For three decades the 1199SEIU Child Care Funds and the Child Care Corporation have provided quality services to over 400,000 children and families of both Union members and the community at large. The Care for Kids Awards Gala on December 6 at the Lighthouse in Chelsea Piers was the first time since 2019 that members, officers and supporters were able to celebrate in person together since the pandemic began.

Janet Kaledzi, an 1199 RN at Mt Sinai Beth Israel told the audience that all her four children, now aged between 18 and 30 had benefitted enormously from the Child Care Fund. “We lived in New Jersey and every summer my children would spend eight weeks at the camp in New York City, learning to swim and going to museums,” she said, “They were exposed to experiences that I would not have had the time or money to share with them.”

When they got older her children also benefited from the Joseph Tauber Scholarship Program during their undergraduate years. Her eldest daughter became a teacher, her second eldest obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Health and her youngest daughter is now working as a paralegal after studying criminal justice. Her youngest son is following in her footsteps and has just started nursing school.

1199 Magazine: Jan-Feb 2023