Category Archives: Community Services

The Creative Center: A Home Away From Home

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New Yorkers are known for being independent people. Those who are native to Manhattan strut with purpose and brim with pride in their respective nooks. For those coming from elsewhere, the first few months on the metropolis are very similar: hometown ties are cut, needy exteriors are quickly shed, and slowly enough, self-sufficiency becomes a learned art. In a city with some of the brightest lights, biggest opportunities, and longest life expectancies, it’s easy to believe yourself invincible. That is unless you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness that reminds you on a daily basis that you’re not. Suddenly bright lights equate to hospital fluorescents, your biggest opportunity is recovery, and loneliness is an unavoidable reality. When New York suddenly turns into the coldest place imaginable, where can an independent New Yorker turn? For many, the answer lies in The Creative Center.

The Creative Center is a non-profit organization that specializes in “creative aging,” the concept that where there is artistic self-expression, there are health benefits. The center has brought art to those with chronic illnesses such as cancer or AIDS, since 1994. “We wanted to give those with cancer a home,” said Robin Glazer, director and co-founder of the Creative Center. What began as a series of workshops for women with cancer has blossomed into a program for those of all ages, genders, and stages of treatment. The Creative Center now has daily workshops, artists-in-residence hospital programs, an online gallery, and a training program that works to bring their philosophy and proven approach to arts to hospitals around the country.

As a cancer survivor herself, Glazer knew the painful process that inevitably follows cancer diagnosis. She wanted to create a haven away from the drabness of hospitals and the painful reality of treatment, a place where self-expression was not only encouraged but expanded on and improved. “I didn’t want it to just be ‘arts and crafts for sick people’, I wanted people to improve and become proud of their art,” Glazer said. With this idea in mind, Glazer constructed a program with a school-like structure. Students can take two workshops per semester, with a year at the center consisting of three semesters in total. Some of the courses available include creative writing, watercolor painting, knitting, as well as courses in ceramic and jewelry making. Classes are available to those who have had a diagnosis, are in treatment, or have recovered from a terminal illness. While these workshops do not get students actual credit, they do get the invaluable experience of creating as they recover in a non-judgmental and non-competitive environment. Best of all, the workshops are free-of-charge.

With funding from multiple organizations, The Creative Center also offers programs to hospitals at little to no cost. With guidance from the center, artists are trained to work closely with patients that unfortunately are bedridden due to their illness. Equipped with paints, beads, yarn and a plethora of other crafty things, artists-in-residence spend hours with patients who might have otherwise been alone. “The artists-in-residence program not only provides art for these patients, but friendship, and friendship is exactly what these guys need,” Glazer explained. The program has garnered such positive responses from hospitals and patients alike, that the center now offers training to senior centers and nursing home administrators. Positive responses have also led more organizations to hop on the center’s bandwagon. Such organizations include: Livestrong, National Endowment for the Arts, The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.

The Creative Center’s most important partner however, is University Settlement, a social program that has actually absorbed The Creative Center this past year. University Settlement’s ideology is deeply rooted in the idea that low-income families deserve basic services at an affordable price to enable them a chance at the American Dream so proudly advertised by this country. With such similar goals, the merger is hardly a surprise. In fact, Glazer had dreamt of the day that such a program would back the center. “I was nervous for a long while of what might happen to the center if I should die,” Glazer shared, “After all, it was only three of us coordinators running the entire program. Once we got absorbed, I was ecstastic. University Settlement has secured a place for The Creative Center in the future.”

Community Service: Feeding the Boroughs by Jennifer Ingrao

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Feeding the Boroughs

The aftermath of Sandy left the five boroughs in destruction and found many individuals yearning to lend a hand to salvage and rebuild their communities. Experiencing a surge of this myself, I applied to several of the programs on the New York City service website. After an incredibly hard time finding places that were not already at their volunteer capacity, an organization named City Harvest was the first one that replied to me. The center that needed the most help happened to be conveniently located a few minutes from my apartment in Long Island City, so I jumped at the opportunity.

With several locations throughout the city and a main corporate office located in Flatiron on 32nd Street, City Harvest is thriving. It’s an organization whose mission is to provide food to the millions of hungry citizens of New York City and the surrounding boroughs. Collecting excess food from grocery stores, restaurants and farms, City Harvest delivers free food to community food programs located in the city, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. The organization boasts that 91 percent of their funds go directly to their program work. These funds are obtained mostly by donation from private foundations, individuals, or corporations.

Finding a New York resident who has had a volunteer experience who possesses any negative comments is a near impossible task. Long-time volunteer Rachel Bell, a lower east side resident who moved to New York City just a year ago, shares a bit about her experience. “Working at City Harvest was an eye-opening experience. So often in this city you become insensitive to the homeless and less fortunate because they are everywhere, but working with City Harvest shed light on those that are living a daily struggle just to eat a meal.”

The organization has made astronomical progress since they were first established in 1982. In their first month of operation, City Harvest helped serve an estimated 50 emergency community food programs and that number has now grown to 600. Rescuing an astounding 115,000 pounds of food each day, the need for more than just regular volunteers is evident. Aside from a volunteer base of over 2,000, City Harvest employs about a hundred regular staff members.

The organization’s assistant manager of volunteer services Brittany Erdman is in charge of recruiting volunteers for many of the locations. She sends out weekly e-mails to those who have expressed interest in volunteering, and although she declined to comment on most of the topics she was interviewed about, she did mention that those e-mails have increased in frequency since Hurricane Sandy.

The program also places an emphasis on providing knowledge to low-income New York City citizens regarding maintaining a nutritious lifestyle. Dietary experts focus their efforts on spreading information relating to healthy diets and FDA portion regulations. Nutritious foods can easily become expensive, so City Harvest aids individuals who are struggling to acquire these items (which are often produce) at cheaper prices.

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, City Harvest reached out for hundreds more volunteers then they normally need. Participating in various steps of the operation, many New York residents found a way to help by connecting with the organization through Erdman and her e-mails. Volunteers from all over came together to help pack and back nonperishable items for other volunteers to distribute throughout the most needed areas.    According to their website, City Harvest has a fleet of trucks and bikes that allow them to deliver food seven days a week.

A Brooklyn resident and first-time volunteer who found City Harvest after Sandy, Kyrie Borken, describes her experience as, “the first thing I’ve done as a New Yorker that actually made me feel like I’m making a difference.”

‘A Time for Children’ because The Future Is In Their Hands

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By Vivian Nunez

The small store on 84th street and Amsterdam Avenue is filled with MTA toy trains, unique books that promote creativity, and a staff who is taught to remember who you are.

A Time for Children is a unique store because of its two-fold mission. They are a not-for-profit that supports the Children’s AIDS Society with 100% of their profit. In addition, they also employ students, part-time for four to six months at least, who are sent through the Society.

“My family has been involved with the Children’s Aid Society for over 25 years,” said Marjorie Stern, the storeowner,  “it seemed like a natural fit to open a store and turn over the profits to this organization.”

A Time for Children also has a unique approach to retail, but finds its footing in a regular business model. “We operate like any other store,” said Gwen White, the store manager, “the only difference is that we’re training and we’re doing the donation, so it’s set up as a non profit.”

On any regular work day, activity bustles in every inch of the store with the employees entertaining children with books and movies, while mothers look around. The soundtrack of the store is the constant crinkling of tissue paper White uses to wrap each and every purchase. And every student-employee is learning. These students are trained in customer service. Gift-wrapping, paying attention to detail, and encouraging a strong sense of respect for customers, are a few of the qualities Ms. White teaches them during their four-month stay.

“Our presentation is everything,” said White, “We believe in presentation, we believe in customer service.”

A Time for Children’s deep seeded belief in customer service is what led White to compare the store to Bonwit Teller and B. Altman, where folding the garment was as important as making the sale. It’s the reason why they make their own shopping bags and decorate them with ribbon and cards informing customers just where their money is going. A Time for Children’s customer service and attention to detail is what sets the store and employees apart.

“We’re about convenience, so we try to make it convenient for customers,” said White, while also “helping to train a new generation of sales people.”

A Time for Children complements their monetary donation to the Children’s AIDS Society by preparing students for the real world, during a 6 month stint. “It takes a long time to learn all the details of operating a store and having six month sessions, (rather than four) should facilitate the instruction process,” said Stern.

Gwen White is in charge of the student employees and trains them well enough that after 2-3 months she is able to leave them in charge of ringing up customers alone. It’s all a process, which White believes really pays off.

“As far as giving back, we are really growing new energy into the workforce,” said White. “It’s in seed form, nothing changes the world over night, but just planting a seed here and there, you know, makes the difference.”

A Small Library Serves a Diverse Community

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Learning English is a primary need for new immigrants in the USA. Not knowing English can create communication obstacles for newcomers. The Jackson Heights Public Library in Queens is addressing this issue by offering an ESL program to teach English. The library is a great place for the diverse population of Jackson Heights to learn and read English.

The Jackson Heights Library is one of the busiest and the most diverse libraries in New York City. During the 80’s, the library was dominated by the European and Jewish communities. As diversity grew in the neighborhood, the library acquired new faces from all over the world.

“We have now people from the Native Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Africans, and majority of the customers are Latinos,” said Wel-Qing Dai, a Chinese American manager of the Jackson Heights Library since 2010.

The ESL program is the most popular regular program in the Jackson Heights Library. They offer different levels of ESL classes every day, including basic, intermediate, and advanced levels.

Besides the ESL program, over the years the library has offered more than a hundred different regular, weekly, and monthly programs, such as various cultural programs and festivals, citizenship programs, how to learn small business, how to buy houses, how to find jobs, and many more. Most of the programs use different languages including Chinese, Bengali, and Hindi.

“Last week we had the Pathway through the Citizenship Program to help new immigrants to apply for citizenship to teach about US history, and after that we had an Indian festival program,” said Dai.

The after school program for kids is another popular program in the library. Paula Lima brings her five-year-old boy three to four times a week to get help for his school homework, because she does not speak English at an advanced level. “This is a very helpful program and it is free,” said Lima.

The library has been a prominent and favorite place in the neighborhood. According to the Queens Library, “The Jackson Heights Branch of the Queens Borough Public Library opened at its present location on October 26, 1954. Extensive renovations occurred in 1970 and again in 1985.”

In the past, the library used to provide only newspapers, magazines and books; customers only came to read and borrow books. It offers various categories, including different foreign sections of Chinese, Korean, Russian, Portuguese, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, and a vast Spanish book collection.   

Now the library’s function is different and improved: customers can borrow a variety of multimedia in different genres, such as CDs in pop/ rock, world, country, holiday, religion, and sound tracks as well as DVDs and audio books. Also, there is a small computer section and three new self-check-in machines for books and multimedia, which add new benefits to the library services.

Viviana Nawla does not have a computer at home. She comes every day to the library to check her email and browse the Web for jobs. “I come to do different things in the library including brows and communicate with my family and others,” said Nawla.

Despite some modernization, the books and multimedia collections are not up-to-date and complete enough to fulfill all customer demands. The sections are quite small and have very limited books. Although the Jackson Heights Public Library offers an important service, the library manager Dai addresses that the funding is insufficient to satisfy the growing community. 

“Because of the budget cut, all Queens Public Libraries are closed on Sunday. Otherwise, we would have an extra day to serve the community,” said Dai.

MD. Maniruzzaman, a Bangladeshi, has come to the library since 2010. He likes to spend hours in the library’s quiet environment by reading psychology, literature and books on religion. However, he feels the library needs to enrich their book collections.

“A library should always carry new and updated books. Jackson Heights Library still has an insufficient book collection,” said Maniruzzaman with disappointment. “Sometimes if I need a book, I cannot get it because someone else may be borrowing it. The library has maybe only two copies of the book to give out.”

 

 

Community Service Story: Event Fundraiser

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            If you are a chocolate lover or fan of an occasionally indulgence in sweets such as chocolate cupcakes or truffles, then you would be eager to attend the weekend main attraction filled with chocolate tastings at the annual New York City Chocolate Show.

 

This year the show returns to the big apple with a mission to run an event with fundraising initiatives; with the exception of a few exhibitors who unfortunately didn’t purchase a booth this time around at the show due to the extent of the economy. However, there were reports that some fan-favorite retailers were not in attendance as a direct result of the delayed traveling due to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

 

Traveling and navigating the airport issues is not a small feat, these vendors were willing to find alternative options to make the show. Organizers took an inventory list and were proactive in managing the pre-planned schedule to ensure the show was a success. This show couldn’t have come at a better time to provide a brief, but much-needed entertainment relief after the great ordeal that city families had undergone the previous weeks.

 

The Hurricane Sandy was a whirlwind weather nightmare and tragedy for residents of New York and New Jersey. Many families had to endure several days of living without power, severe power outages in the neighborhood, fallen trees, lack of heat, dangerous power lines exposed and blocked roads. NY1 TV news station broadcasted the local events to give a list of available activities that were kid-friendly in the area.

 

The city needs a day to step away from the aftermath and take hold of a ticket for a fun day out filled with massive amounts of chocolate. With inexpensive ticket admission to the show, the organization worked towards supplying a good opportunity for inner-city parents who had a desire to something special for their kids in the midst of the aftermath of the Hurricane.

 

Normally, on the weekend the transit service in the city is inconsistent. It can be difficult and stressful to find the currently updates about the delays in trains or service issues taking control of the train line during the day. Fortunately, when the show started there was a line outside of the door. It began at the back entrance of the Container Store on 9th avenue and ended at the 1 train located at the end of the block. Transportation in the city was not reliable before the hurricane affected the system.

 

By early morning, it appeared that patrons had successfully found alternative methods of transportation and were awaiting the ticket ropes to move aside at the door’s entrance.  At 10:00am the doors open without a hitch and were pushed wide open in a welcoming demeanor. The show management team had security guards stationed at both front and back entrance, while the volunteer staff administered the show program pamphlets, organic chocolate milk sponsored by Nestle, and a schedule of arts & craft activities for the children.    

 

 The net profits of the sale of tickets, water bottles, and tote bags went to the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund. This sale was promoted in efforts to provide care and good resources to those who lost their homes and were impacted.

 

Every patron who walked up to the table was more than happy and delighted to purchase an item for the fund. With so many families who lost everything, a sale this wide could truly provide help and groceries to those in need. A water bottle for 2 dollars and a tote bag for 10 dollars, served as a price point and patrons did not hesitate to be kind and help by making a purchase.

 

There was also a coat drive where patrons visiting the show could bring in any coats that would be given to the shelters and schools. 

 

 Patrons walked the aisles, and perused out of state exhibitor’s booths filled with trays of their signature product samples. There was also a stand-alone path towards the grand Barnes and Noble Signing Section, which was inclusive of hardcover baking books, chocolate calendars, pastry along with autographed copies of famous Pastry Chef Francois Payard’s recently new book “Chocolate Epiphany”.

 

In the Kid Zone, many energetic kids ran in with their parents walking beside them to create holiday crafts and play with the several interactive chocolate themed activities made exclusively for the show. It can be seen that from the beginning of the show, the kids’ excitement grew as they participated at the crafts area. Soon, more groups came by the round craft tables’ eager to get working on building chocolate turkeys, and handmade chocolate dipped spoons for a cup of hot chocolate.

 

The event was filled with a crowd, and by mid-afternoon, it was overflowing with children, strollers, and families eager to have a joyful time at this year’s show. It was filled with abundant entertainment consisting of culinary demonstrations, creative and edible arts and crafts for the younger children, including fudge, truffle and wine tastings for the older attendees.

 

One highlight of the show was the stellar product promotion displayed by the two Chocolate Dessert Company that had created a large gathering of attendees who could not get enough of their tempting collection of chocolates and sweets. The whole show was filled with laughter and smiles by children and their families.

 

As a volunteer, we stood all day and took only a few breaks to ensure that the event went smoothly. We each were placed in different stations, from maintaining the line outside, to working with the kids in their very own chocolate –inspired playground called the Kids Zone. Despite the cold weather outside, many of the attendees took of their coats and walked the aisles to participate in the show. With chocolatiers, pastry chefs and candy entrepreneurs at their booth, any boxes of chocolate were sold and the fund sales increasingly grew. From decadent homemade buttercrunch of Roni Sue Chocolates, to the Peanut Butter and chocolate brownie offered at the Peanut Butter and Co, there was a wide variety of gourmet and comforting wrapped candies.

 

 As a volunteer in the kid zone and the merchandise booth, I experienced meeting two families from Harlem who was very grateful for the fun activities and break from reality of the Hurricane. Overall, the show was crowded but proved to be simply amazing; the end of the day program consisted of several hourly culinary demonstrations hosted by renowned chefs, and professional pastry chefs successfully entertained and delighted their audience with tasty recipes and delicious samples of their finished desserts.

 

This was an excellent event in the midst of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and families had a chance to do something special as a whole.

Small Service, Big Impact by Sarah Moi-Thuk-Shung

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Bright lights mirror the futures of the elementary and middle school children that walk through the doors of Elmont Memorial Library. To the left is the Children’s room, where children from grades K-6 can interact, get help with homework, and play with engaging learning materials. To the right is the young adult section, where teens congregate around computer screens while surfing the web or sit at round tabled to do homework while chatting with friends. Straight ahead at the reference desk is Lee Gorray, Librarian and director of Homebound Services, one of the many services offered by Elmont Memorial Library.

The program started about 6 years ago. According to Gorray, there was not much planning for the program to begin, the spark came from a person who requested it. “I don’t really remember how it started, but I guess someone called the director of the library and asked if they had Homebound Services. The director contacted me and all I know is that the program started with a few and then it grew to be more,” said Gorray. She was not aware at the time that this service would grow to be a major part of her job as well as a major part of the lives of those who are homebound.

Homebound Services is a program for Elmont Memorial Library cardholders living in Elmont, North Valley Stream, and East Franklin Square who are not able to leave their homes to come to the library. Usually, those that are a part of Homebound have been with afflicted with a disease such as AIDS. Lee Gorray works in conjunction with the library’s custodian to deliver books and DVD’s to participants of Homebound services.

Gorray chooses the books that are distributed from book discussions held at the library, recommendations from her co-workers, and her own recommendations. “Sometimes they are in pain, sometimes they want something very light, so you give them humorous books, light books,” said Gorray. Also, Homebound members are able to request what books they would like to read or what DVD’s they would like to see. If the books are not available, as soon as they come in Gorray puts them on hold to be delivered. They are put in bags with names and addresses and are ready to reach their assigned homes.

Gorray chooses not to publicize this service online or throughout the library, rather she gains participants through word of mouth. She said that if it was widely advertised, she would have too many people to deliver books to and it would become overwhelming. As of right now she has 8 people who she delivers books to every 2 weeks.

Gorray showed me her records and books of names and addresses that she has kept over the years of different people who have used Homebound Services. Her logs are from when the program started 6 six years ago. She mentioned different names and what books they like to read. “You get to know what they’re like,” said Gorray. Gorray pays very close attention to the preferences of the people she visits, discussing if they need books with large font or if they only want DVD’s instead of books.

Lee Gorray’s role as a librarian helps her as director of Homebound Services because she is very knowledgeable about the books in the library and stays on top of the circulation of books. Some people wish that Gorray could visit them every week in order for them to get new material. “I can’t do it every week, it would be too time consuming. So i give them enough to cover them for two weeks, maybe I would give them two or three books or four or five DVD’s instead of just one,” Gorray said. This allows Gorray to have time to to sort through more books and fulfill her duties as a librarian as well.

This small community service is making a big impact and will continue to make and impact thanks to Lee Gorray. She has planted a seed that will continue to grow at the Elmont Memorial Library. Homebound Services gives those that are afflicted with disease and cannot leave their home something to look forward to and a way to lift their spirits. Reading can help to provide a temporary escape and a distraction for such people.

Gorray’s genuine care for people that are no longer able to leave their homes and her enthusiasm for this service is exactly what is necessary to keep such a program going. “I enjoy being the director of Homebound Services. It’s simple and they like it,” Gorray said.

Homebound Services by Sarah Moi-Thuk-Shung

Staten Islanders Unite in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy

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By: Teresa Roca

Canned vegetables, bleach, jars of baby food, bottled water and hygiene products consume the inside of small, white tents. Outside, labeled duct tape separates garbage bags of pillows, used clothing, towels and blankets. Clusters of people stop by these tents, rummaging through the donated necessities, similar to the ones that once filled their homes.

The organization of these relief zones is a contrast from the surrounding area. Wood, shrubbery and unsalvageable belongings litter foundations where homes once stood; red tags reading “unsafe” and “fully destroyed” hang from front doors; people wearing masks walk in and out of homes, carrying bags of garbage and sheetrock.

Without the Hurricane Sandy relief zones organized by local groups and businesses, the residents of the New Dorp section of Staten Island would have nothing.

“If this place wasn’t here, if these people weren’t getting the help they needed, who knows what would have happened to them,” said Celia Iervasi, a main coordinator of Ariana’s Grand relief center. “We’re talking life and death. They would be dead.”

Ariana’s Grand, a local catering hall, is one of the many businesses damaged by Hurricane Sandy. With Ariana’s flooded basement, and electricity and heat returning just last weekend, owner Frank DiMattina knew what his new role would be in the devastated community.

“He could have just said ‘I’m done. My business is closed,’ lock the door and go about his business,” said Sean Cusick, another coordinator of the center. “But he is a community-minded guy. He is always looking to help out.”

Iervasi and Cusick have been accepting, distributing, and organizing items ever since DiMattina set up his tent in response to the hurricane. Receiving over 100 volunteers every weekend, Ariana’s has been a safe haven for New Dorp residents seeking hot meals served inside the hall and donated supplies in the tent outside.

“We are organizing demolition crews, manpower, to go out into the houses and actually demo the interior of the homes for the people that have been affected,” said Cusick. “This way, they don’t have to hire a contractor and spend the money.”

A couple of blocks down the road, another tent is set up. Hallowed Sons, a motorcycle group out of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, are the organizers.

“The Hallowed Sons had a family member here that lost their home,” said Donna Graziano, the main coordinator. “They came here to take furniture out of the house. Then we came with a barbeque and it just exploded from there.”

Like Ariana’s, Hallowed Sons offers food, accepts and distributes donations, and sends crews to clean out houses. On site 24 hours a day, Hallowed Sons receives volunteers from all over the country. They are currently accepting donations to keep their soup kitchen and food line running for those affected by Sandy.

In front of their tent a sign reads, “#OccupySandyRelief. #WeGotThis.”

This sign represents the unification of volunteers and residents in the community. These relief zones have sprung up in the ravished parts of Staten Island in response to the government’s lack of support. The Red Cross and FEMA didn’t come to Staten Island until November 2nd. In these four days after Hurricane Sandy, Staten Island residents were pleading for food, clothing, gasoline and help. As one of the hardest hit areas, Staten Islanders believe the Red Cross and FEMA didn’t come soon enough.

“You’re talking about 14 feet of water in someone’s home. Nothing is salvageable,” said Cusick. “Without this organization, they wouldn’t have gotten the help they needed because they weren’t getting help from the outside until recently when President Obama came. The government wasn’t doing anything for these people.”

Angelo Chiarello is one of the many residents in the New Dorp area whose home was damaged by the hurricane. After deciding to evacuate last minute with his family, he came home to what he describes as a “war zone.” Eleven feet of water flooded Chiarello’s basement, destroying thousands of dollars of toys, tools, collectibles and personal items. His family had no power for two weeks.

“If it wasn’t for the community helping us out, it would have been a lot worse,” said Chiarello. “The Red Cross came like five days later, Fema like a week later, so we really had no help except for each other. The tents were good to have there because people could get hot food and other stuff.”

When asked about the government’s response to the hurricane Chiarello replied, “Horrible. I got to go make a phone call to complain, I will be right back.”

The altruism of the community in wake of Hurricane Sandy hasn’t gone unnoticed. Volunteers and residents have become a family.

“Staten Island helped Staten Island. That’s what helped us. There was no one else,” said Chiarello. “People from the tents were driving around asking, ‘you want a case of water? You want food?’ Coming around with sandwiches and cleaning stuff, it helped big.”

After weeks of volunteering and aiding Hurricane Sandy victims, the relief areas aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

“They don’t want us to leave, honestly, they don’t want us to go,” said Graziano. “That is why I am still here. I will stay as long as they need me.”

As Iervasi told Cusick that they had to get back to work, he paused for a moment, and with a smile he said, “When I was reading the papers, the people that live here said that we are doing the work of God.”

 

Find out how community groups are rising to the occasion to help Hurricane Sandy victims.