends, and heading off to day trips, appointments, volunteer work, or jobs.

Our youngsters are busy every day with cottage chores, school and homework, individual counseling and group activities, jobs, volunteering, and, in their limited free time, hobbies like reading, sketching, crochet, and sports. The campus is usually bustling with life with our youngsters moving from school to lunch to cottages to evening activities. The only time the campus is quiet is on weekends when everyone sleeps in! (to left, the view of the Hudson River from our administration balcony)

What this peaceful scene does not show you, though, is the tragedy and pain that has filled the past of many of our young people. At Saint Cabrini Home, we know that a childs smile can hide unspeakable horrors. On the surface, things may seem normal. A young person might appear to be happy and carefree. But those of us who have worked with troubled youth know that one moment can mean the difference between laughing and crying. One memory, one reminder, or troubled recollection can bring about the same type of post traumatic stress that many combat veterans experience.

Abuse, neglect, and abandonment issues haunt many of the young people we serve, and this bubbles up from time to time during the therapeutic process. We expect this to happen, and our clinicians are all well trained to help our youngsters to overcome a painful moment and use the difficulty to help them better understand how to cope in the future.

Each youngster in our programs has their own story to tell. Some stories are worse than others. Some of our young people were victims of crimes while they were very small children. Others lived in marginally functioning families or families with drug or alcohol abuse occurring in the home. Some may not even have a traumatic past that we are aware of, but their current behavior reveals some kind of problem that hasn’t yet been identified.

Luckily, young people are resilient. I have seen some boys and girls move beyond terrible abuse to become happy adults at peace with themselves, their families, and their pasts.

But moving forward from a painful past takes a lot of time and personal attention from people who understand and are trained in the process of healing. While our youngsters are happy most of the time going about their daily routines, I, my Sisters, and our staff are always prepared for the moment—which could come at any time and without notice—when one of our children goes into crisis.

These are the moments when a lot of progress toward healing can be made. These are the moments, painful and disruptive as they are, that help us get to the root of the problem and offer a chance for the youngster to find a new way to cope with their memories. This is what we do, every day. (to left, some of our dedicated clinicians who work with our young people)

You can support our work by making a gift to Saint Cabrini Home. Please consider making a gift to support our work with children and teens.
You can make it happen. Thank you.

Sister Damien Ciminera, MSC




ffffff January 2010 Dear friend, If you visited our campus today, you would be greeted at our main administration building. You would visit some of our historical sites such as our well, chapel, and shrine. You might tour our museum and meet some of our staff and volunteers. You might also encounter small groups of well-behaved, smiling young ladies. They would be attending school, enjoying meals with their peers, joking with friends, and heading off to day trips, appointments, volunteer work, or jobs. Our youngsters are busy every day with cottage chores, school and homework, individual counseling and group activities, jobs, volunteering, and, in their limited free time, hobbies like reading, sketching, crochet, and sports. The campus is usually bustling with life with our youngsters moving from school to lunch to cottages to evening activities. The only time the campus is quiet is on weekends when everyone sleeps in! (to left, the view of the Hudson River from our administration balcony) What this peaceful scene does not show you, though, is the tragedy and pain that has filled the past of many of our young people. At Saint Cabrini Home, we know that a childs smile can hide unspeakable horrors. On the surface, things may seem normal. A young person might appear to be happy and carefree. But those of us who have worked with troubled youth know that one moment can mean the difference between laughing and crying. One memory, one reminder, or troubled recollection can bring about the same type of post traumatic stress that many combat veterans experience. Abuse, neglect, and abandonment issues haunt many of the young people we serve, and this bubbles up from time to time during the therapeutic process. We expect this to happen, and our clinicians are all well trained to help our youngsters to overcome a painful moment and use the difficulty to help them better understand how to cope in the future. Each youngster in our programs has their own story to tell. Some stories are worse than others. Some of our young people were victims of crimes while they were very small children. Others lived in marginally functioning families or families with drug or alcohol abuse occurring in the home. Some may not even have a traumatic past that we are aware of, but their current behavior reveals some kind of problem that hasn’t yet been identified. Luckily, young people are resilient. I have seen some boys and girls move beyond terrible abuse to become happy adults at peace with themselves, their families, and their pasts. But moving forward from a painful past takes a lot of time and personal attention from people who understand and are trained in the process of healing. While our youngsters are happy most of the time going about their daily routines, I, my Sisters, and our staff are always prepared for the moment—which could come at any time and without notice—when one of our children goes into crisis. These are the moments when a lot of progress toward healing can be made. These are the moments, painful and disruptive as they are, that help us get to the root of the problem and offer a chance for the youngster to find a new way to cope with their memories. This is what we do, every day. (to left, some of our dedicated clinicians who work with our young people) You can support our work by making a gift to Saint Cabrini Home. Please consider making a gift to support our work with children and teens. You can make it happen. Thank you. Sister Damien Ciminera, MSC
P.S. We start the new year filled with hope for a better world. At Saint Cabrini Home, we celebrate the blessing of life and look for every opportunity to help our children grow and flourish. With your gift, you can help us help our youngsters. Please make a gift today in support our work with children and teens.God bless you for your encouragement and your friendship. Please give a gift today! Thank you.