‘TAKE A WALK IN HER SHOES’

From left: Aleida Frederico, former senior relationship manager, vice president, TD Bank and chair of Westchester Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Tom Gabriel, CEO United Way Westchester and Putnam; Jan Fisher, executive director, Nonprofit Westchester; Mary Calvi, WCBS TV anchor and author; Michelle A. Nichols, chief diversity officer and director of community development, PCSB Bank; Taryn Duffy, vice president, public affairs Northeast Group, Empire City Casino and MGM Springfield; and Elizabeth Bracken Thompson, partner Thompson & Bender.

The United Way of Westchester and Putnam Women”™s Leadership Council hosted a panel discussion about helping the ALICE population in the county at its “Take a Walk in Her Shoes” breakfast, Tappan Hill, Tarrytown, on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

The event recognized as Women of Distinction the outstanding work of Jan Fisher, executive director of Nonprofit Westchester, and Aleida Frederico, former senior relationship manager, vice president, TD Bank and chair of the Westchester Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. CBS News anchor and author Mary Calvi was a guest speaker at the breakfast. 

ALICE is an acronym coined by United Way to describe asset-limited, income-constrained and employed individuals ”“ what was formerly called the working poor. At its core, it is a new way of defining and understanding the struggles of households that earn just above the federal poverty level but not enough for a survival budget.

In Westchester County, 40% of families live as ALICE or in poverty and some groups are disproportionately represented.

“ALICE households are everywhere ”¦ in Peekskill and Mount Vernon, but also Scarsdale and Pound Ridge,” said United Way CEO Tom Gabriel. “These are hard-working families struggling to make ends meet, but when a crisis or tragedy occurs, they must make difficult decisions between paying the rent or fixing a car so they can get to work. These people add to our economy and enrich our lives and community.” 

The panel discussion was led by Elizabeth Bracken Thompson, partner at Thompson & Bender and a former Women of Distinction honoree, and featured Fisher, Frederico, Taryn Duffy, the 2021 Woman of Distinction and vice president, Public Affairs Northeast Group, Empire City Casino & MGM Springfield; and Michelle A. Nicholas, chief diversity officer and director of community development, PCSB Bank.   

As individuals who lived as ALICE, the group mentioned what would have helped them the most during that time. “When I was struggling, having access to information and resources would have helped,” said Duffy. Frederico added that there should be ways to help immigrants learn English and about local programs and services available. 

The ALICE survival budget shows that a single adult needs to earn at least $15.64 in a full-time position to survive in Westchester County. A family with two adults and two children in childcare must earn a minimum of $49.50 per hour to survive. Fisher, who advocates for companies to pay their employees a decent wage, spoke about how hourly workers are the lifeblood of the community and should be paid their value.