2018 Marks VNSNY’s 125th Anniversary!
Trusted by New Yorkers for 125 Years and Counting. 2018 is a very special year for the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. It is our quasquicentennial anniversary, marking 125 years of VNSNY’s commitment and contribution to the health and well-being of the New York community and our most vulnerable residents.
125 years ago this March, Lillian Wald, freshly graduated from nursing school, was teaching a home nursing course for immigrant mothers on the crowded Lower East Side of Manhattan when a little girl asked her to come attend to her ailing mother. The experience of caring for the woman, who lay suffering in the filthy bed of her tenement apartment, shook Lillian to her core. At that moment, she decided she would devote her life to caring for the poor and vulnerable.
A few months later, supported by philanthropists such as Jacob Schiff, Lillian Wald and her nursing school colleague, Mary Brewster, moved to the Lower East Side themselves and began providing care and social services to the community from a fifth-floor walk-up in an old tenement. Their nursing service went on to become VNSNY—the organization we work for today.
A century and a quarter later, VNSNY remains steadfastly committed to the mission set forth by Lillian Wald: to provide for the city’s most vulnerable residents—the chronically ill, the frail elderly, and children, including the insured, underinsured and the uninsured—making vital health services available for New Yorkers of every background.
Over those 125 years, we have provided expert and compassionate care to millions of New Yorkers. It is a history we can all be proud of. During the course of this coming year, we will be recognizing our milestone anniversary with a series of celebratory activities, including a commemorative gift for employees, as well as volunteer events organized in the spirit of Lillian Wald’s goal to “make a difference.” We’ll also be featuring a “We Are Stronger” photo collection to highlight historical moments that illustrate the many ways VNSNY and staff have helped New Yorkers through the decades.
Be on the lookout, too, for 125th anniversary special features on Frontline VNSNY. Right now, you’ll find a photo gallery that celebrates the theme of enduring and thriving over time. It features iconic landmarks that were a vital part of New York City’s daily life in 1893—and that 125 years later, like VNSNY, are still standing strong. To view the photo gallery, click here.
You’ll also find a short video of the making of VNSNY’s 125th anniversary photo, taken at the “Oculus” in the World Trade Center Transportation Hub. The video, which features staff members representing all the diverse services, programs and divisions of VNSNY in 2017, can be viewed here.
If Lillian Wald were alive today, she would be immensely proud of the hard work and commitment you show day in and day out to our patients, members, and clients. Thank you for that, and thank you for embodying her spirit of being a pioneer for change.
Happy 125th anniversary!
To view more information about VNSNY’s 125th anniversary, click here.
