Remembering Dick Cattani—A Longtime Friend of The Fedcap Group

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our friend and colleague Dick Cattani. Over his many years with Restaurant Associates, Dick and his team developed a strong partnership with The Fedcap Group. Restaurant Associates catered many events for Fedcap including our Galas, hired people who graduated from our Culinary School—offering them a good job with a career ladder in their journey toward economic well-being. Dick participated in numerous Fedcap Golf events, served as a distinguished panelist for our Solution Series, and was a generous supporter of our work.

Dick started with Restaurant Associates right out of college as back of the house steward. He eventually became General Manager of the famous “Newarker Restaurant” at Newark Airport. Over the years, Dick has held many regional and corporate operating positions. He became President of Restaurant Associates in 2003 and, under his leadership, grew the company three-fold in ten states. Dick retired at the end of 2021.

Upon his passing, Restaurant Associates said this: “As we reflect on our loss and celebrate his life, we are reminded of his genuine kindness, inspiring vision, passion for life, and love for his family. A winning combination for a truly exceptional leader. Dick’s legacy is unparalleled and his memory will live on through all of us. His favorite quote will forever echo in our hearts: Work Hard and Be Nice.”

Dick was a wonderful combination of innovation, attention to detail, humanity and humor and he will be deeply missed.

May 2, 2022May 6, 2022

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This important recognition was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives, and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. This year, the National Alliance on Mental Illness encourages the amplification of the message “Together for Mental Health,” and to advocate for access to quality care for anyone affected by a mental illness.

The prevalence and impact of mental illness are hard to overstate. U.S. prisons are filled with people suffering from untreated mental illness. Incidences of mental illness have gone up significantly since the pandemic began in 2020, when The National Institute of Health reported that one in five American adults experienced a mental health issue, and one in 20 Americans lived with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression. One in 6 young people experienced a major depressive episode, and suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10-24.

The companies of The Fedcap Group understand that most people with mental health problems can recover, and that treatment and recovery are ongoing processes that happen over time. We also believe that work completes treatment. The first step is getting help, and each day across our agency we provide proven treatments, supports and community-based activities to help people living with a mental illness on their path to recovery, through a lens of long-term economic well-being.

Together we can fight the stigma of mental illness, and help build a world where care and treatment for mental illness are available to all.

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March 10, 2022April 22, 2022

Celebrating the Strength and Tenacity of Women

March is National Women’s History Month, which recognizes the contributions of women to history, society and culture. The month-long observance, celebrated since 1987, honors women who changed history—women like Abigail Adams, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony and Rosa Parks—and countless others who, despite systemic discrimination, fought for equality and justice, and achieved greatness in their chosen field of endeavor.

Despite the incredible courage and hard work of generations of women, we are still a long way from an equitable society. Women constitute 27 percent of Congress, but over half the population. At Fortune 500 companies, women account for just over seven percent of CEOs. Women make up only 28 percent of the STEM workforce. Women’s median earnings are 80.8 percent those of men. A black woman has to work 19 months to earn what white men do in a year, according to the National Partnership for Women and Families. Latina women earn $0.57 for every dollar earned by white men.

Across the U.S., 15.5 percent of women live in poverty compared with 11.9 percent of men. Retired women are twice as likely as retired men to live in poverty. Workplace sexual harassment and assault are common, and drive many women from their jobs. Sixty-six percent of female service members report sexual harassment or assault. As many as one in four women are victims of domestic violence.

These inequalities and injustices were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a disproportionate impact on women’s participation in the workforce, placed greater burdens on paid and unpaid caregivers, and increased rates of domestic violence. Today, the constitutional right to abortion is threatened as States seek to restrict and deny critical reproductive health care and bodily autonomy.

Yet women everywhere, inspired by heroines who changed history, are making great strides in the ongoing fight for equality. According to A Proclamation on Women’s History Month, 2022 by President Joe Biden—“Women of the labor movement are achieving monumental reforms to help all workers secure the better pay, benefits, and safety they deserve. LGBTQI+ women and girls are leading the fight for justice, opportunity, and equality — especially for the transgender community. Women and girls continue to lead groundbreaking civil rights movements for social justice and freedom, so that everyone can realize the full promise of America.”

The companies of The Fedcap Group are represented by women at every level, and we are stronger for it. Please join us during this Women’s History Month in honoring women who have changed the world, and those who continue the struggle for equality and fairness.

March 8, 2022March 11, 2022

Fedcap School Students Expand Research and Presentation Skills with Black History Month Multimedia Projects

The Fedcap School held its annual Black History Month celebration on March 3rd. Each homeroom, usually about eight students, chose a topic related to BHM and created a multimedia art project that was then presented to the entire school.

“The entries this year were amazing,” said Luanne Macri, The Fedcap School’s Director. One group picked for a topic the Newark riots of 1965. The students conducted extensive research on the events leading up to and after the riots, and led a school-wide discussion about how they changed the economic life of the city, and are still impacting it today as a result of companies that closed and neighborhoods that were never fully rebuilt. The group created a board with pictures, text and quotes.

Another project looked at African American women scientists and inventors, who found solutions to some of society’s most difficult challenges. The students connected the work of these dynamic women to their own STEM activities. One mixed media presentation featured the words that have inspired The Fedcap School’s entire student body—”Average will not be my legacy.”

“I am extremely proud of our students at The Fedcap School,” said Christine McMahon, President and CEO of The Fedcap Group. “Their work for this exciting Black History Month project is so creative and thoughtful, and their messages so powerful and uplifting. Clearly, ‘average’ is not the legacy of these bright and promising young people. I congratulate them on their success, and offer heartfelt thanks to Luanne and her team for providing such great leadership.”

The annual exercise is a competition among teams, with two prizes awarded. The criteria for the presentations were given in advance as a rubric to see if they met objectives. Each project had to have a title with an essential question—such as “How dd the Newark Riots of 1965 effect the economy of Newark then and now?” The project had to be fully researched, and could be made using any media as long as the effort was collaborative. Each student was required to explain his or her part.

“The students were so proud of their projects,” Luanne said. “The projects have great value in helping students build their confidence, hone their speaking skills, develop coping skills, and bond with their peers in a highly collaborative way. They really knew their subject matter, and it was very meaningful for them.”

While students at The Fedcap School face behavioral challenges, many are brilliant and can accomplish great things given the right opportunity and environment. “This project shows them what they can accomplish when they are not encumbered by behavioral triggers and rejection,” Luanne said.

View the students’ work below.

August 14, 2020October 21, 2020