NAPRHSW 2019 Gala Journal

“ Legacy-Promise-Leadership”

“ Legacy-Promise-Leadership”

Sonia Palacio-Grottola, LCSW

Gladys Serrano, LCSW

Treasurer NAPRHSW

CEO Hispanic Counseling Center

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L ong recognized for her dynamic leadership and contributions to the Latino community, Gladys Serrano serves as CEO of the Hispanic Counseling Center Inc. (HCC), a multi-service agency that provides culturally competent, fully bilingual/bicultural treatment and prevention services for chemical dependency, mental illness, and youth and family services, located in Hempstead, Long Island, New York. Ms. Serrano led the multi-service agency through a period of growth and vitality during her 22 year tenure as Executive Director, until her retirement in 2012. In 2015, the Board of Directors recruited Gladys to return to the helm to provide the leadership to move the agency to its next stages of development. Ms. Serrano is responsible for the growth and evolution of HCC from one program and four staff in a 600 square feet rented office, to agency ownership of a 27,000 square foot modern facility comprised of two buildings, with eleven programs serving over 1500 clients a month, with 80 employees and a budget of over $6M. In 2001 Gladys spearheaded the financing, purchase, and renovation that resulted in a three floor, state of the art, multi-service facility centrally located in downtown Hempstead. Among her many notable achievements, Ms. Serrano was instrumental in securing the New York State Mental Health license for the Hispanic Counseling Center, making HCC the only Latino agency licensed to provide bilingual/bicultural mental health treatment in Nassau County. Coupled with the New York State license to provide Chemical Dependency Treatment, and multiple other ancillary services, the agency became a family resource center offering a comprehensive array of services with a single point of entry. Today, HCC retains the distinction of being the only agency in the region which is licensed by both the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services and the New York State Office of Mental Health to provide bilingual, bicultural behavioral health services. The agency is well respected in the community and throughout New York State, and continues to be a model that other agencies in Nassau and Suffolk Counties look to and emulate. Gladys Serrano is the recipient of numerous awards, including the New York State Senate Women of Distinction Award, conferred by New York State Senator Kemp Hannon and the Women of Distinction Award, presented by Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi; Hofstra For Hempstead; and the Latino Social Work Coalition in New York City. Under Ms. Serrano’s leadership, the Hispanic Counseling Center has received prestigious awards from local and state governments for its outstanding service to the community. Ms. Serrano graduated from Adelphi University School of Social Work, where she earned a Master of Social Work degree. Gladys is very proud of her family and her four children and eight grandchildren.

S onia Palacio-Grottola was born Sonia Torruella Aleman to Puerto Rican parents in Washington Heights and has lived in Commack for over 55 years. Sonia attended Suffolk Community College completed her education as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a degree from Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare. She has bestowed a Master’s in Social Work and, subsequently, a Post-Graduate Certificate from Adelphi University, which prepared her to be a social activist for the betterment of the underserved and all families. Ms. Palacio believes she was gifted with two languages and thereby utilizes this gift to help Latino immigrant families improve their quality of life. She finds it extremely rewarding to help families with limited English proficiency to navigate through the systems of health, education, and public assistance. The education and her volunteer work for the National Association of Social Workers prepared her to work on local, statewide, and national levels. She is proud of working for her professional association as a past-President of the New York State Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. At present, she is a consultant for the Suffolk County Department of Health as a social worker in their early intervention program. Her role for early intervention is to visit immigrant families with disabled children (0 to 3 population) and help them through parent training, counseling, support, and advocacy. She feels only through training and education that immigrant parents will be better able to advocate for their children. Sonia is proud to be the co-founder of the National Association of Puerto Rican Hispanic Social Workers, Inc. (NAPRHSW). The organization has flourished and has progressed into a force in the local, state, and national communities wherein their advocacy and lobbying work ultimately improves the lives of Latino families in all communities. She was past-president and continues her support in other roles. Sonia has mentored students in the Brentwood School District and continuously mentors Social Work students in the Association (NAPRHSW) with the hope that they will carry on the torch of advocacy, social justice, and social responsibility to improve the lives of Latino families. She has supported the NAPRHSW who has dedicated itself to offering workshops for students for over 17 years entitled “La Vision Youth Conference” and offering national conferences on “The Diversity and Strengths of the Latino Family.” Sonia continuously encourages all of her clients and social work students to get out the vote and work on Voter Registration drives. She has worked on many Voter Registration Drives in cooperation with many agencies. Sonia is most proud of her role in the grassroots efforts that defeated the “English Only” bill three times on Long Island and the response of the coalition that joined together to lobby against this bill. She chaired the Long Island Coalition for English Plus during these successful fights in l988, 1996 and l998. Sonia was a board member of the Suffolk Center on the Holocaust, Diversity and Human Understanding, Inc. And member of the Long Island Language Advocates Coalition. Sonia is proud to be of Puerto Rican descent and the first woman in her family to complete graduate school. This accomplishment was achieved late in life as a widow with two children. She serves as a role model for older, single mothers who may have a desire to return to school “against all the odds.” Sonia has earned many awards and citation, but she is most proud of her two children Paul and Sabrina including their accomplishments, her son-in-law, Joseph Grottola and her four grandchildren, Deanna Marie, Joseph Anthony, Cristal Marie, and Joseph James.

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