Medical center is largest SYEP site among all healthcare facilities in NYC
Brooklyn, NY, Aug. 30, 2024 — More than 300 people gathered on Wednesday, Aug. 7, at the Ateres Golda Ballroom in Brooklyn for the Maimonides Health 2024 Summer Youth Recognition Ceremony.
This annual event honors the hundreds of students participating in various youth employment programs across Maimonides Health. In total, Maimonides hosted more than 430 young people for 2024 summer youth programs — some in volunteer roles, but most in paid positions as part of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).
The 2024 ceremony, which opened with a performance by the New York City Police Department Band, recognized student participants as “Epic, Phenomenal, Inspiring, and Courageous.”
“We hope all of our youth program participants had a valuable experience with us this summer, and are leaving with newfound skills and knowledge that can be applied into any setting,” said Ken Gibbs, President and CEO, Maimonides Health. “Your many achievements, made over just a few short months, are so meaningful to our mission. We belong to Brooklyn and to all of you.”
“Our student volunteers energize us and remind us why we are excited to be in this line of work,” said Judy Bachman, Chief Operating Officer, Maimonides Health. “Our hope is that they find something they love to do and stick with it. It’s an exciting time to get into health care and there is so much opportunity, so I see these volunteers as future leaders.”
Maimonides has a long tradition of hosting summer youth participants, welcoming more than 5,000 SYEP youth over more than 27 years. This year, Maimonides hosted 215 SYEP participants.
During the event’s keynote address, Keith Howard, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, praised Maimonides Health for their long-standing commitment to providing young people with employment opportunities and healthcare career experiences through SYEP.
“SYEP is the largest summer youth employment program in the country,” said Keith Howard. “The participants here today are part of SYEP’s largest healthcare facility summer youth program, meaning it is one of the largest, if not the largest, in the entire country.”
To close out the 2024 recognition ceremony, Maimonides presented 16 “Special Recognition Awards” to summer youth program participants who went above and beyond their roles.
Awards went to: Roodmailie Bereno, Alanna Chen, Andriy Chiger, Mohammad Faaiq, Nicholas Feliciano, Chantal Francis, Mordechai Friedman, Sophia Huang, Tiffany Huang, Sitao Lin, Makayla Mathews, Jocelyn Tula, Daniel Varshavskiy, Jenny Vazquez-Flores, Joanna Weng, and Arno Zheng.
SYEP is one of many summer youth employment opportunities at Maimonides. The healthcare system also hosts participants through the 1199SEIU Youth Mentoring Program, the District 75 Occupational Training Center, and the New York City Industry Scholars Program, among others. Learn more about careers and volunteer opportunities at Maimonides.
Photos of the event can be found at https://maimo.pixieset.com/syepappreciationcopy/. To download photos, use PIN 8188.
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Maimonides Health is Brooklyn’s largest healthcare system, serving over 320,000 patients each year through the system’s 3 hospitals, 1,800+ physicians and more than 80 community-based practices and outpatient centers. The system is anchored by Maimonides Medical Center, one of the nation’s largest independent teaching hospitals and home to centers of excellence in numerous specialties and Maimonides Midwood Community Hospital (formerly New York Community Hospital), a 130-bed adult medical-surgical hospital; and Maimonides Children’s Hospital, Brooklyn’s only children’s hospital and only pediatric trauma center.
Maimonides’ clinical programs rank among the best in the country for patient outcomes, including its Heart and Vascular Institute, Neurosciences Institute, Bone and Joint Center, and Cancer Center. Maimonides is an affiliate of Northwell Health and a major clinical training site for SUNY Downstate College of Medicine. For additional information, please visit www.maimo.org and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.