Kyle & Tyler Stricof
Bedford, NY
November, 2019

Tell us about your project! How can people get involved?

As we continue to be inspired by Change4Good Foundation to make a difference, we have gotten involved volunteering in our local community. Over the past year, we have spent time engaged with Neighbors Link in Mt. Kisco, NY providing weekly academic support for school-age children of immigrants. The overarching mission of Neighbors Link is to strengthen the whole community through the healthy integration of immigrants by offering education and empowerment programs.

Spending time tutoring the children was extremely rewarding and inspired us to want to do more. We spoke to the volunteer head and found out that, as part of their programs, Neighbors Link offers a Family Night to immigrant families where they gather at the Neighbors Link Center for a communal meal, social networking and community-building opportunities. The evenings include workshops on topics critical to their success such as navigating the school system, healthy families and financial literacy.

After hearing about this program, we came up with an idea to help the organization to defray the costs associated with their Friday Family Night dinner and volunteered to sponsor and serve a meal. We found our experience to be truly rewarding and appreciated by the those who attended.

This September, we expanded our concept and spearheaded a monthly initiative to sponsor these dinners. We reached out to our network to educate them about the Neighbors Link Organization and created a sign-up for our peers to help cook and serve at the Friday Family Night. It has been a great success and we have really enjoyed seeing the smiles on the faces of people as they enjoy the home cooked meals.

Our connection to the Change4Good Foundation, continues to inspire and guide us.