Marathon Runners Go the Distance to Raise $27,000 for New Yorkers Overcoming Mental Illness and Homelessness

NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the second consecutive year, Community Access, Inc., an award-winning nonprofit that empowers people with mental illness to lead healthy, independent lives, participated as a community charity in the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111107/DC01518)

A team of five runners represented Community Access, raising more than $27,000 for a cause that they have a close personal connection to.  Says marathon runner Carlos Almodovar, "There's someone in my life I care about deeply who struggles with mental health issues, and I only wish I had learned about Community Access even sooner.  It's a fantastic organization because it helps the underserved and people who don't have any other resources that they can count on—and not just with housing and counseling, but also in ways that enable mental health consumers to be fully self-sufficient."

Community Access is one of the oldest and largest nonprofits in New York City dedicated to helping get people off the streets, out of shelters, and on a path to recovery.  Steve Coe, Community Access CEO, shares:  "On any given night in New York City, over 30,000 people are sleeping in homeless shelters.  More than 25% of these individuals are struggling with a severe and persistent mental illness, which puts up many roadblocks that prevent them from building healthy, stable lives—or from breaking a cycle of poverty that is often multi-generational.  Community Access programs offer a powerful solution to help individuals reclaim their lives, learn new skills and tap into innate abilities that can help them become active, contributing members of the community."

Nearly 2,000 individuals participate in Community Access programs every year, as a resource for accessing safe, affordable housing in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx—and a myriad of learning opportunities like a cutting-edge job training program in Harlem that has prepared over 800 mental health consumers (many of whom have criminal justice histories) for careers in hospitals and health and human services; classroom-based health and wellness programs in the East Village; art workshops; and pet therapy and adoption opportunities.

Marathon day was the culmination of months of training for our team of five runners, who also successfully rallied over 200 friends, family members and colleagues to contribute to their fundraising goals to benefit Community Access program participants.  The five hard-working marathon runners representing our cause were:  Carlos Almodovar, who now resides in Westchester, NY, and who works in marketing and business development; Kendall Atterbury, a New York City social worker; Aaron Malatesta, a structural engineer based in Alamo, CA, and the son of Community Access Board Member Barbara Malatesta; Jordan Wan, a Community Access Junior Board Member and Execution Strategy Associate at Bridgewater Associates; and Joanne Wyckoff, a real estate professional from Franklin Lakes, NJ.

As a group, Team Community Access raised more than $27,000—over $1,000 per mile in the 26.2 mile race through all the boroughs of New York City.  For Community Access, these funds will enable us to provide more housing, education and recovery opportunities for New Yorkers overcoming mental illness and homelessness.

About Community Access:

• Founded in 1974, Community Access empowers mental health consumers to reach their potentials.  The people we serve too often lack access to life's most basic needs—housing, food, health care, education, and employment. 
• Our programs are a daily resource to nearly 2,000 individuals and families who rely on us for education, affordable housing, counseling, self-help, hot meals, and many more services designed to help them gain new skills; lift themselves out of poverty; and lead healthy, independent lives.  
• In 2011, Community Access was selected as a Top 10 Semifinalist in the New York Times Company Nonprofit Excellence Awards.
• For more information about Community Access, visit:  www.communityaccess.org, or www.facebook.com/communityaccess.

Contact: John Williams
Phone: (212) 780-1400, ext. 7772
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Community Access