Local Bronx organizations hold toy drive for Family Re-Entry children

Once again, the children of the Odyssey House Family Re-Entry program in the Bronx were the beneficiaries of a toy drive organized by the Bound by Honor Motorcycle Club and the Bronx Bikers Alliance. The organizations ensured that each child received an age appropriate toy and even had a member dress up as Santa to hand out the gifts.

Odyssey House Harbor Deputy Director of Operations Liz De La Cruz, as president of the Bound by Honor Motorcycle Club, has organized the toy drive for the past three years. Ms. De La Cruz said of her club, “We share a common love for riding our motorcycles but we also want to help our Bronx community.” She continued, “It is really a nice thing to see the delight on the kids’ faces when Santa walks in with bags of toys. We hope to continue this tradition for many years to come.”

LaQuanda's second chance

LaQuanda Edgefield, a resident at the Odyssey House Family Re-Entry program, was chosen by OASAS to share her story of recovery as part of the Your Story Matters campaign. Here is an excerpt:

I came walking through the doors of recovery sick, suffering, tired, and pregnant. It was time for me to put down the drugs, settle down and have a healthy baby. I needed long-term treatment with a lot of guidance, patience and understanding. I can definitely say "Thank You" to Odyssey House for giving me exactly that - even when I didn't want it.

Read the rest of her inspiring story here.

Ms. Edgefield is one of the 12 individuals represented in this year’s campaign spotlight stories. As thanks for her participation, OASAS Commissioner Karen Carpenter-Palumbo presented her with a silver recovery “badge of honor” at the Pathways to Recovery Forum last week.

OASAS Commissioner Karen Carpenter-Palumbo and LaQuanda Edgefield.

The Your Story Matters campaign, now in its second year, encourages New Yorkers to share their stories of recovery in an effort to break the cycle of addiction, eliminate stigma and promote lives of sobriety and wellness.

Serve.gov features the story of our playground build

As many of you know, we recently built a fantastic playground for the children of Family Re-Entry. What you may not know is that it rained more than 2 inches during the build! Serve.gov published the story of how we overcame the elements to make a dream come true for the kids on its “Stories of Service” blog.

Here’s an excerpt from the story, written by staff member Gary Harmon:

As the rain was pouring down continuously, the drain continued to back-up, and each time a group of volunteers would reform the “bucket brigade” and quickly lower the overflowing water level. It was quite a sight to see individuals from every background, from senior Odyssey House staff to community volunteers to Odyssey House clients, working side-by-side and hand-in-hand in the worst rain imaginable in order to construct the playground.

Click HERE to read the entire story.

Serve.gov is an online resource for finding volunteer opportunities. It is provided by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which was created in 1993 to connect Americans of all ages and backgrounds with opportunities to give back to their communities and their nation. The organization runs three programs: AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America.

Ready, Set, Play!

The children at Family Re-Entry now have a beautiful new playground! More than 150 volunteers from Odyssey House, KaBOOM!, KOOL-AID and our community partners braved the rain to assemble the playground and build the side projects. We were joined by a few very special guests - Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Reverend Run and his wife Justine, and of course the KOOL-AID man!

Thank you to all of our volunteers for your hard work! We truly appreciate all of the time and effort that you put into making this such an incredible day.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Justine Simmons & Reverend Run work on a side project.

Ruben Diaz, Jr., Dr. Peter Provet, Justine Simmons & Reverend Run at the closing ceremony.

Playground design & volunteer information

Based on the childrens' designs, KaBOOM had three beautiful playgrounds designed for us. After polling the parents and children at Family Re-Entry, a clear winner emerged:




The playground includes a spiral slide, monkey bars, activity panels and ladders. In addition, a number of side projects, such as murals, planters, and picnic tables, are planned to complement the space, making the space a fun, relaxing spot for our residents.

Volunteers are still needed for Build Day on June 18th!

Kickoff is at 8 am and the playground is expected to be completed by 3 pm.

Build Day takes place RAIN or SHINE! Please wear closed-toe shoes and comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing. No special skills are needed and all tools and equipment will be provided, so just show up ready to work and have fun!

Please contact Carolyn at cabrams@odysseyhouseinc.org if you'd like to volunteer or need more information.

Odyssey House Family Re-Entry
1328 Clinton Ave
Bronx, NY 10456


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Designing a dream playground!

Kool-Aid and organizers from KaBOOM! hosted a Design Day for children and families at Odyssey House to begin planning a brand new playground for Family Re-Entry. The children and their parents put crayon to paper to brainstorm and draw their dream playgrounds, which will ultimately become a reality. Elements from the children's drawings are being incorporated into the final design for the new playground, which will be built on June 18th by more than 150 volunteers from Odyssey House and our community partners.

More photos from Design Day can be viewed here: http://kaboombuildday.shutterfly.com/344

Odyssey House & KOOL-AID team up to build new playground

Children in Family Re-Entry will be getting brand-new playground through a community-led project sponsored by KOOL-AID.

The children will have the opportunity to design their dream playground on Design Day, May 1st. The designers will base the final blueprint on the children’s wishes as well as on input from their parents.

Build Day is Thursday, June 18th and we need your help! If you’d like to volunteer your time or services, please contact Julia at 212-987-3589.

The project is organized by KaBOOM!, a nonprofit organization that helps communities build local playspaces for children.

Odyssey House Family Re-Entry

Addressing the complex challenges of reentering the community, the Family Re-Entry Program provides transitional off-site housing for residents completing Odyssey House programs. Families live together in individual, furnished, two-bedroom apartments with 24-hour supervision and full access to Odyssey House program services, including intensive substance abuse education and counseling; medical and dental clinics; vocational and educational services; and assistance with securing permanent housing.