Kayla's NYCMarathon for NYC Youth Mental Health

On November 7th, I will be running the NYC Marathon to support The Family Center (www.thefamilycenter.org), an agency in central Brooklyn that provides critical mental health counseling, trauma treatment, and other support services to vulnerable NYC youth. Throughout the past year-plus, The Family Center has served thousands of youth impacted by the trauma of COVID-19, including parental loss. Over 95% of Family Center families are raising their children on incomes below the federal poverty threshold. The scarcity of these families’ resources makes recovering from the trauma of COVID-19 even more difficult for their children. Over 85% of children receiving counseling services through The Family Center experienced a reduction in symptoms only 6 months after their treatment began.

Those that know me know that building students' social emotional awareness and fostering students' independence is a passion of mine. As a speech pathologist working with children in NYC, I have seen first-hand the devastating social-emotional impacts of this pandemic, like isolation, loss, and anxiety. It is essential that the mental health of children in NYC, where significant devastation was experienced, is treated and that parents are provided with options and resources to support their children's development so that children can reach their full social and academic potential.

Running has been an outlet for my own mental health since college. The commitment to training for my last marathon fostered my love for running while also strengthening my mental health. Returning to work during this pandemic and training for this marathon continues to solidify the benefit of having an outlet for my mental health. I am eternally grateful to Central Park Running Club (CPRC) for providing me with a supportive community to run with during both marathon training seasons and fun weekday morning runs. I ask you to please join me today in supporting the mental health of vulnerable NYC children and teens by making a donation to my fundraiser below.