Spotlight on Your Funds

May 2023

The 1199SEIU Citizenship Program Honors Its New U.S. Citizens

The 1199SEIU Citizenship Program will return to an in-person gathering for its 21st annual “Celebration of New Citizens” at the Family of Funds’ new headquarters on Thursday, May 18. This year’s guest speaker is Adriano Espaillat, U.S. Representative for New York's 13th congressional district. Three 1199SEIU members—Eliseo Custodio, a Maintenance Handyman at Golden Gate Rehabilitation and Health Care Center; Aaron Morancie, a Nurse Technician in the Labor and Delivery Department at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital; and Valerie Dolor, a Home Health Aide with Best Choice Home Health Care—will speak at the celebration, sharing their personal journeys to becoming U.S. citizens.

Jointly administered by the Benefit and Pension Funds and the Training and Employment Funds, the 1199SEIU Citizenship Program helps members apply for U.S. citizenship by providing legal assistance to navigate the often-complex process, and educational services to prepare for the citizenship exam. Since its inception in 2001, the program has supported almost 14,000 1199SEIU members, their eligible dependents and non-members in becoming U.S. citizens. For more information, visit www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/citizenship.

Greater New York Benefit Fund Launches Diabetes Reversal Program

One day after the April launch of Virta—the first clinically proven treatment program to safely reverse type 2 diabetes without medications or surgery—more than 25 1199SEIU members have enrolled. The program is offered at no cost to eligible members and their dependents living with diabetes. Members may check their eligibility and create an account at www.virtahealth.com/join/1199. For more information, they may email support@virtahealth.com.

Child Care Fund Celebrates Students at 27th Annual Science Fair

The 1199SEIU Child Care Fund’s Future of America Learning Center (FALC) celebrated its 27th Annual Science Fair. For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, children’s families and guests were able to visit in person, on Saturday, April 1, with 84 children and 187 family members in attendance. The theme of this year’s event was “Earth. Air. Water. Fire. Space. How Do the Elements of Nature Affect Us?” The preschool and kindergarten students presented their research and family projects on topics including natural disasters and phenomena; technological inventions and advances; the impact of water, wind and fire on the environment; and the importance of space exploration. The event also featured virtual displays, STREAM-infused (Science, Technology, Relationship, Engineering, Art and Math) exhibits and hands-on experiments.

FALC is committed to providing children with nurturing, safe and stimulating educational environments, as well as cultural, racial, ethnic and economic diversity that foster cooperative experiences. For more information about FALC, visit www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/FALC.

Meet Our Featured Member

Tykar Williams from Mount Sinai

Why did Tykar Williams begin his health journey? Read For Your Benefit online to find out!

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