The Children’s Village - Keeping Youth and Families Safe and Strong

Mark Hirschhorn’s decades of experience leading companies in the digital media and healthcare sectors culminated in early 2020 with his acceptance of the position of president and COO of Talkspace. An emerging player in the online behavioral health services industry, Talkspace serves more than 1 million clients, offering easy and affordable access to licensed and highly qualified mental health professionals. Apart from his responsibilities at Talkspace, Mark Hirschhorn is a dedicated philanthropist, supporting nonprofits such as The Children’s Village.

Reaching out to families in all five New York City boroughs and the lower part of the Hudson Valley, The Children’s Village works with the overarching goal of helping youth become self-sufficient, productive, and successful adults. The organization offers access to a variety of job skills training, mentoring opportunities, foster care programs, and other services that address the crucial needs of young people in under-resourced communities.

In one recent year alone, The Children’s Village provided residential treatment, foster home care, runaway shelters, and other types of sheltering care to some 2,000 children and teens, including undocumented youth.

Over the course of its life of service to the community, The Children’s Village has worked with more than 10,000 young people to help strengthen their families, and more than 90 percent of those in runaway or homeless shelters have been able to find secure long-term housing.

Meanwhile, more than 93 percent of at-risk youth helped by The Children’s Village avoided re-arrest after participating in mentoring and other programs designed to end cycles of incarceration.