Jess Powers

Campaign for New Leaders

We are launching our first crowdfunding campaign from May 10-June 10th! Please join us in raising money and awareness to support our Campaign for New Leaders. Together we can cultivate new disability organizers in NYC.

Our goal is to raise $40,000 to fund:

developing new organizers to work on reducing barriers for people with disabilities
providing accessible transit and meals for lobby days in Albany
media training and creating peer videos on transportation, health care, and other advocacy issues
getting people to rallies and events and supporting our participants in telling their own stories
building awareness on how independent living centers (ILCs) work for you and your community

We can’t do it without your support! Please donate here. Come back to this page for updates on the campaign, post in the comments, share on social media, and check out our stories. Stay tuned for updates!

Monday, May 14th: We have an anonymous matching donor until midnight! Every dollar you donate today will be worth double.

Monday, May 21st: CAMPAIGN EXTENDED. We haven’t reached our goal yet, so we’re extending our campaign until June 10th. It’s not too late to donate and spread the word.

Friday, June 1st: We’re halfway there! Please give if you can and share with your friends.

Monday, June 11th: We didn’t quite make our goal, but it’s not too late to give to this Campaign. Thank you to everyone who supported us by donating and sharing. We’ll still be able to do a lot and look forward to joining you at lobby visits and rallies to support New Yorkers with disabilities.

Hands Off SNAP

Take Action NOW:

Call Your Rep TODAY – On Tuesday, May 8th, we all need to call our members of Congress and tell them to “Vote NO on H.R. 2, the Farm Bill!” (Seriously, this means you and everyone you can reach about this.) Please make use of Feeding America’s toll-free number: 1-888-398-8702. You will be connected to your Representative’s office after entering your zip code. We need to let Congress know that we want them to “Vote NO on H.R. 2” because its rigid work rules will reduce or eliminate SNAP for millions. It will deny food to children, veterans, women, and people needing treatment and/or with disabilities. Please share this number with your networks and ask them to encourage people to call. Please make sure you call on Tuesday, May 8th!

Please share our posts on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

Can’t call? You can also text RESIST to 50409 or contact elected officials online.

Helen Ha to Retire

Helen Ha, a Benefits Counselor at CIDNY for 10 years, is retiring in February. Helen is a native Chinese speaker and a great asset for her ability to connect with the Asian American community in NYC.

She plans to babysit her first granddaughter, to travel (including a visit to her native China), and to be more active physically. She looks forward to bringing the knowledge and skills she’s acquired to help her peers navigate applications as they also reach retirement.

Helen has three children, an older son who works in computer science, a younger son who is a doctor, and a daughter who is transitioning from international marketing to a career in nursing. She calls CIDNY her “first family,” since “you’re there from 9 to 5.”

After raising her three kids, Helen started her work in benefits advisement by working part-time doing outreach for the legally blind. She then worked at Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) for 10 years, helping seniors and people with disabilities to connect with benefits, and helping people displaced by fires or other emergencies. Then she joined the team at CIDNY, where she first helped people access health care benefits before becoming a generalist and helping with a host of benefits. “I learned a lot,” she recalls fondly of each experience.

“I find if I can help someone, I feel good,” she says. As a person who is about to retire and a diabetic, Helen also sees for herself how complicated it can be to navigate options.

Helen shared a recent story about a long time CIDNY participant who had a problem with prescription coverage, which can change every year. A hand lotion that he needed retailed for $5,000; the generic version was $2,000. But he had enrolled in a plan that didn’t cover the prescription. Helen found that his previous plan only charged a small premium for the medication, and then she was able to get him back on that original plan. “It made me happy,” she says, smiling.

“Helen brought first-hand knowledge of the Asian community to CIDNY and some of the issues these consumers face as new Americans transitioning to the complex, diverse cultural life of NYC,” says Paula Wolff, Senior Benefits Counselor. “With her strong knowledge of health care benefits, she enabled consumers to enter and navigate the complicated health care services web to achieve their goals of optimum wellness. She did all of this with a calm, even [demeanor]. She’ll be missed.”

We thank Helen for her service and dedication to our consumers and wish her all the best in her retirement.

Brightening the Holiday Blues

The holidays can be a joyous time for some and a challenging time for others. This time of year can heighten feelings of sadness or loneliness, bring up difficult emotions, be a tough reminder of the loss of a loved one, or bring up stress about financial difficulties.

What are some things you can do to lift your spirits now (or any time of the year)?

We asked our benefits counselors for their recommendations:

Volunteer. One of the best ways to feel more positive is to help other people—it even improves your health and well-being. Consider volunteering at your local ILC (like CIDNY!), in your neighborhood, or through an organization that you’re involved in.
Create new memories or revisit old ones. If distance or family dynamics mean that you’re on your own during the holidays, try creating your own rituals for the holidays. Enjoy free activities like checking out holiday lights, window decorations, or a Christmas tree lighting. Choose a movie to be your annual holiday viewing, make your favorite meal, listen to music that makes you happy, or spend time with your pet.
Enjoy new friends. Celebrate with your chosen family, whether they are new friends, neighbors in your apartment building, or residents in your nursing or assisted living facility.
Check in on others. If you know someone who’s alone or homebound during the holidays, call or visit them. Call an old friend and connect.
Brainstorm other strategies. Your benefits counselor can help you think of other strategies to cope with holiday stress. Reach out to us if you need support.
Try meditating. You might clear your mind and ease your worries by meditating. Insight Timer is a fantastic, free app with guided meditations and music to start your practice. Try to maintain a healthy self-care routine during the holidays, whether through meditation, exercise, or pacing yourself.

If you need coping or mental health support, contact NYC Well.

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