Batkin Award
Presented to Rosemarie Stewart, Residence Manager, Claremont House
Rosemarie Stewart has been Residence Manager of Claremont House since its inception in 2010. Her dedication to the individuals living at the house, staff, and WJCS has always been apparent and appreciated, especially at the beginning of the COVID epidemic when she worked around the clock to fill in for shifts when her staff and individuals became ill. Rosemarie has respectful and caring relationships with the individuals living in the house and their families, and provides her staff with the support they need to do their challenging jobs. Rosemarie is an asset to WJCS and a role model for all of us who work here.
Clinician of the Year Award
Presented to Ana Rodgers, Crisis Social Worker, Yonkers School-Based Programs
Ana Rogers joined the Yonkers School-Based Crisis Stabilization team during the height of the pandemic when WJCS launched Crisis Stabilization Teams at all 40 schools in the City of Yonkers, a huge undertaking. Ana streamlined the process from referral to services delivery, thereby shortening wait list time and enabling us to serve more children and better target our interventions. Ana’s abilities to organize, mobilize, and remain calm and professional under tremendous pressure is always on display. She has helped schools understand the trauma her young clients are experiencing and collaborate with other agencies to help families get the support services they need. Ana is a star on the Yonkers School-Based team.
Leonard Rohmer Award
Presented to Tamara Robinson, Program Coordinator, Infant Toddler Center
Tamara Robinson works tirelessly to ensure that program participants benefit as fully as possible, working in-person, virtual, and after hours throughout the COVID pandemic at the Infant Toddler Learning Center (ITLC), Tamara has created a program for parents with their young children that engages them in social-emotional activities, providing educational, social, and personal supports. As many of the ITLC families are Hispanic, Tamara has been learning Spanish to engage her families more. Tamara has also worked as a Program Specialist in at the afterschool Wiener Academy, giving girls words of encouragement to build their self-esteem. As Coordinator of the Envision Girls program, Tamara has provided emotional and academic support to women who are the first in their families to experience college. Her work with the POINT program speaks to her ability to work with people with varying needs with compassion and grace. Employees like Tamara are the heartbeat of WJCS.
Bernie Kimberg Employee of the Year Award
Presented to Aaron Teplitsky, Information Systems Support Technician
Aaron Teplitsky is literally the voice of WJCS. He is the warm, welcoming voice on the agency’s phone system and the voice behind the WJCS training platform. In his 20 years at WJCS, Aaron has been the person who meets with most of WJCS’s staff—whether it’s new employees who need to be set up, employees who have contacted the Help Desk, or employees who stop by the IT department to get or return equipment. In all cases, employees feel respected and have their requests addressed promptly. Aaron has developed our training platform and edited some of our trainings to ensure they meet our requirements and are suited to our employees. Aaron cares about what WJCS does and who we are. He ensured that all laptops were prepared and distributed at the beginning of the pandemic. Aaron embodies our WJCS mission and our vision.
Below is Aaron Teplitsky’s acceptance speech for the Bernie Kimberg Employee of the Year Award:
