On Thursday, March 21, 2013, Riis Settlement held a reception for the dedication and renaming of the Teen Resource Room at our Queensbridge Campus. The room was renamed in honor of Chairman Emeritus C. Flemming Heilmann and his wife Judy Heilmann for their longstanding and tireless commitment to Riis Settlement and the communities we serve throughout Western Queens. The Heilmanns have been particularly active in buidling and sustaining the organizations ties to Denmark and the Danish community.
The reception brought together an array of people, including staff members, students, local community partners and family and friends of the Heilmanns. The night began with guests mingling with new and familiar faces. Guests also had the opportunity to take a tour of the Teen Resource Room which has been an integral facet of the Riis Academy program. Riis Academy participants use the room for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to: homework help, creating projects, test preparation, discussion groups and much more.
Current and past teen participants from across Riis Academy campuses were also present. In particular, past Danish Exchange Summer Youth Program participants came to the event to honor Mr. & Mrs. Heilmann. The Danish Exchange Summer Youth Program began in 2006 to create a link between the youth from Western Queens and Ribe, Denmark. Mr. & Mrs. Heilmann helped pioneer the exchange, which is now in its seventh year of programming. This summer, six participants from Riis Academy will be traveling to Denmark- some heading outside of New York for the very first time.
Former 2011 Danish Exchangers Jomarie Castro, Deepika Dep and Bablu Sheikh reflected on some of the highlights from their trip. “I personally didn’t know much about Denmark until this opportunity,” Sheikh said. “It was so amazing because we had the chance to learn about a culture so different from our own,” Castro replied. Deepika said that the best outcome of the exchange was being able to make lifelong friends, both with each other and with their peers from Denmark. “We keep in touch with our Danish friends through Facebook. It’s a bond that can’t be explained,” Dep said.
Executive Director Bill Newlin commenced the evening with opening remarks. Former 2006 Danish Exchanger Kelci Koone spoke about both her experiences in Denmark and the impact Riis Settlement has had on her life. “I’ve been coming to this center since I was five years old. Riis Settlement has been a part of my upbringing.” Consul and Head of Administration at the Danish Consultate Per Ivar Johansen spoke about the contributions Mr. Heilmann has made to the Danish community and beyond. “I am grateful that Flemming has connected the youth here to our Danish community. His work and the work being done at Riis Settlement are incredible,” Mr. Johansen said.
Riis Settlement’s Director of Adolescent Services Pleshette McKnight called up past and future Danish Summer Youth Exchange participants to unveil the plaque. The plaque unveiling was received with unanimous applause. It reads, “The Flemming and Judy Heilmann Teen Resource Room.”
As one of the guests of honor, Flemming Heilmann culminated the night with a moving speech. “One of the reasons Riis Settlement is so effective and productive is because every penny that’s spent is relevant. Bill Newlin and his staff have made this place exceptional in every sense.” Heilmann discussed how integral Riis Settlement has been to the community and more particularly, himself. He was brought to tears by the end of his speech. “I started off as saying I was the beneficiary… I am the beneficiary.”
For more pictures from the event, please check out our Facebook page.
