COMMUNITY NEWS 2018: ISSUE 2
BREAKING GROUND
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ROAD TRIP! 2
BREAKING GROUND
FINDING THEIR VOICES
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I’M A SURVIVOR
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BE THE CHANGE
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TO YOUR HEALTH IT TAKES A VILLAGE
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IN SERVICE 8
CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY AT THE SITE OF THE NEW LA CENTRAL Y
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udson Companies hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for the La Central project in the Bronx. Special guests came together to celebrate this new addition to the South Bronx community, including Congressman José Serrano, Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr., Assembly Member Carmen E. Arroyo, Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., and representatives from BRP Companies and The Kretchmer Companies.
“La Central represents the best of what we ask for in new development in our borough.” - Bronx Borough President Díaz
The five-building complex will include nearly 1,000 affordable apartments, a rooftop garden, a studio for BronxNet TV, and a 49,000 square-foot Y with two pools, a full-size gymnasium, and community rooms. •
(l to r) Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., Principal at The Hudson Companies Inc. Aaron Koffman, President at ELH Management Larry Hirschfield, Director of BRP Development Corp. Andy Cohen, Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr., YMCA of Greater New York President and CEO Sharon Greenberger, and Partner at the Kretchmer Companies Jerome Kretchmer.
(left, l to r) Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr., YMCA of Greater New York President and CEO Sharon Greenberger, and Assembly Member Carmen E. Arroyo. (right, l to r) Executive Director of BronxNet Michael Max Knobbe, YMCA of Greater New York President and CEO Sharon Greenberger, and Principal at The Hudson Companies Inc. Aaron Koffman dig in at La Central.
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ROAD TRIP!
THE Y PREPARES TEENS FOR THE FUTURE WITH COLLEGE VISITS
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ach year the Y brings hundreds of teens involved in the Y Scholars (grades 6 – 8) and Rowe Scholars (grades 9 – 12) programs to visit dozens of college campuses. College tours enable young people to meet with students and admissions officers at both in-state and out-of-state institutions, and envision the next steps in their educational journeys. In spring 2018, 400 teens from high schools across the city visited 30 college campuses, including Amherst
College, Binghamton University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Marist College, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Forty students from Harlem and the Bronx also attended a special tour of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that included institutions such as Morehouse College, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University, and Spelman College. More than 270 middle school students visited prestigious institutions such
as Columbia University, Northeastern University, and the University of Pennsylvania. The Y Scholars and Rowe Scholars programs receive support from Council Member Stephen Levin, the Department of Youth and Community Development, AT&T, Delta Air Lines, National Grid Foundation, New York Life Foundation, New York Rotary Foundation, People’s United Community Foundation, the Pinkerton Foundation, and the Rowe Family Foundation. • (far left) Y Scholars from M.S. 131 in Chinatown pay homage to Benjamin Franklin at the University of Pennsylvania. (left) Students from Explorations Academy High School in the Bronx check out the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut.
“I’m glad I joined the Y because I wouldn’t even be thinking about college yet because I’m not even in high school yet.” – Cherrie, 8th grade
“The overall information I was able to gather helped me understand how to choose my ideal college for my interests and decide what is most important to me.” – David, 11th grade
“The trip to Springfield College has definitely molded a better understanding in me regarding my next steps in the college process.”
“It was great to leave the city and travel and experience different locations and college life and hear students’ firsthand experience.”
– Aaron, 11th grade
– Kassandra, 12th grade
(left) Rowe Scholars from Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change in Harlem find their inner bulldog at Fisk University in Tennessee; (right) Rowe Scholars attending high schools in the Julia Richman Educational Complex in Manhattan get creative at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. 2
2018: ISSUE 2
FINDING THEIR VOICES Y YOUTH TAKE PART IN CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
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he Y promoted civic engagement among teens by facilitating an event at City Hall and taking part in Student Voter Registration Day.
City program, teens from across the city presented legislation on topics such as excessive food waste, gun violence, and plastic bag use.
In partnership with City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and Council Members Debi Rose (bottom photo) and Helen Rosenthal (center photo), the Y facilitated a takeover of City Hall where teens took on the roles of Council Members, Borough Presidents, and Mayor. Through the Teens Take the
At the event, guest speakers such as Council Members Jimmy Van Bramer (upper left photo) and Daniel Dromm (upper right), as well as Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer (center right), spoke to participants about staying engaged and one day running for office.
Teens Take the City receives support from the New York City Council, Capital One, Con Edison, and the Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust, and reaches approximately 400 teens each year. •
(top center) Council Member Jumaane Williams stopped in for a quick visit with participants from the Flatbush Y and YMCA President and CEO Sharon Greenberger.
As part of the Y’s ongoing efforts to strengthen community through civic engagement, Y program sites across the city also supported efforts for Student Voter Registration Day. With training support from the League of Women Voters, Y staff and Y teens registered about 80 youth and helped teens identify their Council Members and understand their role in local policy. 3
I’M A SURVIVOR
NEWYORK-PRESBYTERIAN QUEENS HELPS CANCER SURVIVORS LIVESTRONG AT THE YMCA
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ince 2010, the Y of Greater New York has partnered with the LIVESTRONG Foundation to provide valuable physical and emotional support to adult cancer survivors in the five boroughs. The evidencebased LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program, which is entirely free of charge, empowers cancer survivors to be proactive about their health as well as become part of a community that supports and understands their struggles.
at any of the Y’s citywide locations. The program is currently offered at the Chinatown, Flushing, McBurney, Ridgewood, Rockaway, Staten Island Broadway, Staten Island South Shore, Vanderbilt, and West Side Ys and served nearly 150 cancer survivors in 2017. For more information, please contact Joann Donnelly, VP of Healthy Living, at 212-630-9684. •
Partners such as NewYork-Presbyterian Queens (NYPQ) have been invaluable in this effort. NYPQ has supported staffing and training at the Flushing Y and has developed a referral program to encourage patients to participate
BE THE CHANGE
MACY’S HELPS SHOPPERS SUPPORT Y SUMMER CAMPERS
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acy’s continues to partner with YMCAs across the nation to generate support for Y summer camp scholarships. This year Macy’s offered shoppers the chance to round up to the nearest dollar in order to create a pool of funds for disadvantaged children. Funds raised at Macy’s locations across the country benefited local Y communities, generating approximately $700,000 for campers. Scholarship funds enable children who may not otherwise have had access to attend day or overnight camp and share magical summer experiences with their peers. •
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2018: ISSUE 2
TO YOUR HEALTH
THE Y’S HEALTHY KIDS DAY BRINGS FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES TOGETHER
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s part of an annual nationwide initiative to promote healthy living, YMCAs across the city hosted Healthy Kids Day in April. Local communities came together and participated in free familyfocused programs and health-centered activities. Kids and families had fun with carnival booths, arts and crafts, sports, music, healthy snack making, and much more. Activities were as varied as the communities served by the Y. While early risers joined the Bronx Y’s 5K Walk/Run/ Ride in Soundview Park before joining the “Family Olympic Games,” kids at the Vanderbilt Y got an exciting surprise with a special visit from Peter Rabbit. Many kids and families also participated in water safety programs to help them get ready to partake in water sports this summer. •
(left) Council Member Mark Treyger joins Coney Island Y Executive Director Sam Moore to promote community health. (right) Kids develop team spirit at the North Brooklyn Y.
A representative from the New York Fire Department (seen with Ridgewood Y Executive Director La-Vena Francis) shares information about fire prevention and lifesaving strategies at the Ridgewood Y. Peter Rabbit visits the Vanderbilt Y on Healthy Kids Day. (far left) Scooter the Holy Cow, the mascot for the Staten Island Yankees, drops in at the Staten Island Broadway Y. (left) Community members try out martial arts at the McBurney Y.
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IT TAKES A THE Y AND ITS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
THE EYES HAVE IT As part of the Y’s community school programming at P.S. 57 in Staten Island, 700 students received free eye exams and those who needed glasses received free glasses as well.
SAFE SCHOOLS The Vanderbilt Y hosted a teen town hall convened by Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray to discuss school safety and gun violence. More than 100 teens from across the city participated, including more than a dozen Y participants.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS David Sosa from the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs facilitated a Know Your Rights forum focused on Temporary Protected Status policies at the Prospect Park Y’s New Americans Welcome Center. The event was co-sponsored by Assembly Member Robert Carroll and Council Member Brad Lander. WE COME IN PEACE Y participants and families came together for the March for Our Lives. CITIZENSHIP CHAMPIONS The Y’s New Americans Initiative teamed up with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (center) and Samuel Williams, Kaitlin Griswold, Michelle Lam, Shirley S. Paul, and Lisa Cole to host a two-day citizenship drive in Brooklyn.
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2018: ISSUE 2
VILLAGE PARTNERS DEEPEN IMPACT IN COMMUNITIES
FORWARD MOVEMENT Shaun Donovan, former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, joined YMCA President and CEO Sharon Greenberger, former YMCA participant and staff member and current NYPD officer Juan Escobar, and Bronx Y Executive Director Sharlene Brown for a discussion on community development. ACHIEVERS IN INDUSTRY The Harlem Y hosted the Achievers in Industry (bai) event at Cipriani 25 Broadway, where Carla Harris, Vice Chairman, Managing Director and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, spoke about the importance of honoring one’s “authentic” self.
PEOPLE POWER Students and educators from the Y’s New Americans Initiative, as well as Council Member Carlos Menchaca (above), rallied with community partners to protect funding for adult literacy programs.
SERVING UP SUCCESS Port Richmond High School students in the Y Step culinary arts career training program hosted Colgate-Palmolive Company Chief Operating Officer, Justin Skala, Vice Chairman of the YMCA of Greater New York’s Board of Directors. The program helps teens get on track for graduation while acquiring food handling certifications, and is supported by Colgate-Palmolive Company. HOOP DREAMS The Chinatown Y’s Junior Knicks team played under the bright lights at MSG thanks to support from The Garden, the Junior Knicks, and the New York Knicks.
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YMCA of Greater New York 5 West 63rd Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10023 212 630 9600 ymcanyc.org
IN SERVICE
LOCAL LEADERS HONORED AT Y’S DODGE DINNER
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he YMCA of Greater New York honored Michael Bloomberg, Founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and 108th Mayor of New York City, and Sandra E. O’Connor (pictured with Y Board Chair Chris Blunt), Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer at JP Morgan Chase, at the 44th Annual Dodge Award Gala. The dazzling event generated a record $1.65 million in support of Y programs and the Y’s expansion in the Bronx. The Y also awarded two youth leaders, Mark Reyes and Zion Dawes, with the 2018 von der Heyden Scholarship, which will provide each of them with $20,000 of college support over four years. •