Mr. Vincent Knudsen, Director of Hayden House, Cardinal McCloskey Services' "safe house" emergency shelter for abused and neglected children was honored at a recent awards luncheon. The Westchester Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect presented Mr. Knudsen with an "Unsung Heroes Award" for his distinguished dedication to making a difference in the lives of abused children.

Child abuse has become a crisis in the United States. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services Children's Bureau, a child dies nearly every 7 hours due to abuse or neglect. Westchester County has not gone untouched by this epidemic. Annually, nearly 1,200 cases of child abuse are substantiated within the County and over 200 children are removed from abusive homes by Child Protective Services. Most of these children will be brought directly to Hayden House, Cardinal McCloskey Services' emergency "safe house" shelter. Hayden House is Westchester County's only "emergency residence" dedicated to intense diagnostic care of abused adolescents. Children arriving at Hayden House are no longer at-risk of being abused, but have already endured the horror of physical and/or sexual abuse or neglect, followed by the trauma of being urgently, and often, dramatically removed from un-safe homes. Located in Ossining, Hayden House is the first stop in the long and difficult process of recovering from child abuse.

Mr. Knudsen's award nomination letter follows:

Award Nomination

As Director, Mr. Knudsen, or "Mr.Vinnie" as he is known to the children in residence, is responsible for the daily operations of the residential program including the safety and well-being of the children. Mr. Knudsen began his career with Cardinal McCloskey Services as a child care worker in 1975. Since that time, Mr. Knudsen has helped to care for nearly 2,500 children as they have begun the process of putting their lives back together.

"We are very proud of Vinnie and all that he has done to help the children under his care," said Marjorie McLoughlin, C.S.W., Executive Director.

Founded in 1946 as a home and school for abandoned and neglected children, Cardinal McCloskey Services has, for 55 years, cared for the at-risk, abused and neglected children of Westchester County and the NYC metro area. Today, Cardinal McCloskey Services is a multi-faceted agency providing programs such as Family Outreach Services, Foster Care, Adoption, Group Residential Care and "Safe House" Shelter for at-risk and abused children and their families, as well as residential care for mentally retarded or developmentally disabled adults. Annually, Cardinal McCloskey Services provides care to more than 3,000 at-risk children, families in crisis and mentally retarded consumers.