Brooklyn Block Associations - Latest Updates
The People's Work
It was a dreary Monday evening last week on the 16th, but that didn’t stop those who take particular interest in the going-ons of our little black association - Hampton, Sterling, Virginia, Kingston- from meeting at the Senior Home on Kingston Avenue. Under the leadership of our illustrious President, Ms. Valerie Nero and Vice-President Darryl Harrison, the meeting was, as always, packed with information.
One Crown Heights (“OCH”), a coalition of various organizations in the Brooklyn North region, was invited to speak to the attendees about their organization. I’ll be the first to admit and make known that I had never heard of the organization. One Crown Heights is a coalition made of every kind of community organization you can think of in our neighborhood. If you needed to connect to an organization that helps with tenant issues, assisting youth, helping the elderly, working with the homeless, caring for veterans you could find a resource through them. Simcha Baez, the director, was there with her assistant Maaya.
Simcha Baez 16.1
They lead a group of people that represent the different ethnicities and faiths that exist, not just in Brooklyn, the fourth largest city in the United States. But, more particularly in our own 43 Assembly District, Community Board 8, Crown Heights North and HSVK Block Association back and front yard. One Crown Heights has been in existence since 2016. Who knew? They work to combat and eradicate hate crime. This is the neighborhood that bears the notoriety for the infamous riots during mayor David Dinkins term.
This organization just completed a basketball clinic at the Global School on Rodgers Avenue and Sterling Place. They have a Ballet Program for young girls ages 9-13 which they are conducting in partnership with “FIT 4 DANCE,” an organization that uses dance as a means to not only keep the youth mentally occupied but active and fit. The Director of OCH is Ms. Simcha Baez, part of the brain thrust that keeps this organization moving along and doing good work.
Though most of the time at the meeting was provided to OCH, the leadership still managed to squeeze in other helpful things that are currently being done in this little community. So it is that during this frigid winter, with its layering snow storms, HSVK had established a workforce of shovelers, because this neighborhood has a lot of elderly homeowners who just can’t get out to shovel. This workforce does the deed for them. Now who else is doing this in their hood? Also, because of the constant theft of packages, a package dropbox for the community was suggested, where deliverers can put the packages for retrieval by those in this Block Association. Good idea that all Block Associations should think about doing, along with the snow removal.
Throughout the meeting attendees had a tasty array of food to eat. Guess who prepared and provided the delecatables? One Crown Heights. They have contacts with delicious food eateries, and we were really glad that they shared the bounty with us. Eating with people is a symbolic gesture that may be lost in today's society. It’s called breaking bread. You know, you don’t invite just anybody to enter your home and eat with you. And, you don’t go out to eat with just anyone. Eating with people is supposed to mean something. It’s supposed to convey something about the people you are eating with, and on that day, at that meeting it did - a community.
The contact for Simcha Baez, Director of OCH is 973-692-8344 or 718-771-9000, simch
simchabaez@onecrownheights.com
– Peter Anekwe
