The Children’s Safety Project at Greenwich House Hosts Benefit Luncheon for New York City Children Who Are Victims of Abuse
By Joe Salas
A Fist Killed Lisa Steinberg. Terror on 10th Street. Lisa Steinberg Thrown Witness Says. Village Horror Not Forgotten.
In 1987, New York City was in shock. Six-year-old Village girl Lisa Steinberg was found murdered—the victim of physical abuse, with the prime suspects her adoptive parents. Headlines following the trial and conviction of Lisa’s illegal guardian filled the papers for two years straight. The brutality of the case resonated throughout the city, especially in Lisa’s Greenwich Village neighborhood, where the community had to reconcile both how someone could treat a child in that manner and how it could go unnoticed.
provides personalized treatment to children who are the victims of abuse. Photo by Peter
Parrella.
A direct response to the community’s call to protect its children, Greenwich House launched the Children’s Safety Project (CSP) that same year. CSP helps children heal from their trauma of abuse through supportive therapy and by teaching them the life-skills required to become self-reliant and lead productive lives. While originally intended to serve the immediate neighborhood, CSP has expanded over time to serve hundreds of the most vulnerable individuals each year from across the city with individualized therapy. Greenwich House will host a benefit luncheon featuring child psychiatrist Dr. Fadi Haddad on May 23rd to support CSP.
Despite the weight of the Lisa Steinberg case and the program’s expansion, today, CSP is still one of the few programs in New York City providing treatment for children who are the victims of abuse at this individualized level, particularly for the most needy cases. Without the services of CSP, these children are at higher risk of continued abuse, a future of addiction and other serious health problems and, as they become parents themselves, the mistreatment of their own children.
CSP provides these services regardless of a child’s family’s ability to pay. For the families that rely on this program, there is a variance between their income and the cost of therapy; most subsist on an annual household income below $15,000.
The goal of the luncheon is to raise funds so, as a community, we can continue to help these children manage the risks and break the generational cycle of abuse. At the luncheon, keynote speaker Dr. Had-dad will share his insights from years of study and private practice as a child psychiatrist in New York City. He will discuss the effects of abuse on children and the keys to successful treatment. Dr. Haddad will also address a range of traumatic situations that any child may encounter, how to recognize the trauma, and how we might alleviate the conditions and effects of those stresses.
The Children’s Safety Project Luncheon will be held on Monday, May 23rd from 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Kimmel Center at NYU. For tickets, sponsorship opportunities, and more information, visit greenwichhouse.org/luncheon.
