COMMUNITY NEWS 2020: ISSUE 1
ALL HANDS ON DECK
TALK OF THE TOWN
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TEEN ADVOCATES 3 HIGHER HEIGHTS
SPECIAL 2020 CENSUS EDITION
ALL HANDS ON DECK PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLABORATIONS ENABLE Y’S CENSUS WORK
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n early 2019 the Y committed to engaging in public education and outreach around the 2020 Census as part of our mission to strengthen community. Since then, the Y has received both private and public support to launch a citywide census strategy, with special emphasis on six branches near hard-tocount communities.
The Charles H. Revson Foundation underwrote part of the salary for a citywide Census Coordinator, while the Research Foundation of CUNY/ NYC Census Fund and the Office of the Queens Borough President are supporting work at targeted locations in Brooklyn and Queens.
The Y’s Citywide Census Coordinator Jillian Free, Jin Hyun Bae of Queens Public Library, Julio Rivera of NALEO Educational Fund, and Rockaway Y Executive Director Michael Garcia share census information with community members.
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LEGACY OF LEARNING
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POWER HOUR 5 IT TAKES A VILLAGE
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EVERYONE COUNTS 8
Community partners are invaluable to this work. For instance, with design support from the MinKwon Center for Community Action and translation support from the Association for a Better New York, the Y created bilingual pledge cards in 12 languages. Pledge cards were distributed at community forums and other events, as well as in Y early childhood, afterschool, teen, and New Americans programs, in order to support people in making a commitment to complete the 2020 Census. The Y also counts the Brooklyn NAACP, Brooklyn Public Library, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Disability Rights NY, Flatbush Development Corporation, Flatbush Tenant Coalition, League of Women Voters, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, NYC Black Leadership Advisory Coalition for Census 2020 (NYC BLAC), Rockaway Youth Task Force, and Queens Public Library amongst a growing list of partners in this work. After the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, the Y began using remote methods such as hosting virtual forums and texting reminders to residents of targeted neighborhoods. The Y has made information and links available on our website at ymcanyc.org/2020-census. • 1
TALK OF THE TOWN THE Y CONVENES CENSUS COMMUNITY FORUMS ACROSS THE CITY
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s part of its census outreach strategy, the Y has convened community forums across the city. Community forums enable Y members and other community members to hear from local census experts and learn how their neighborhoods can benefit from full participation in the 2020 Census. After the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, the Y transitioned to virtual forums featuring community leaders. At six locations—Bedford-Stuyvesant, Flatbush, Flushing, Jamaica, North Brooklyn, and Rockaway Ys—the Y has hosted multiple forums as part of an effort to reach hard-to-count community members and inspire them to selfrespond to the census. The Y is working with Exacto Spanish Interpreters to provide interpreters in prevalent languages, such as Spanish, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, and Bangla, at each of our events. Interpretation services have been offered at both in-person and virtual forums. • Assembly Member Stacey Pheffer Amato completes a pledge form at the Rockaway Y’s Community Forum.
(l) Bedford-Stuyvesant Y Executive Director Sonia Atherly joins presenters Lurie Daniel Favors of NYC BLAC and Stefani Zinerman of the Brooklyn NAACP at the Bed-Stuy Y’s Community Forum. (r) English/Spanish pledge cards that will be mailed back to forum attendees before April 1.
(l) Congress Member Grace Meng addresses community members at the Flushing Y. (r) Panelists Julio Rivera from the NALEO Educational Fund and Kim Lisa Hampton and Melissa Joseph of East Kings County Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. speak to residents of Cypress Hills about the importance of the census. 2
2020: ISSUE 1
TEEN ADVOCATES
Y TEENS ADDRESS PRESSING ISSUES IN WASHINGTON D.C.
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embers of the Y’s Teens Take the City elected board, including the Teen Mayor, Manhattan Borough President, Brooklyn Borough President, and Public Advocate, headed to Washington D.C. to speak with members of Congress about their plans for the 2020 Census and discuss issues in their communities. Teens Take the City is a dynamic leadership-development program that offers teens opportunities to get involved in issues affecting them and their communities. In this case, the issue that could impact teens is the threat of a census undercount.
l to r: (front) TTC Manhattan Borough President Lakshmi Raghunath, Deputy Mayor Shannya Campbell, Public Advocate Kimberly Navarrete; (back) Queens Borough President Samir Ghimire, Congress Member Grace Meng, Mayor Orion Crossman, and Brooklyn Borough President Ryan LaBarrie.
(l) Teens brainstorm about 2020 Census events with Congress Member Adriano Espaillat. (r) Teens get insider tips from Congress Member Eliot Engel. 3
HIGHER HEIGHTS THE Y CELEBRATES HISPANIC ACHIEVERS
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he Y hosted the fifth annual Hispanic Achievers Reception, which serves as an important platform for identifying, inspiring, and developing our City’s next generation of Hispanic achievers. Nearly $150,000 was raised
in support of the Y’s Rowe Scholars Program to assist young New Yorkers on their path toward college. The event honored Hector Batista, Gio Benitez, and Wendy Garcia with the Y’s
2019 Outstanding Leadership Award and celebrated Corporate Hispanic Achievers Karelis Barrios, Maria Castro Vainer, Evelyn Crespo, Claudia Barrera, Julia Youssef, and William Aguado. • Rowe Scholars and scholarship recipients Tiana Garcia and Brian Chimbo celebrate with Co-Chair Casey Santos, SVP, Head of Business Process Innovation at AllianceBernstein.
(l to r) Hispanic Achievers Reception Co-Chair Juan Pablo Zamorano, President, Latin America Division at Colgate-Palmolive Company; Sharon Greenberger, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater New York; Wendy Garcia, Chief Diversity Officer in the Office of New York City Comptroller; Gio Benitez, Broadcast Journalist and Correspondent at ABC News; Hector Batista, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer at CUNY; and Co-Chair Casey Santos, SVP, Head of Business Process Innovation at AllianceBernstein.
LEGACY OF LEARNING EVENT RAISES $500K FOR Y AFTERSCHOOL
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early 400 community philanthropists, business leaders and friends came together in support of Y Afterschool at the 19th Annual YMCA Arts & Letters Reception. The Arts & Letters Reception provides an opportunity to reflect upon the importance of strong afterschool programs that incorporate academic support as well as activities focused
on health and wellness and community building. This year’s honorees included Jo Ann Ross, President and Chief Advertising Revenue Officer, CBS Corporation, and Tom McGovern, President, Optimum Sports. Jay Williams, Television Analyst for ESPN, served as the night’s emcee, as Saturday
Night Live’s Chris Redd and the Harlem YMCA’s Carmi Harris provided entertainment. The event raised over $500,000 for Y Afterschool programming. What began with 10 pilot sites in 1996 now operates in nearly 70 locations across all five boroughs. Today the Y serves 10,000 young New Yorkers through afterschool every year — and we have supported more than 100,000 individual students since the program’s start. • (l) Maria Interlandi, Principal of the Year, and Lethicia Dieudonne, Site Director of the year, pose with their awards with youth speaker Katelyn Perez. (r) Honorees Jo Ann Ross, President and Chief Advertising Revenue Officer at CBS Corporation, and Tom McGovern, President of Optimum Sports, with Sharon Greenberger, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater New York.
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2020: ISSUE 1
POWER HOUR
THE Y MEETS WITH LOCAL LEADERS TO PLAN CENSUS OUTREACH
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n preparation for our census outreach work at six targeted branches in hard-to-count communities, the Y hosted Power Hours to discuss census strategy with local leaders. Discussions centered on local barriers to getting a complete count and how the Y and other community partners can collaborate to support local residents in learning about the census and filling out the questionnaire. โ ข
Rockaway Power Hour: (l to r) YMCA Citywide Census Coordinator Jillian Free; YMCA Vice President of Public Affairs Sharon Levy; Rockaway Y Board Member Thomas Dennard; Rockaway Youth Task Force CEO Milan Taylor; Rockaway Y Executive Director Michael Garcia; Timothy Chubinidze, Office of Queens Borough President; Dekendra Dazzell, Office of State Senator James Sanders Jr.; Tamera Jacobs of Rockaway Youth Task Force; Assembly Member Stacey Pheffer Amato; and Malik Sanders, Office of Council Member Donovan Richards.
Flushing Power Hour: (l to r) Minwen Yang, Office of State Senator Stavisky; YMCA Vice President of Public Affairs Sharon Levy; Council Member Peter Koo; Flushing Y Executive Director Tiffany Dunbar; Congress Member Grace Meng; Cristian Romero, Office of Congress Member Meng; Jin Hyun Bae of Queens Public Library; and YMCA Citywide Census Coordinator Jillian Free.
North Brooklyn Power Hour: (l to r) YMCA Senior Director of Government Relations Michael Rivadeneyra; Jamie Manhertz and Jessenia Urgiles-Taft of the North Brooklyn Y; Dani Flaes of Cypress Hills Development Corporation; State Senator Julia Salazar; North Brooklyn Y Executive Director Marjorie Jean-Jacques; YMCA Vice President of Public Affairs Sharon Levy; Jessica Franco, Office of Senator Salazar; Evelyn Cruz, Office of Congress Member Velรกzquez; Berenice Navarrete Perez, Office of Council District 37; and YMCA Citywide Census Coordinator Jillian Free. 5
IT TAKES A THE Y AND ITS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
GETTING CRAFTY Congress Member Carolyn Maloney stopped by the Greenpoint Y for some holiday camp fun.
CAST YOUR BALLOT Four YMCAs (Coney Island, Cross Island, Park Slope Armory, and Rockaway) were tapped for New York’s inaugural early voting session. State Senator James Sanders Jr. took advantage and cast his vote early at the Rockaway Y. (photo courtesy of the Office of Senator Sanders)
WE’RE HIRING A new partnership between Y-USA and Lyft, which will provide free one-year bike-share memberships to thousands of young people, was announced at the Harlem Y with basketball legend LeBron James and professional BMX athlete and filmmaker Nigel Sylvester. Also in attendance was John Zimmer, Lyft co-founder and president. 6
LYFT UP The Jamaica Y held a recruitment drive to help community members apply for job opportunities with the U.S. Census Bureau. The drive was organized in collaboration with Congress Member Gregory Meeks, District Leader Dr. Anthony D. Andrews Jr., and the Southeast Queens Complete Count Committee.
2020: ISSUE 1
VILLAGE PARTNERS DEEPEN IMPACT IN COMMUNITIES COMMUNITY DAY Assembly Member Robert Carroll hosted students and staff from the Prospect Park Y’s New Americans Welcome Center to discuss community issues such as affordable housing, access to healthcare, transportation, and civic participation.
DOOR TO DOOR SERVICE Cross Island Y Executive Director La-Vena Francis (third from left) joined staff from the AmericanItalian Cancer Foundation’s Mammogram Bus at a screening event at the Cross Island Y. With support from State Senator John C. Liu, the bus provided free exams to women ages 40 to 79.
WE’VE GOT SPIRIT The Chinatown Y hosted its annual Spirit Awards Dinner to honor individuals and foundations making significant contributions towards improving lives in Chinatown and Lower Manhattan. Honorees joined Chinatown Y board and staff (l to r): Ryan Chan, Chinatown Y Board Chair; Fr. Raymond Nobiletti, Pastor Emeritus, Transfiguration Church; Kam Mak, F.I.T Professor, Illustrator, Author; Ken Fong, Founder and Managing Partner-T2 Consulting Group Inc.; Dan Gerstman, Lisa Beth Gerstman Foundation; Sharon Greenberger, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater New York; Chau Trinh-Shevrin, NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health; and Michael Keller, Chinatown Y Executive Director. 7
YMCA of Greater New York 5 West 63rd Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10023 212 630 9600 ymcanyc.org
EVERYONE COUNTS Y TEENS CONVENE ON MLK DAY TO PLAN FOR CENSUS AND VOTER REGISTRATION
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ore than 200 teens used a school holiday to gather at the Vanderbilt Y and learn about the 2020 Census, voting rights, and voter registration. The event featured Y partners such as the Brooklyn NAACP, NALEO Educational Fund, Let NY Vote (featuring presenters from Citizens Union and Generation Vote), and the New York Immigration Coalition. Throughout the day, groups of teens rotated through different learning areas, and ended the day by voting on the theme for an upcoming teen event.•
(r) Julio Rivera of NALEO Educational Fund breaks down the Census for a group of teens.
(above left) Proud new teen voters. (above right) Wennie Chin of the New York Immigration Coalition tells teens that the 2020 Census represents money, power and respect.