Yuritzi Flores '25

Work Study Placements: Somos, ISDA, LSA Family Health Services, and Lenox Hill Hospital

Yuritzi Flores '25

Work Study Placements: Somos, ISDA, LSA Family Health Services, and Lenox Hill Hospital

College: Planning to attend Lehigh University

Why is the Cristo Rey New York mission important to you? "Everyone here is like my family. I never feel alone and always feel supported. Cristo Rey has offered me great experiences, from traveling to Lourdes, France to participate in a service program, to exploring my passions while studying at Loyola Chicago and Emory University."

Lorenzo Vicente '14

Work Study Placements: Jones Day and Expeditors

College: Bachelor's degree from the College of the Holy Cross, 2018 and pending a master's degree in policy management from Georgetown University

Why is the Cristo Rey New York mission important to you? "For students who may not have grown up with family members and neighbors who are lawyers, doctors, engineers, and business executives, Cristo Rey provides them access to invaluable social capital through the Corporate Work Study Program. In many ways, it addresses the racial disparities present in New York City and contributes to breaking the cycle of poverty for many families."

Building Bright Futures: A Campaign for Cristo Rey New York’s Next 20 Years builds upon the remarkable progress of the past two decades, addressing our challenges head-on and envisioning a future where nothing holds us back!

To join us in this extraordinary effort, please contact Charlie Viana, Advancement Director at 212-457-2806 or cviana@cristoreyny.org.

The Need:

The Impact:

After 20 years, the Cristo Rey building is showing its age. Major systems are near or at the end of their lifespan, most notably HVAC, exterior masonry, and the roof. In addition, the rooms our community uses every day – classrooms, meeting spaces, and offices – need to be refurbished to match the quality of the work that takes place within the school. Site improvements, as well as window and door repairs, also are required to properly steward our property.

With your help, we can address major building issues now, avoiding disruptions to our school calendar and costly emergency repairs. A building reserve fund will help us avoid deferring maintenance in the future.

The Need:

Our IT configuration and capabilities are an inadequate, antiquated, patchwork quilt of hardware, software, and infrastructure, making it challenging for students, teachers, and administrators to access, use, and connect devices. These challenges are exacerbated by our students’ circumstances. Every student needs a computer to participate fully in our educational program, but not all students have one. Those who do often share it with siblings and parents, making it difficult for our students to complete homework assignments on time or readily access online resources.

The Impact:

Your support of the Building Bright Futures campaign will allow us to implement a 1:1 device program and expose our students to technology resources used in high school, college, and the workplace. Every student will be issued a laptop for the duration of their enrollment. Network improvements will provide seamless access to online resources and encourage teachers to integrate more technology in the classroom. Finally, teachers and staff will be issued new computers so they too can work efficiently. This program also includes a reserve fund, allowing time for the annual fund to gradually sustain the program cost.

The Need:

Before the pandemic, over 85% of Cristo Rey New York students were in paid Work Study positions, generating crucial revenue to offset tuition costs. The pandemic devastated the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP), but over the past four years, CWSP has gradually rebounded. Almost all of our students have job placements, but only 61% of those jobs are paid or funded. Shifts in corporate culture and the realities of the hybrid workplace have highlighted the importance of reimagining the Work Study Program network wide.

We need to identify and secure more paid and funded placements, as well as ensure students have the requisite skills to attract Work Study partners and meaningfully contribute to their roles once hired. We also expect that not-for-profit, unpaid positions in schools and healthcare facilities–places where remote work is not an option–may eventually comprise 15% to 25% of total Work Study jobs.

The Impact:

With your support, we can make the following investments:
Personnel:
- Increase capacity to generate additional Work Study partners and development revenue.
- Invest in existing staff and programs to increase retention, enhance our students’ preparedness for work, and strengthen partner relationships.
Marketing:
- Launch a comprehensive marketing strategy designed to identify and attract new partners, supplementing the traditional networking and word-of-mouth that has historically generated jobs.
Funding non-paying jobs:
- Identify and secure recurring funding sources to support meaningful Work Study positions at not-for-profit organizations.
- Leverage a new CWSP Reserve Fund to pay for not-for-profit positions as our students gradually transition to paid jobs over the next three years. The amount distributed from this fund will decline each year as new paying jobs are secured, and additional revenue streams are developed.

President

Daniel Dougherty

Campaign Cabinet

Susan Braddock,

Former Board Chair

Bill Cody,

Former Board Chair

Mark DeWaele,

Former Board Vice Chair

Madeline Lacovara,

Founding Board Chair

Kyle Miller,

Former Board Chair

Fr. Joe Parkes, SJ,

Founding President and Trustee Emeritas

Director of Advancement

Charles Viana

Development Counsel

Steier Group

Campaign Committee

John Rogan,

Board Chair

Christoph Hodge,

Board Vice Chair

Fred Barney,

Trustee

Mary-Alice Barrett,

Trustee

Cynthia Caruso Aquila,

Former Trustee

Jeff Cimini,

Trustee

Sr. Peg Doyle, SHCJ,

Former Trustee

Paul McCurdy,

Former Trustee

Heather Hinkley Trotta,

Former Development Director