NYer Of The Week: Mother-Daughter Team Helps Women In Need At The Dwelling Place
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The latest New Yorkers of the week are two residents who devote themselves to helping the Dwelling Place, a Manhattan shelter that's opened its doors to women in need since 1977. NY1’s Jessica Abo filed the following report.It's the night before Annye Cohen's birthday, but instead of having a party for herself, she and her mom Sharyn are throwing one at the Dwelling Place.
The shelter has been helping women since 1977, and the Cohens have been loyal volunteers for the past six years.
“This place is a wonderful shelter for women ages 30 and over, and it could happen to anyone you know. It could be myself or any of my friends, and I feel like if you've fallen and made one wrong turn, this is a great place that you can come to,” says Annye.
Anna came to the shelter about three months ago. She says the Cohens are fantastic.
“They sympathize with us because they know what we're going through. And we don't have homes. We have a home here. But I pray to God that we're going to have our own home like we used to,” says Anna.
“I think it's great, the fact that they give their time to the shelter to help us,” says Blandine, a Dwelling Place resident.
In addition to volunteering at the Dwelling Place, Annye and Sharyn co-chair the shelter's annual gala. To date, the mother-daughter duo has helped raise more than $100,000 for the nonprofit.
“From the day the gala is over, that evening we start preparing for the next year,” says Annye.
“We start soliciting. She writes to all different types of companies and I go out and mail them for her. And as baskets come in, people donate baskets and other items, we start putting them together,” says Sharyn.
And when they're not at the Dwelling Place, you'll find this pair volunteering with senior citizens, helping the Humane Society and sending care packages to soldiers.
“Annye and Sharyn are people who have learned the lesson of giving back, and that's the most important lesson we can learn in life,” says Sister Margaret of the Dwelling Place.
For giving so much of themselves to those in need, Annye and Sharyn Cohen are the latest New Yorkers of the Week.
If you'd like to nominate someone to be NY1's New Yorker of the Week, send an email describing their qualifications to: nyer@ny1.com or mail a letter to:
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