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Programs

Community Service Projects

We offer a wide range of projects that raise awareness through public outreach and encourage youths to give back to the community. Below is a list of some of our primary projects.

  • Gardening and Beautification Projects
    Gardening and Beautification Projects

    In July 2010, a EF1 tornado touched down in Riverdale, Bronx. A month later, H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths spearheaded a tornado clean-up project for the park. This led to our doing gardening work throughout the 5 boroughs. Now we have a long list of projects that we work on including work in several New York Restoration Project gardens, various community gardens and other similar programs.

  • "Cops and Kids" Program

    Through the power of gardening, we have bridged the gap between young people in the city and police officers. We are the stewards for the 120th Precinct Garden Beds in Staten Island, and have volunteered at several other precinct gardens.

  • Reading Programs

    We believe that literacy programs and reading programs are fundamental to being a productive person who will be successful in life. Our flagship reading program is the T..E.L.L at Markham Program which meets Wednesdays at Markham Gardens in Staten Island. We work with 5-9 year old students and assist with reading proficiency and literacy.

  • Blood Drives

    In conjunction with the New York Blood Center, we periodically host blood drives to encourage people to donate blood. Close to 2,000 donations are needed each day in the New York area for patients who require lifesaving blood and/or platelet transfusion.

    For more information, visit New York Blood Center.

  • Dog Therapy
    Dog Therapy

    We are proud to be a part of the dog rescue community and promote work around dog safety and dog rescue. Additionally, our non-profit dog friend Nene the dog is a certified therapy dog who does service at the Veterans Hospital.

  • Letter Writing to Soldiers in Afghanistan

    Heather Butts, co-founder of H.E.A.L.T.H for Youths, recently met Sgt. Daniel J. McGee, who was deployed to Afghanistan in early 2011. As a result, we decided to create a letter writing program where students involved in our programs would be able to trade letters with Sgt. McGee's five-person detachment.

    The Afghanistan War began in October 2001 in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

  • Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens

    Our students fully participate in volunteering at soup kitchens, donating food to pantries and spending time with those in need. We are currently actively involved with the AME Church in Stapleton, Staten Island.