When many people hear "Central Islip," they think of either negative connotations or our top-tier music department. Few people think of the type of community assistance we have to offer, reaching out to those in need.
In order to “protect children,” EAC Network has implemented programs such as the Chance to Advance Program which supports children in foster care between ages eight and twenty-one by providing educational and enrichment opportunities through the help of individual mentors. Mentors are committed volunteers in the Long Island community who are dedicated to improving the lives of children in foster care by connecting them with appropriate extracurricular activities, enrichment programs, college coaching and vocational training.
Picture: eacinc.org
Picture: eacinc.org
Founded in 1969, the EAC Network, a non-for-profit
organization located across the street from the Central Islip Senior High
School, is a program that works with families and individuals throughout the
community in order to help them regain financial, social, and medical control
of their lives The EAC Network's mission is to reach the needy and provide them
with the services necessary to live a happy, healthy, and successful life.
In addition to maintaining the community through volunteer works, the EAC
Network also provides paying internships for Central Islip youth. These paying
internships are a way the youth to give back to their community and understand
the responsibilities that come with having a job. Because of the
continuous help that the EAC Network provides, the Central Islip community
improves one family at a time.
Among those assisted were children who have been physically or sexually abused, senior citizens needing support, people struggling with substance abuse and/or mental illness, youth in the foster care system, persons on public assistance seeking financial independence, adults and youth who are under or unemployed, individuals needing help to mediate disputes and families in crisis.
The mission of EAC Network “is to respond to human needs with programs and services that protect children, promote healthy families and communities, help seniors and empower individuals to take control of their lives.” EAC Network has a myriad of programs aimed at achieving and strengthening their mission.
The EAC Network has the Driving Equation Program which helps “cultivate and enforce positive driving skills and responsibilities among teens as well as establish a partnership between parent/guardian and their teen drivers through workshops.” The goal of the program is to create collaboration between parents, teens and the community to help them understand the vital role they play in preventing teen motor vehicle crashes and influence safe driving behaviors. Speakers present a comprehensive curriculum as well as speak from personal experiences about driving distractions. The program provides participants with educational information to develop safe driving habits as well as the tools needed to develop, promote, and advertise new teen driving campaigns in schools throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. Additionally, EAC Network has the SAFE START Program which works with the Department of Health’s Injury Prevention Program. SAFE START aims to inform the public about the safety of all children in motor vehicles in order to reduce the number of children riding unrestrained thereby decreasing the amount of vehicle-related child injuries.
When it comes to families, the goal of the EAC Network is to help families and neighborhoods that are struggling to meet basic needs. The EAC Network also brings food to HIV+ individuals, provides alternative dispute resolution services for the courts, and helps in decision-making for the mentally disabled who need medical and dental care. The EAC Network also aids the courts by creating uniquely educational interventions for first-offender shoplifters and those who have been charged with anger-related offenses. The Network offers an Alternatives For Youth Program which starts with immediate, home-based crisis intervention for families. A case manager will attempt to contact a family within 24 hours of receiving a referral in order to start the process immediately. Case managers conduct short-term interventions in order to stabilize family crises, implement a Family Intervention Plan, and utilize community resources to provide ongoing family support. The EAC Network’s Community Guardianship Program works to ensure the health and safety of those who are unable to manage daily living requirements. Staff members and volunteers serve as advocates and surrogate decision-makers for those who are incapacitated.
Each year, EAC Network helps thousands of people involved with the Long Island court systems. It offers alternatives to incarceration programs and provides substance abuse treatment services to those who have committed crimes due to addictions and mental illnesses through the Mental Health Court Advocacy Program. The main objective of this program is to divert mentally ill & cognitively impaired offenders (often dually diagnosed with drug and alcohol abuse) from further incarceration. Identifying these individuals early on leads to potentially successful treatment and, as a result, decreased recidivism rather than punishment. The program’s staff consists of a licensed psychologist, a coordinator and forensic case managers who all want to secure mental health and/or psychiatric treatment, medical services, entitlement benefits, substance abuse services and referrals to give long-term support to those who need it. Very intensive case management support is provided and includes daily support as needed to ensure stability. Short-term intensive services lead to a discharge plan, which includes provision for the immediate release of the client to supervised structured housing. The client may return home or to previous community housing if that is available and the Court is willing to agree. EAC Network also offers an Outpatient Clinic which is designed to id individuals with the disease of addiction to being their recovery. Clients can participate in this program upon referral from a court or upon their own initiative. The program targets women, homeless individuals, people with co-occurring disorders, those with HIV and AIDS, people involved in the criminal justice system and those who are in need of detoxification, medical and social services.
EAC Network also provides in-home and community center-based support services to senior citizens and their caregivers. Through programs like Meals-On-Wheels and Senior Respite, EAC helps maintain our senior citizens in their homes while ensuring their safety and well-being.
There are also vocational programs that assist individuals who have a difficult time getting employed due to limited and/or no work experience, a history of substance abuse, mental health disorders or criminal history. EAC Network provides participants with the necessary skills to obtain and retain employment, enabling them to be self-sufficient. One of the most prominent programs here in Central Islip is the Just for Dads Program which works with low-income, TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) eligible non-custodial parents. It targets fathers who are unemployed or underemployed and have a current order of child support through the Suffolk County Family Court. The program offers intensive case management, vocational services, employment assistance services and parenting-related services. The staff works with the clients to assist them in their efforts to reconnect with their children, resolve their child support issues and become employed. Just for Dads provides support groups, employment and parenting workshops and parent/child events to promote father and child connectedness. The program is funded though the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Family Assistance Responsible Fatherhood grant. Program participation is voluntary and is available to all eligible people, regardless of race, gender, age, disability, and religion.
EAC Network offers a plethora of programs that work to strengthen family and community ties. Albeit all programs may not be based or prominent in Central Islip, the extensive resources and opportunities offered by EAC Network aid all eligible people in working towards a better, more rewarding life.
Among those assisted were children who have been physically or sexually abused, senior citizens needing support, people struggling with substance abuse and/or mental illness, youth in the foster care system, persons on public assistance seeking financial independence, adults and youth who are under or unemployed, individuals needing help to mediate disputes and families in crisis.
The mission of EAC Network “is to respond to human needs with programs and services that protect children, promote healthy families and communities, help seniors and empower individuals to take control of their lives.” EAC Network has a myriad of programs aimed at achieving and strengthening their mission.
The EAC Network has the Driving Equation Program which helps “cultivate and enforce positive driving skills and responsibilities among teens as well as establish a partnership between parent/guardian and their teen drivers through workshops.” The goal of the program is to create collaboration between parents, teens and the community to help them understand the vital role they play in preventing teen motor vehicle crashes and influence safe driving behaviors. Speakers present a comprehensive curriculum as well as speak from personal experiences about driving distractions. The program provides participants with educational information to develop safe driving habits as well as the tools needed to develop, promote, and advertise new teen driving campaigns in schools throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. Additionally, EAC Network has the SAFE START Program which works with the Department of Health’s Injury Prevention Program. SAFE START aims to inform the public about the safety of all children in motor vehicles in order to reduce the number of children riding unrestrained thereby decreasing the amount of vehicle-related child injuries.
When it comes to families, the goal of the EAC Network is to help families and neighborhoods that are struggling to meet basic needs. The EAC Network also brings food to HIV+ individuals, provides alternative dispute resolution services for the courts, and helps in decision-making for the mentally disabled who need medical and dental care. The EAC Network also aids the courts by creating uniquely educational interventions for first-offender shoplifters and those who have been charged with anger-related offenses. The Network offers an Alternatives For Youth Program which starts with immediate, home-based crisis intervention for families. A case manager will attempt to contact a family within 24 hours of receiving a referral in order to start the process immediately. Case managers conduct short-term interventions in order to stabilize family crises, implement a Family Intervention Plan, and utilize community resources to provide ongoing family support. The EAC Network’s Community Guardianship Program works to ensure the health and safety of those who are unable to manage daily living requirements. Staff members and volunteers serve as advocates and surrogate decision-makers for those who are incapacitated.
Each year, EAC Network helps thousands of people involved with the Long Island court systems. It offers alternatives to incarceration programs and provides substance abuse treatment services to those who have committed crimes due to addictions and mental illnesses through the Mental Health Court Advocacy Program. The main objective of this program is to divert mentally ill & cognitively impaired offenders (often dually diagnosed with drug and alcohol abuse) from further incarceration. Identifying these individuals early on leads to potentially successful treatment and, as a result, decreased recidivism rather than punishment. The program’s staff consists of a licensed psychologist, a coordinator and forensic case managers who all want to secure mental health and/or psychiatric treatment, medical services, entitlement benefits, substance abuse services and referrals to give long-term support to those who need it. Very intensive case management support is provided and includes daily support as needed to ensure stability. Short-term intensive services lead to a discharge plan, which includes provision for the immediate release of the client to supervised structured housing. The client may return home or to previous community housing if that is available and the Court is willing to agree. EAC Network also offers an Outpatient Clinic which is designed to id individuals with the disease of addiction to being their recovery. Clients can participate in this program upon referral from a court or upon their own initiative. The program targets women, homeless individuals, people with co-occurring disorders, those with HIV and AIDS, people involved in the criminal justice system and those who are in need of detoxification, medical and social services.
EAC Network also provides in-home and community center-based support services to senior citizens and their caregivers. Through programs like Meals-On-Wheels and Senior Respite, EAC helps maintain our senior citizens in their homes while ensuring their safety and well-being.
There are also vocational programs that assist individuals who have a difficult time getting employed due to limited and/or no work experience, a history of substance abuse, mental health disorders or criminal history. EAC Network provides participants with the necessary skills to obtain and retain employment, enabling them to be self-sufficient. One of the most prominent programs here in Central Islip is the Just for Dads Program which works with low-income, TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) eligible non-custodial parents. It targets fathers who are unemployed or underemployed and have a current order of child support through the Suffolk County Family Court. The program offers intensive case management, vocational services, employment assistance services and parenting-related services. The staff works with the clients to assist them in their efforts to reconnect with their children, resolve their child support issues and become employed. Just for Dads provides support groups, employment and parenting workshops and parent/child events to promote father and child connectedness. The program is funded though the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Family Assistance Responsible Fatherhood grant. Program participation is voluntary and is available to all eligible people, regardless of race, gender, age, disability, and religion.
EAC Network offers a plethora of programs that work to strengthen family and community ties. Albeit all programs may not be based or prominent in Central Islip, the extensive resources and opportunities offered by EAC Network aid all eligible people in working towards a better, more rewarding life.