1. Colleen Piccone: Bridges of Hope
Program for the Jobless in California
Honored with the World Customs Organization Award, attorney Colleen Piccone has served as a
federal prosecutor and has represented agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Her career has also included working for the World Bank and the Department of State in Russia. She
supports charitable organizations such as Bridges of Hope.
Volunteers from Holy Rosary’s “Bridges of Hope” program have been reaching out to single mothers
and their children who live in the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) South Beach Houses.
Led by parishioner Grace Murphy, a retired English teacher and assistant principal at New Dorp High
School, during the year volunteers provide back-to-school supplies, supermarket gift
certificates, gently-used clothing, stuffed animals, a Christmas party and gifts, and a “for everyone”
birthday party with movie tickets every June.
The program is funded by out-of-pocket donations from parishioners of Holy Rosary and other
individuals; it does not receive a budget from the parish, nor funding from local elected
officials, NYCHA, or non-profit foundations, Ms. Murphy said.
Single moms usually hear about the program through word of mouth around the housing
complex, she said.
Currently there are about 42 mothers and 75 children being served through Bridges of Hope. They
meet monthly in the cafeteria of Holy Rosary School on Jerome Avenue.