| Obituary: Evelyn Castro |
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| Written by Fred Scaglione |
| Wednesday, 22 July 2009 16:24 |
Evelyn Castro, a long-time and highly-respected member of New York’s child welfare and preventive services community passed away on Wednesday, July 22nd from complications of treatment for leukemia. Born in Manati, Puerto Rico on August 21, 1959, Castro grew up mainly in Harlem and the Bronx. She earned her Masters of Social Work degree from Adelphi University. Her first professional social work position was with Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families, now known as the Harlem Children's Zone. Castro became a pioneer in developing treatment programs for drug-addicted mothers of young children, directing one of New York City's first Family Rehabilitation Programs for LUCHA, Inc., located in Taino Towers in East Harlem, during the worst years of the crack epidemic. Her programs became models for this type of service, and she was able to replicate them, working first with Victim Services, then with SCAN-New York in the Bronx, where she served for many years as Associate Director for Preventive Services. She earned national recognition for her work as a Robert Wood Johnson Leadership Fellow in Reducing Substance Abuse, through which she had a chance to travel and make friends all over the country. In 2005, she fulfilled a lifelong dream, earning her Doctorate of Philosophy in Social Work from Fordham University. “Evelyn had a remarkable ability to see the value and bring out the positive potential of even the most troubled, stigmatized, and severely challenged parents, children, and families. She never judged or gave up on another human being,” said Michael Arsham, her husband of 22 years, and Executive Director of the Child Welfare Organizing Project. “She worked and studied tirelessly to become an increasingly effective community servant, while always, somehow, striking a healthy balance between work and family life. She was a wise, tough, and compassionate mother, and a selflessly devoted wife, daughter, and sister.” Castro is survived by her mother, Petra Morales, her husband Michael Arsham, children Rebecca and Joshua, brother Timothy Castro, sister-in-law Virginia, nephew Timothy, godson Joel Morales, and a large extended family in New York and Puerto Rico. . The funeral service will be held on Friday, July 24, 2009 at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel, 1076 Madison Avenue (corner of East 81st Street), New York, NY. The family will receive friends at 11 AM, with the service to begin at 11:30. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to SCAN-New York, 345 East 102nd Street-3rd Floor, New York, NY 10029. |
Comments
find the butterfly within. Her work goes on, and she was a brilliant, warm friend. I hope it is OK that I call her friend. Rest in Peace. This is an opportunity for someone to step up and continue. Th good that she leaves behind will be her legacy.