Still Connected: An Eden II Programs Update
A Thank You From Our Principals
Dear Eden II Friends & Family,

Below are a collection of notes from our three Principals, written in honor of our teaching staff, in a continuation of thanks to them following Teacher Appreciation Week.
A Letter From Jamie Arnold,
Director of Educational Services
Last week we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week. We loved seeing all of the photos and videos of students giving a shout out to the teaching staff. We're expressing this appreciation for them today, and every day. We truly could not do what we do without our amazing staff. They have taken everything in stride, and with an admirable sense of patience and understanding.

We're approaching this unknown territory together. In March, we were thrown into the world of online learning with almost no notice, and the staff did everything they could to make sure we were as prepared as possible. I couldn't be happier with the team I have at my side, working nonstop to make sure our students are taken care of.

Again, a HUGE thank you to all of the Beach Street teachers, teaching assistants, speech therapists, clinical coordinators, and administrators who have been working tirelessly to make sure we provide our students and families with the support they need. You are all amazing and I am so proud of all of you!
A Letter From Hester Bekisz,
Director of the Genesis School
Our teachers and teacher assistants have done an exceptional job during this time! 
They have stayed motivated and worked tirelessly to create new activities, worksheets and lessons.. At the same time, they have learned to navigate Google Classroom and other forms of remote teaching. They have engaged their students in live lessons. They have reached out to families and stayed in touch in an attempt to maintain a continuity of learning. They see the potential of each of their students and have not given up when faced with these uncertain events. 

I would love to thank Mindy, Megan, Nyla, Lauren, Danielle, Linda, Catherine, Lauren and Nicole, our teachers and speech teachers, for engaging students and inspiring them to learn. Amanda and Marianna deserve a special shout out for teaching their students in their own homes during this time.  Mary and Laura, the Genesis coordinators, who are also teachers, this place would not be running without them. We would like to thank all the Genesis teacher assistants, Magdie, Laura, Brittany, Marsha, Alyssa, Ashley, Niasia, Patti, Kay, Heather, Jonathan, Jahnyah, Larry, Amanda, Christina, Garrett, Tim, MaryKate, Stacey and Alana. They have gone above and beyond!

Thanks for their amazing work, selfless service and positive attitude. 
A Letter From Lauren Grimaldi,
Director of Preschool & SEIT/SETTS
I am writing this to our Little Miracles teaching staff on behalf of myself and the Little Miracles coordinators (Laurie, Lexi, Marie, Toni Rae and Danielle): we are sending out some extra special THANK YOUs this year, as we would be lost over these past few months without the dedication of our teachers, teaching assistants, SEIT teachers and speech therapists. Seeing everyone work together as a team for one common goal has been inspiring and so appreciated. Your hard work and dedication to your students means so much to the families we serve.

You have all embraced these challenges with courage, faith, and hope…and are making a difference in each and every one of our families you work with. Learning new things can be scary and tough for our students, however, you have proven to be a bright rainbow throughout this storm.  We know that our staff will be stronger when this COVID-19 Pandemic is over. 

History is being written… we hold the pencil…and together, we will write the BEST story for our school!
Thank You "Sew" Much!
Thank you to all of our volunteers that helped with our hand sewn mask project. We could not have done this without you!
Ginger Brochu 
Stephanie Cretaro
Caroline Diano
Dawn Doherty 
Stephanie Dussel 
Stephanie Heinkele
Alexa Kenouryiakis
Stasia Lipinski
Lauren Palazzo
Geralyn Russo
Lisa Savio-Santander
Joann Sgambati
Barbara Smith
Ann Thomas 
Roylyn Thomas 
Amazon Wishlist for Residential Homes
The participants in our residences are currently practicing social distancing, and with day programs also being closed, we are looking for ways to keep everyone entertained and engaged.

We have created an Amazon wishlist of items like puzzles and backyard sports sets. If you are interested in purchasing any items from this list, visit our page here. Due to safety concerns, we are unable to accept anything used at this time.

If you have any questions, please contact info@eden2.org
"Dine In" and Support Your Local Restaurants!
Since 2016, Eden II has partnered with a number of amazing local restaurants to help raise funds for our programs and services, through our "Dine Out 4 Autism" initiative. We were unable to hold the event this year due to Covid-19, but we are asking you to help these businesses that need us now more than ever. 

Please consider ordering take out or delivery from any of the locations listed in the link below. We are not asking for donations from any of these establishments, we simply want to show them they have our support in these tough times. 

Send photos of your meals to  info@eden2.org  so we can share with these restaurants and show them we care!

Thank you to everyone who has donated to our front line campaign!

If you do not see your name listed please contact info@eden2.org. We apologize in advance for any missing names.
Michael Ackerman 
Pamela Adamo
Nancy Ambery 
Erin Archibald 
Jamie Arnold 
Julie Azuma 
Elisa Belcastro 
Maidelle Benamy
Marc Benanti
Marissa Bennett
Robert Berkowitz
Sharon Berkowitz 
Denise Bianchi 
Richard Boehm 
Matthew Brander 
Terry Burn 
PS Burns 
Ross Burwasser
James Caldarella 
Lisa Caldarera 
Susan Canny 
Chrisie Canny 
Marissa Capizzi
Acela Carlin 
Sue Carter 
Jason Casano
Stephanie Cassas
Anthony Castiglione 
Irene Cavanagh 
Robert Cavanagh 
Donna Ceman 
Maureen Chalos 
Keith Chambery 
Georgia Christoforou 
Frank Cicero 
Chris Citarrella
Jeanette Collins 
Sarah Collins 
Maria Contino
Michael Contino 
Jill Cornell
Sharlene Corrigan 
Rob Croccito 
James Cronin 
Dan Cunningham 
Julie Debernardo 
Geoff Debery 
Lorelai Dee
Paula Delfino 
Michael DeMaio 
Anna DeMeo 
Joanne D'Esposito 
Maria DiGiacomo
Marietta Dimina 
Ronnie Dineen 
Darren Diprima 
Dominic DiPrisco
Christine DiTomasso 
David Dobell 
Jan Downey 
Beti Duli-Tale 
Shirley Dunn
Andy Dunscombe 
Stephanie Dussel
Samia El Moslimany
Matt Emmer 
Carly Emmer 
Lauren Epifanio 
Nancy Everett
JoAnn Farrell
Corinne Farrell
Marlene Feinberg 
Barbara Ferrante 
Pier Fetz 
Marisa Filupeit 
Lorenz Fish 
Cynthia Fisher 
Eileen Fitzpatrick
Rob Fodera
Angela Fuschetto 
Malki Gartenberg 
Gerald Gartner 
Geri Garvin 
Karen Gates 
Melissa Gavinelli 
Toni Gennuso 
Joanne Gerenser
Michael Giangregorio
Nick Gilbo 
Laurie Giordano 
Joanne Giuliano
Ariel Glaubach 
David Glick 
Barry Goldberg 
Lori Gray 
AnnMarie Grieco 
Janet Grosser 
Moe Hageko 
Lauren Hakim 
LouAnne Haley 
Gail Hansche 
Melissa Hess
Maureen Higgins 
Patricia Hincken 
Hannah Hoch 
Denise Holzka 
JoAnn Hope 
Eileen Hopkins 
Jackie Huey 
Patty Hutton
Hope Iliceto 
Thomas Iliceto 
AnnMarie Itgen 
Lyudmila Ivanova 
Linell Iversen 
Donald Johnson
Alexander Jones
DeAnna Jones 
Michael Joseph 
Susan Kaplan
Michael Kaplan
Loretta Kennedy 
Barbara Kenny
Steve Kirschbaum 
Jessica Klein 
Rosemarie Klingele 
Maryann Korn
Charles Kramer 
Mark Krinsky 
Eugene Krupatkin
Janet Lamantia 
Kara Lamendola 
Marcia Langaigne
Stefanie Lavelle
Pat Leahy
Jessica Leather 
Jackie Libretti
Alison Lipshin
Kristine Lombardo 
Vivian Lynch 
Laura Maguire 
Christopher Maher 
Alfred Mahoney 
Elena Maldonado 
Patty Marceante 
Nancy Marchese 
Paula Marocchi
Valerie Martin 
Ann McDermott
Mary McDonald 
Joanne McDougall 
Janet McGill 
Meaghan McGoldrick 
Beth McLoughlin 
Kevin McShane 
Nicole Memoli 
Dan Miran 
Linda Mitchell
Janet Moley 
Julie Morawek 
Barbara Morello 
Maria Mucciarone 
Richard Murdison 
Angale Natale 
Paula Neenan
Ashley Nicole 
Cathy Nicoletti 
William Nolan 
Nina Novie 
Despina Novie 
Debra Ochs 
Marge O'Neil 
Rita Ormsby 
Olivia O'Rourke 
Toni Ann Pabon 
Bernardo Pace 
Lisa Padla
Bonnie Patala
Larry Paterno
Ken Paulsen 
Christopher Pekoff
Sherrie Penino
Nancy Phillips 
Sandina Popper
Christine Porizio 
Richard Portello 
Brenda Principe
Ellen Proszak
Frank Pugliese 
Denise Purcell
Daniel Rauch 
Shanx Ravisankar 
Brooklyn Re
RoseMarie Reel 
Susan Ribaudo 
Anjail Rice
Joseph Rinaldi 
Sulma Rivera 
Celia Roche
David Roll 
Yvonne Roman 
Mindy Rosengarten
Joshua Rosengarten 
Susan Rotsztajn 
Mary Rowan
Sharyn Ruggiero 
Donald Russo
Breeda Ryan 
Carolyn Sagnelli
Ada Schechtman 
Wendy Schmidt 
Robyn Schneider 
Bonnie Schneider 
Anne Seifried 
Joanne Sgambati 
Katherine Sgarlato 
Victoria Shurott 
Michele Sileo 
Kimberly Smith 
Sophie Sophororos 
Lisa Sorrento 
Anna Spadafora 
Denise Sperduto
Tamio Spiegel 
Jaime Sposito 
Maria Stabinsky 
Kathleen Stanley
Marianne Stanley 
Rosemarie Stavola 
Irene Stefas 
Harvey Stein
Wendy Stynes 
Christina Swiderski 
Terry Tarangelo 
Eve Taranto
Veronica Taura 
Nicole Tibaldi
Sheila Tjon
Valerie Tucci 
Gretchen Turner 
Shannon Viggio 
Teresa Visconti 
Ben von Doussa 
Keith Ward 
Denise Wiatre
Linda Williams 
Alexis Yarmolowitz 
Andrew is continuing the show of appreciation for our teachers!
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, Lauren Grimaldi and her coordinator team drove to over 65 houses and surprised all of the Preschool staff with a tee shirt and an extra special "THANK YOU". It took them over 9 hours, but was worth every minute to see all of them and their smiles. A special THANKS to the Little Miracles PTO for helping them make this day special.

We are so proud of Katie and how well she is doing!

Her father, Keith, shared with us, "I know that teaching your kid can be tough and we all want to go back to a normal life. We want our kids to see their friends, we want everything to go back to the way it was. But i have to admit, I’m having fun teaching Katie. We always had a great relationship. I always try to keep her engaged. But theses last few months have been great to see her do things I never imagined seeing her do."
To all of the staff at Genesis...We Love and Miss You

Thank you to Steve Kirschbaum for coordinating this heartwarming video of our Genesis students letting us know how much they miss the Genesis staff!
Selfless. Kind. Courageous. Just some of the words to describe our essential staff. Director of Long Island Residential Services, James Corrigan, left this message for his staff at our Dix Hills residence.
Donate Supplies or Funds Today!
Our residential staff are working around the clock to take care of our participants, and are doing an amazing job! We currently have supplies for all of our locations that need them, but with a surge in demand, we are being proactive and looking to increase our current supply. If you or someone you know have any of the following items available to donate, please contact info@eden2.org to arrange a dropoff.

Powder free exam gloves
Medical isolation gowns
Chemical splash goggles
Hand sanitizer
Hand sanitizer wipes
Surface sanitizer wipes
Disinfectant spray
N95 face masks

Thank you to those who have generously donated PPE for our staff:

Borough President James Oddo
Senator  Andrew J. Lanza
Assemblyman Michael Cusick
Assemblywoman  Nicole Malliotakis
Assemblyman  Mike Reilly
Assemblyman Charles D. Fall
Councilman Steven Matteo
Councilman  Joe Borelli
Councilwoman  Debi Rose
District Attorney Mike McMahon
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Anthony Castiglione
Amy Hume Bellisano on behalf of The Woodbridge Center
Denise Bianchi
Brooklyn Home Foundation
Joe Caldarera
Stephanie Cassas
Sabrina Rose Dallas
Dr. Ryan Galligan

Hatteras
Audrey Hassuer & other
Metuchen residents
Dr. Jane Howard
Magnacare
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis
Shelley Chi Mawhinney, Metuchen
Randy McArthur
Joe McCormack
Medtrak Rx
Nassau/Suffolk Autism Society of America
Sue Reek
Rab's Country Lanes
Rescuing Families, Inc.
Sulma Rivera
Staten Island Elected Officials
Staten Island Glove & Safety
Elizabeth Thomas
Westpoint Home
Oscar Valera, Metuchen
Amazon Smile is a free and easy way to help support Eden II. Simply select Eden II as the charity of your choice, and Amazon will donate a percentage of every purchase made back to Eden II when you shop through Amazon Smile. Click here to select Eden II.