The Joy of Pepsi!

We are pleased to announce that the Emma L. Bowen Community Service Center has been awarded a health and education-related initiatives mini-grant from the PepsiCo Foundation! The grant will enable the Bowen Center to forge an extraordinary collaboration with The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and NY Live Arts to launch a “Tiny Tots Dance Program” for the students in our preschool program.

Through its Global Citizenship Initiative, the PepsiCo Foundation actively supports neighborhood organizations, like the Bowen Center, with the goal of improving the health and human condition of millions throughout the world.

The Bowen Center would like to thank the PepsiCo Foundation for this wonderful opportunity!

Thank you, William S. Witherspoon, Jr.

The Bowen Center bid farewell to its longtime Executive Director, William S. Witherspoon, Jr., who retired this summer, after 25 years at the helm of the Bowen Center, helping to make it one of Harlem’s leading community-based organizations dedicated to providing supportive behavioral health services.

A longtime member of the Coalition for Behavioral Health Agencies, which represents over 160 organizations in the State of New York, he has served on the group’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee for ten years. In these positions, Mr. Witherspoon has advocated for mental health issues, providing consultation to all levels of government regarding community needs, policy development, appropriate funding and effective program implementation. He is a ten-year member and has served as President of the Community Advisory Board of the Harlem Health Promotion Center, an affiliate of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, spearheading programs to reduce health disparities in Harlem and other communities in Northern Manhattan.

Patricia C. Jordan, Chair Board of Directors, said: “Mr. Witherspoon’s leadership, dedication and commitment to excellence were instrumental to the Bowen Center’s growth during his remarkable tenure. We will certainly miss his steady hand as well as his humor, but we wish him all the best as he embarks on his next chapter.”

Special Visitors at the Center

This past summer, the Bowen Center was privileged to host two very special guests: former Mayor David N. Dinkins and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer!

Honoring Mayor David N. Dinkins

Former New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins was honored with the 2016 Emma L. Bowen Community Service Center Humanitarian Award on Thursday, June 22nd, before a group that included students from the Emma L. Bowen Therapeutic Preschool, who graduated later in the day. The students performed “My White Shoes” by Pete the Cat for Mr. Dinkins during the awards ceremony, which recognized his lifelong dedication to children and those with mental health issues.

“The Emma L. Bowen Humanitarian Award is presented to individuals who epitomize the legacy of the late Emma L. Bowen,” said Patricia C. Jordan, Chair Board of Directors. She continued: “Mayor Dinkins’ commitment to children and mental health-related issues throughout his career embody the essence of our founder, Mrs. Bowen. The Board and I are delighted to recognize his lifetime of distinguished achievements.”

Following the awards ceremony, Mayor Dinkins attended the “Moving Up” preschool graduation ceremony and posed for pictures with all the graduates.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer visited the Bowen Center in July to tour the facility and to speak with many of our clients about the issues that brought them to the Bowen Center. She celebrated their progress and encouraged them to continue on their paths. The Borough president also met with staff members to learn more about our individual programs and expressed her thanks for their commitment to helping others. It was a very engaging and fulfilling visit, and we look forward to working with the her to continue the Bowen Center’s mission to enable individuals and families, regardless of age, to effectively and productively meet challenges and cope with ongoing ‘problems of living.’”

In Honor of Our Founder

Happy Birthday, Emma.

Saturday, September 30th, 2017, would have been the 103rd birthday of our founder, Emma L. Bowen.

In honor of Emma’s birthday and in recognition for her extraordinary effort to create the Bowen Center — which continues to help thousands of people annually — please join with us as we celebrate her life and legacy.

Careers

The Emma L. Bowen Center is a dynamic organization powered by experienced and caring professionals in mental health and its allied fields. We are currently accepting applications for the following positions at our Manhattan office:

• Social Worker, adult clinic (bilingual Spanish)
• Social Work Supervisor
• Social Worker, children’s clinic (bilingual Spanish)
• Receptionist
• Staff Accountant
• CASAC-T / CASAC Counselor; two positions available

Support the Bowen Center

Many of our critical services including the food pantry, therapeutic preschool and chemical dependence program rely on the generosity of donors like you. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the Bowen Center.

Click here to donate.