In Memory of Eileen F. Kopf-Walker
July 29, 1942 - May 12, 2022
Eileen F. Kopf-Walker, 79, of Granby, beloved wife for 10 years of the late Harry A. Walker, passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 12, 2022, at Hartford Hospital after a long courageous battle with cancer. Born in Bronx, NY on July 29, 1942, daughter of the late Frank and Elizabeth (Lenhardt) Schuller, she was the youngest child of German immigrants who had settled in New York City. Eileen graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in the Bronx and soon after married and started a family having moved to College Point in Queens, NY. She worked tirelessly holding a full-time job, raising her three children, and taking classes at night receiving her Associates Degree from Queensborough Community College. Eileen dedicated her professional career to the Employment Program for Recovering Alcoholics, a NYC based non-profit organization. Eileen worked tirelessly at EPRA for 32 years, starting out as the receptionist & bookkeeper eventually becoming the Executive Director. She retired in 2005 and moved to Granby, CT to be with her children and grandchildren and continued to serve on the EPRA Board of Directors until her passing. READ MORE
ABOUT EPRA
EPRA's unique vocational rehabilitation program focuses on building job skills and mastering the requirements of the workplace
ADMISSIONS CRITERIA
EPRA's program is designed to support and provide you with the resources necessary for attaining employment. In order to qualify for our program you must meet the following admission criteria:
Total abstinence from alcohol and all illicit substances
Unemployed or underemployed
Over the age of 18+
Resident of one of the five boroughs of New York City
Ongoing involvement with treatment or recent successful completion
Housing and financial stability
Demonstrate appropriate level of insight and coping skills needed to address vocational issues in a group setting
Additional documentation may be needed (e.g., psychiatric and/or medical evaluation, proof of eligibility to work in the U.S., etc.)
WHAT SETS US APART
EPRA's unique vocational rehabilitation program focuses on building job skills and mastering the requirements of the workplace, experiences that graduating clients can use to find and maintain employment during their recovery. Our vocational rehabilitation program consists of:
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EPRA is a comprehensive vocational rehabilitation program for individuals in recovery from substance and alcohol abuse. Our programs help clients explore vocational interests, identify transferable skills, re-enter the workforce, and sustain meaningful employment.
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EPRA services have been developed, tested, and refined after years of program evaluation. Our ongoing focus is to conquer the common barriers faced by recovering individuals in their efforts to enter the workforce and, most importantly, listening to feedback from EPRA clients.
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We believe that by returning individuals to work in an honest and dignified manner, the ideal of hope is communicated that recovery is possible.
Diagnostic Vocational Evaluation Assessment
Situational Assessment
Job Placement
The program enables clients to achieve meaningful employment and adopt the positive principles that will enrich their lives now and in the future.
TEAM
Our team
executive Staff
DOROTHY ACEVEDO
Administrative Director
MARVA FLETCHER, MBA
Executive Director
SAIKETA MYERS, MSED, LMHC
Clinical Director
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Judith Jordan President
Dean Reilly Vice President
Eileen Kopf-Walker Treasurer
President Emertius
Rosemary Edwards Secretary
Constance Harper-West
Robert Gatto
PAST DIRECTORS
Adel Smithers d 2017
George O’Donnel, ESQ. d 2011
CO FOUNDERS
R. Brinkley Smithers
John H Beard
Administrative Staff
Gismel Matos • Administrative Assistant
Marylou Nieves • Administrative Assistant
Taneisha James • Receptionist
Clinical StafF
Millie Betances • Intake Coordinator, CASAC-T
Jennifer Fayerberg • MSEd, CRC, LMHC, Senior Vocational Counselor
Lateshia Charles • MSEd, CRC, Vocational Counselor
Job Placement and Job Readiness Staff
James Lopez • MHC-LP, MSEd, Employment Specialist
Ravindra Barsati • MHC-LP, MSEd, Employment Specialist
David Robinson • Employment Specialist
Contact Us
Our Office
261 W 35th Street
9th Floor
New York, NY 10001
