2007-2008 Kennedy Fellows Recognized at Luncheon
On May 2, 2008, the Institute celebrated its 2007-2008 Kennedy Fellows with a Recognition Luncheon at the Graduate Center. Osmin Sullivan-Hewitt welcomed the group, which included these new Fellows, Fellows' family and colleagues, Mentors, agency representatives and CUNY staff. Speakers included several Fellows, plus veteran Mentor Ann Esposito from YAI, Deborah Lomax from NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene and Ruby Kornfeld from AHRC. The Institute accepted 27 Kennedy Fellows into the program this year, all of whom work with people with disabilities and take at least six credits at a CUNY or SUNY school.

Irish Kennedy Fellows
On May 24, 2007, in Kilkenny, Ireland, representatives of the John F. Kennedy, Jr. Institute conducted a workshop for the Irish Kennedy Fellows and their Mentors entitled “Organizational Change and the Emerging Partnership between Direct Care Workers and People with Disabilities.” The workshop focused on the development of new organizational models that are both consumer directed and worker oriented. John F. Kennedy, Jr. believed that the destinies of people with disabilities and frontline staff were intertwined. He sought to create an alliance and shared agenda between these major protagonists in the service system. The workshop was led by Dr. William Ebenstein, CUNY’s University Dean for Health and Human Services.