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Interview with James Martin, President of A.C.E.
Q: What population does A.C.E. serve?
JM: We’re serving individuals with multiple barriers to employment, including substance abuse, criminal histories and dual diagnosis (when someone has both a mental disorder and an alcohol or drug problem) and homelessness. More than likely, due to those barriers they find themselves unemployed and find it difficult to find and retain a job.
And that’s why A.C.E. is a great mission for this underserved population; we’re small enough that we can make a difference in individual lives. When you have multiple barriers to employment, you need individualized attention. You need someone to sit down and say to you, “why didn’t you come in to work today, why are you late today” and to work through those problems so that they don’t occur again.
No other agency is like this, in the individual attention the clients receive and the structure we have in place. At every other vocational program this population goes to, there is a dollar sign over their heads and they are treated that way. We do not bill New York City or New York State for our services. They are not a number to us. And our clients know that. They are treated as individuals with individual problems and needs. Our programs are about this organization genuinely caring about these people’s lives and wanting to improve their lives by rehabilitating them vocationally in a way that works.
Q: How does your job training program work?
JM: Basically, our job-training program Project Comeback is three-pronged: we give them work experience, training and one-on-one counseling.
The street sweeping is a way for our participants to experience what it’s like to hold a job. It shows them what to expect, things like employer demands, working together with people. A lot of them haven’t worked in several years, some have never worked. The sweeping program also gives them recent work experience and it’s a resume builder as well. They can put us on their resume, and use us as a reference.
Project Comeback also functions like a laboratory. Nine times out of ten, the way a person acts in our program is the way they’ll act when they get a real job. So it lets us identify what problems they’ll have, address them, talk them through and present solutions, so when our clients do get a real job, they’ll be able to cope with the pressure and demands that job presents.
To help them learn how to cope, we add individual counseling and classroom work to the work experience. We give them a work schedule and see how they do, then take them back in, and make sure they get the correct lessons to address the specific issues they are having. The lessons range from conflict resolution and interpersonal communication to real nuts and bolts stuff like resumes and cover letters to teaching them how their criminal record affects their ability to find a job and what their legal rights are – anything and everything that goes into getting and keeping a job.
Our whole model of job training and job retention programs has never been done before. And the more time I spend here, I realize it covers everything and is structured perfectly.
Q: How do you help them keep their job after they’ve graduated?
JM: Our clients can sign up for our job-retention program Project Stay once they graduate with a full-time job. It makes them eligible for services forever – additional training, resume help, etc. We also offer financial incentives for remaining employed– but we ask that they remain in touch with us and provide some pay stubs.
Project Stay also acts as a peer support group for our graduates. Our new graduates interact with older graduates who have experienced the same issues and problems that our new graduates are currently experiencing by starting a new job. Issues like how to deal with a difficult boss, how to rent an apartment, how to fill out a tax return, etc. They share these problems with their peers and our Project Stay staff at our daytime or evening groups and work through these problems together. Without this support these individuals may avoid solving these problems and wind up unemployed and homeless again.
And finally, the program prevents isolation – most of our clients don’t have a lot of family, or a support network, so when they start a new job, they come home from work, they eat, shower and go to bed, then they do the whole thing again. They become lonely and isolated, and that’s a trigger for relapse for folks with substance abuse histories. To combat this, we have a number of events so they have a positive place to go, with people who are taking positive steps in their lives and successfully coping with the unfamiliar problems that come with a job and an apartment. This allows them to interact with other people doing positive things in a healthy environment.
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Henry M. Buhl
Henry Buhl is a renowned photographer, art collector, philanthropist and community activist. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, he attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Henry worked for a number of years as an analyst on Wall Street and managing mutual funds in Geneva. Nevertheless, he had always been interested in visual art, and in 1980 he got the chance to pursue that passion. He brought his new camera along to his niece’s wedding to practice alongside the professional photographer. The bride and groom were lucky he did: every single one of the professional photographer’s pictures was ruined by a camera malfunction.
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Henry had the only pictures of the wedding. The newlyweds loved his pictures, and soon he began photographing charity events and boutique and movie openings. He eventually bought space with a number of other young photographers and opened a studio. As his career boomed, he became one of the first big art collectors in SoHo – and one of the first champions of emerging downtown artists. Henry’s interest in art has persisted, and his collection of images of hands opened at The Guggenheim Museum of New York in the summer of 2004, and has since traveled worldwide to Spain, Germany, and Russia. An active participant in many art institutions, Henry has also chaired the Photography Committee of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and his own Foundation awards a two-year grant for excellence in photography.
In the summer of 1992, as Henry was returning to his studio, a familiar local homeless man asked to borrow $20. He replied, “Why should I lend you $20? You have a job.” The man explained that the owner of a local restaurant had been employing him to sweep the street, but had recently fired him for sleeping on the job. Upon further investigation, Henry discovered that twelve stores on the block had been paying for the street sweeping service, and were eager to keep it. They were delighted when he proposed a way to do just that.
Henry walked over to the Bowery Residents Committee, which provided drug and alcohol rehabilitation and a psychiatric care, and went to see the executive director. He said, “I need a street sweeper, would one of your guys come and sweep it? We’ll pay him. And if he does a good job, I could recommend him for an outside job.” The director threw up his arms, “Hallelujah!” he exclaimed. “You could be my savior.” The Bowery Residents Committee had been successfully treating men for years, but employers refused to hire them because they had a prison record. Henry’s proposal offered the perfect solution.
Within three months, Henry was overseeing a team of eight people to clean the streets. Within six months, he gave up photography, and donated his equipment to schools and colleges. The next year, as the street sweeping organization was growing rapidly, he hired a recent NYU graduate to help him, and the Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless was born.
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Graduation 2/02/2008
ACE and its community workforce initiatives, the SoHo and TriBeCa Partnerships, held its bi-monthly graduation ceremony on February 2nd 2008 at SCHOLASTIC in the heart of SoHo. We came together to acknowledge the achievements of nine program participants who have successfully completed all aspects of the program and have found full time employment.
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All of our graduates worked extremely hard to make it to this day, and it was a beautiful ceremony. We would like to congratulate them all as they start their lives with their new employers: Taisha (McDonalds), Nancy (Fresh Direct), Hector (Qdoba Restaurant), Michael (Project Renewal), Haven (Buhl Foundation), Ronald (McNally Robinson Booksellers), Bernadine (Oceanview Manor), Dorothy (Eastern Athletics), Dianne (Bowery Wine Company).
In the photo you see ACE founder Mr. Henry Buhl and new graduate Haven Lampkins along with his mother, Ms. Lampkins.
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2007 A.C.E. Award Dinner Raises Over $1.1 Million Dollars
The Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless (A.C.E.), and the SoHo & TriBeCa Partnerships, hosted its annual fundraiser at Sotheby's on June 14, 2007. Over 500 people attended the festivities. The event raised over $1.1 million, and with Jamie Niven at the helm of the live auction, both the silent and live auction raised well over $100,000. Guests were entertained by musical and dance troupe, Bahia Arts Brazilian.
Taye Diggs, Julianna Margulies, Fe Fendi, Kelly Bensimon, Justin Rockefeller, Indre Rockefeller, Curtis and Mary Sliwa, Laura Steinberg, Laurie Shabtai, Benny Shabtai, Michelle Sitinas, Jennifer Soros, Jonathan Soros, Daniel H. Stern, Connie and Jeffrey Tarrant, Jeffrey Winick, Laura & William Zeckendorf, and Mariana and Elia Zois were among the many attendees from the arts, fashion and business worlds. This year’s chairs were Marianna Olszewski and Zac Posen and the co-chairs were James Dinan, Laura Steinberg, Daniel H. Stern, Jeffrey Winick and Laura & William Zeckendorf.
Henry Buhl, founder, gave the keynote speech, and awards were given to our honorees, Henry Hay, Connie and Jeffrey Tarrant, and Mariana and Elia Zois for their continued support of A.C.E. Blake Nicolazzo accepted the A.C.E. Community Service Award for Patagonia. Main Menu |
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Sales Manager Bios
Jenna Brister
Jenna was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She studied Communications, Public Relations and Political Science at Linfield College in Oregon, and wrote her senior research on funding for housing homeless veterans, examining what was happening policy-wise. Her first few jobs in New York City were all in public relations. Then she volunteered for an event hosted by A.C.E. and fell in love with the organization. She loves running and works at Jackrabbit Sports, a specialty triathlon and running store, on the weekends. She also currently takes improvisational comedy classes at Upright Citizens Brigade.
Jim Saint-Amour
Jim got his degree in Music and Anthropology. In October 2007, he coordinated and lead a homeless outreach at St. Mark’s Church called “Come Together Right Now,” which focused on giving people the information they need to make informed decisions about choices like what shelter to go to and where to go to for services. He also composes his own solo percussion pieces and teaches group drum classes on the weekends. He is an avid marathon runner and is currently training for an ultra-marathon that he will use as a pledge run for A.C.E. He will receive his USATF Teaching Certificate and will start coaching beginning runners this spring.
Bruce Priveterre
Bruce’s background is in publishing. He started off as a journalist for the New York Daily News, but soon transferred to a job in advertising and sales. He has worked for Fairchild Publications, Women’s Wear Daily and Freedom Media Technology, as an advertising manager at the latter. Bruce’s short stories have been published in the North American Review. He is married with one child.
Travis Miller
Originally from Royston, Georgia, Travis came to New York City in 1999. He is the singer, songwriter and lead guitarist for the Travis Sean Miller Band, a five-piece band (in which the second guitarist also plays the dobro and the mandolin) that plays “alt-country” music, or as he puts it, “country with good lyrics.” After working for private and corporate employers, Travis was drawn to A.C.E. because he wanted to work for an organization that actively helped people in the community.
Beau Ridley
Beau is a man of many names. Born Dwayne Kyle Ridley, his friends began calling him “Beau” in middle school because of the brand of his calculator. Beau majored in Marketing, and played semi-professional and professional football for four years after he graduated. He decided to go into sales after getting an offer from the Manhattan Beer Distributor, and has been in sales for over nineteen years. In 2003, he was the body double for Michael Clarke Duncan in Daredevil. He decided to come to A.C.E. from the pharmaceutical industry because he wanted to give back to the community: “The best portion of a good man’s life is the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love” (William Wordsworth). Main Menu
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Our Clients’ Stories
Ha’Saan’s story, in his own words.
Originally I’m from Newburgh. It was a wild little town. It still is.
I grew up in an alcoholic home. Most children, when you raise them, you try to raise them with happiness. My growing up was always filled with darkness, because I was witnessing negativity every day – the alcohol, I used to be traumatized seeing my mother get beat up by my father. I grew up thinking that negativity and darkness and pain and suffering were all going to be a part of my life. It was instilled in me at that age – the feelings you’re feeling now, you’ll feel for the rest of your life. And so I started living that feeling. I identified with pain more than I identified with pleasure. It made me to want to isolate myself from the world.
So eventually, I ended up exploring the drugs that led me to prison. At the age of 15 I went to prison, and I did 26-27 years in different prison bids, going back and forth, in and out of prison until the age of 47. Prison became a cycle that I didn’t know how to stop. After adapting to a childhood life of pain and misery, I adapted to an adult life of pain and misery. That was my comfort zone.
I was one of those people who was comfortable in prison, I was able to handle it. I didn’t fear prison, I didn’t care about going to prison. I was trying to use drugs to replace pain and suffering. And I never replaced it; it always sent me to a different level of pain and suffering. And again, you adapt to things after a while. I did not enjoy what I was feeling, but I became accustomed to those feelings, I became accustomed to not believing in myself, to those cell doors slamming behind me, to police chasing me, to looking in a mirror and not seeing that light behind my eyes.
I ran into a point in my life – they call it a bottom – I ran into a spiritual bottom about eleven months ago. I was spiritually bankrupt, my self-esteem was shot. I didn’t want to feel how I was feeling spiritually. I didn’t like the person in the mirror any more. I didn’t like the person of the past or the present. When I prayed, tears came out. I didn’t want to die an addict. I didn’t want to die with no one to say “Hey, he was a good guy.”
That’s what brought me into everything I’m doing now. At my transitional housing, they told me about this program. I was told they’d train me and place me, and because of my criminal history, I figured this would be an easy way to find a job.
When I first came here, I came here just for one thing – give me employment – I didn’t come here for any of that other stuff, I didn’t come here to interact with people. But I came here willing to change, and so something happened on the way – I began to find myself. This program helped me to find myself – or at least point me in the direction to look for myself.
My first month or so – picking up garbage cans, lifting a garbage can – I couldn’t stand it. I still don’t like it. But that’s how this program helps. I learned humility. Because even though I don’t like doing this, I get a check. And I’m doing something besides sitting up there in the Esperanza house. You come here and learn more than you think you’re going to learn. You don’t have to like something, but you deal with it until things get better. I learned to communicate with people. I learned humbleness, responsibility, to respect others. I learned to believe in myself a little bit again.
Drawing is the love of my life, that’s where I’m at peace, when I take a piece of paper and create something. I also write poems. I really want to pursue that so I can find true happiness. When I used to go back and forth to jail, drawing was my piece of mind, it was my escape; it was my way of thinking that I wasn’t in prison.
I like greeting cards because they bring together both drawing and poetry. I have a greeting card company called Passionate Greetings. My name is copyrighted and my work is patented. I sent thirty-two greeting cards to Albany and Washington DC, and they authenticated everything, and gave me my license, sent me my title. And now I’m trying to raise $200 to get the copies.
This is the love of my life, if I can somehow get back into it. Main Menu
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Go Green Campaign
The Go Green Campaign is our green initiative for residential cooperatives and condominiums. Designed to help people become more environmentally friendly, it builds upon our mission to keep the streets of SoHo and TriBeCa clean and beautiful by expanding the scope of our programs to include the environment. Our initiative will simultaneously make the neighborhood a better place to live while helping those in need.
As part of this initiative, we are offering yearly memberships of only $200 to new residents in our neighborhood. Our new members will receive biodegradable garbage bags, plastic water filters that fit easily into their refrigerators, and gift baskets generously donated by Pure & Basic with environmentally-friendly cleaning products and a one-sheet that explains the dangers of using environmentally harmful products.
Furthermore, if the contributions from residents and businesses on a given street add up to $2500, the participants in our program will clean that street daily, empty garbage receptacles, and provide tree care and snow removal, thus keeping their street one of the cleanest in the city (the streets cleaned by our participants have been rated between 98.3 and 100 by the NY Department of Sanitation).
The pilot building that hosts our new program will be prominently mentioned in our brochures and fliers, and will be covered in the press as part of our advertising campaign.
The residents and buildings that become a part of our SoHo and TriBeCa Partnerships play an integral role in creating friendly, socially responsible and environmentally conscious communities in New York City. Main Menu
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Art.works for A.C.E.
On March 27th, A.C.E. will host Art.works for A.C.E., a fundraising party and auction. The goal of the initiative is to bring together local galleries and artists to celebrate the vibrant artistic community that defines SoHo. The proceeds will go towards A.C.E.’s mission of enabling homeless men and women to reenter the work force and achieve long-term economic self-sufficiency.
Working with Ryan Ross, Henry Buhl’s curator, our sales manager Jenna Brister put together a list of galleries and artists to approach for donations. We asked them to donate any pieces in any medium – and we have had a spectacular response. Many galleries and artists have responded enthusiastically, expressing their excitement at the chance to donate their art to an organization that actively gives back to their community.
Although the requests have only gone out recently, the following artists and galleries have already generously donated pieces: Annee Elliot, Julie Allen, Elmyna Bouchard, Wouter Deruytter, Lida Drummond, Florence Lynch Gallery Franklin 54 Gallery, Emily Fuller, Chris Gallagher, Ralph Gibson, Ralph Goings, Helmut Newton, Jamali Fine Art, Venetia Kapernekas, Chaim Koppelman, Dorothy Koppelman, Lana Santorelli Gallery, Tom Leaver, James Lecce, Jack Lembeck, Cec LePage, Leslie Lohman Gallery, Louis K. Meisel Gallery, Jean Lowe, David Mann, McKenzie Fine Art, Robert Morrison, Museum 52, James Nelson, O.K. Harris Works of Art, Joyce Pommer, Reeves Contemporary, Peter Reginato, Marie Roberts, Lana Santorelli, Robert Schuler, Barbara Takenaga, Taschen Books, Brie Taylor, Tina Kim Gallery, Peter Tunney, Ivan Valtchev, Venetia Kapernekas Gallery, Don Voisine, and Elga Wimmer.
Rick Wester, formerly of Christie’s and Phillips du Pury & Co, will serve as the auctioneer of the live auction. Pieces from Henry Buhl’s private collection will be auctioned off along with the pieces that have been donated by local SoHo galleries and artists. Henry Buhl has also generously donated a signed copy of Peter Beard’s most recent book, Zara’s Tales: From Hog Ranch, and Helmut Newton’s book together with a limited edition watch designed by Helmut Newton and made by Swatch.
The party will be held at Henry Buhl’s private residence. Main Menu |
SoHo Diary
We received a call recently from our neighbor Chris L.
Walking to work one morning from her apartment on Greene Street, Chris dropped her Metrocard on Spring Street near the subway station. Our client Rodney G. found the card while on his route and picked it up. When Chris returned to the area later that morning, searching for her lost card, Rodney noticed that she seemed to be looking around on the sidewalk and asked if she had lost something... She said yes she was looking for her lost Metrocard. She was delighted when Rodney returned her card.
Chris called our office to thank the program and specifically wanted to acknowledge Rodney for his honesty.
We would like to thank and acknowledge our new members in SoHo: 40 Mercer Residences, Artemide Inc., Calypso, Devachan Hair & Spa, Jeffrey Deitch, Fossill Interior, Charles W. Leslie, Michael Kors, Physique 57, Sissy Wear, Inc., SoHo Treasures, Uniglo USA, Inc., Woman & Supreme Management, and Paul & Carol Woolmington. Main Menu
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