Savastano Comes Full Circle

By James Kennedy

Last June, Ed Savastano became the youngest member of the board of trustees for Children's House continuing a relationship that began when Savastano was just a young boy.

Children's House which began as an orphanage in 1884 Mineola, Queens has grown into a series of programs to help children and adults in need with family, runaway, health, resedential and independent living sevices.

As a member of the Children's House board, Savastano oversees the major functions of the organization including policy decisions, fund raising and approval of the budget.

Recently, Children's House has merged with the Family Services Association to create the Family and Children's Association.

Savastano calls the recent merger "excellent" as it creates a stronger union for helping children in need, and an opportunity for creating better services.

"The agencies were strong," opined Savastano, "and now they are even stronger."

Savastano has first hand experience as to the strength of the programs of Children's House, as he would most definitely be considered one of its success stories.

He attributes his success to the strength of the programs run by a staff that is supportive, educated and intelligent. "What I needed I received," explained Savastano, who benefitted from five programs offered by Children's House.

When Savastano was an 11-year-old boy difficulties arose between he and his father. His mother having passed away from cancer, Savastano had nowhere to turn, save for Children's House.

A member of Child Protective Services Nassau County took Savastano to Nassau Haven, a runaway shelter. Unable to return home, Savastano moved into Nassau House, a resedential program for young men between the ages of 12 and 18 years of age.

At the time Nassau Haven and Nassau House were located on Old Country Road in Mineola. While living there, Savastano attended both Mineola Middle School and Mineola High School until he left Mineola to live in the Port Washington Group House.

His education continued after high school as he attended Buffalo State College with the help of Children's House scholarship program, and his education did not come just from school as learned life skills in Project Independence, another program offered by Children's House.

Probably the most important education Savastano received was from living in these homes and in the different communities.

The children who live in Nassau House are just like any other child and are treated as such according to Savastano."It is a home," he explained.

And this fact is sometimes lost to the communities in which these homes exist.

Savastano said that the first major misconception the public has of group homes is that all the children are criminals or have some sort of psychological disorder.

He continued that not all the children are highly dysfunctional, violent, drug abusers or from impoverished backgrounds.

This is not a jail, noted Savastano, "The point of Children's House is to save them from that level."

The misconceptions come from ignorance surmises Savastano, from school and the community. He added that when intelligence prevails the community can have a wonderful relationship with the organization.

The influence of the community can have an adverse efect on a child. Said Savastano when the community anticipates something bad happening, it will eventually happen.

However, as was the case with Savastano the community can have a positive effect on the children as well. Savastano has many fond memories in particular of Port Washington who collectivley offered him great support in building his life.

Now, Savastano plans to give back to the agency, and in turn the communities, that gave so much to him, but on a different level. As a trustee he will further the services, adocating for children and developing resources, all the while educating through his own actions, what Children's House is all about.