Happy 125th Birthday to VNSNY and Henry Street Settlement!

VNSNY Joins Henry Street for a 125th Anniversary Party on Manhattan’s Lower East Side

On Sunday afternoon, September 16th, just a stone’s throw from the building on Henry Street where Lillian Wald founded the Visiting Nurse Service of New York in 1893, VNSNY joined forces with its former sibling, the Henry Street Settlement, to mark their shared 125th anniversary. On a balmy late summer’s day, hundreds of community members came together with staff from the two organizations at the Sol Lain Playground on Manhattan’s Lower East Side to enjoy a range of ethnic cuisines representing the rich diversity of the community, as well as to participate in games, dancing, music, face-painting and other activities.

The day’s highlight was the cutting of the official 125th birthday cake by VNSNY President and CEO Marki Flannery and Henry Street’s Executive Director, David Garza. Joining them for the cake-cutting were a number of elected officials, including U.S. Representatives Nydia Velázquez and Carol Maloney, New York State Senator Brian Kavanagh, and New York City Council member Margaret Chin.

Celebrating the 125th Birthday of VNSNY and the Henry Street Settlement. Left to right: VNSNY President and CEO Marki Flannery, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, Henry Street Executive Director David Garza, Congresswoman Carol Maloney, and New York State Senator Brian Kavanagh.

“I’m so glad to be here with all of you, celebrating our 125th birthday right here in the neighborhood where Lillian Wald founded our two organizations back in 1893,” noted Marki in her remarks to the gathering. “What I’m most pleased about is that not only are our organizations alive and well today, but both VNSNY and Henry Street still play a vital role in the lives of thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers. If Lillian Wald were alive today, she would be immensely proud.”