Brooklyn Community Services

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285 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217 | 718.310.5600 | WeAreBCS.org BROOKLYN COMMUNITY SERVICES Strategic Plan 2014-2017

WeAreBCS.org LOOKING TOWARD 2017

Joining together to strengthen and empower those who live in poverty has defined the work of Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) since 1866. It was after the civil war when concerned residents first came together to address the poverty and suffering of their Brooklyn neighbors. Now for nearly 150 years, BCS has remained committed to serving those whose needs are the most complex in Brooklyn. Today 25% of Brooklyn’s residents still live below the poverty line. Through our unique and comprehensive programs, we strive to address the individual needs and goals of over 13,000 clients each year. Our program locations span diverse communities from Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene, through all of Central Brooklyn to East New York, and most recently to the borough’s southern-most reaches in Coney Island. Our services reach children, youth, families and adults from every zip code in Brooklyn.

1 OUR VISION

BCS envisions ONE Brooklyn Community, where all members of our community can access an excellent education, job opportunities, safe and affordable housing, and quality and affordable health care and wellness programs. OUR MISSION

BCS celebrates the strength of the human spirit. Our mission is to empower at- risk children, youth and families, and adults with mental illness or developmental disabilities to overcome the obstacles they face, as we strive to ensure opportunity for all to learn, grow and contribute to ONE Brooklyn Community.

To achieve this mission, we offer comprehensive and holistic services, including -- Early childhood education -- Youth development services, a transfer high school program and educationally-rich after-school programs -- Counseling for at-risk families -- Treatment, recovery and job training programs to support the life goals of adults living with mental illness -- Person-centered rehabilitation and community living supports for adults with developmental disabilities -- Disaster recovery case management and relief services.

BCS seeks to increase public awareness of the impacts of poverty on individuals and the community at-large. In concert with our consumers and the neighborhoods we serve, we advocate their cause toward our shared vision of ONE Brooklyn Community.

3 ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY

BCS WILL pursue new and innovative service models and will deepen our roots in Brooklyn communities. BCS WILL conduct grassroots outreach efforts and seek community partners, to bring greater attention to the ongoing impact of poverty in Brooklyn. BCS WILL create new ways to involve more of our neighbors in our effort to ensure opportunity for children, young people, families and adults to learn, grow and contribute ONE Brooklyn Community. BCS WILL invest in BCS itself, to improve our financial and operational strength, and to reach even greater success in our performance.

OUR CORE VALUES

COMPASSION EXCELLENCE Our compassion and belief in the strength We strive to deliver innovative services of the human spirit lie at the core of of the highest quality. We join with everything we do. We believe everyone consumers to continuously evaluate the has the right to a life of dignity and has results of our work, and to identify more the ability to contribute productively effective ways to meet their needs and to society. those of the community.

DIVERSITY INTEGRITY We reflect the richness of Brooklyn and We hold ourselves to the highest embrace its diverse people, culture and professional and ethical standards. We neighborhoods. We seek equitable access use resources wisely, we learn from our for all to share in the resources and tools mistakes, and we are transparent with that promote success in life. our supporters, consumers, communities and the public. EMPOWERMENT We strengthen our consumers to overcome their challenges and reach their life goals. We believe our collective strengths can help make Brooklyn a place where everyone can thrive.

5 2014–2017 STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS

GOAL 1: WE WILL DEVELOP AND PILOT NEW GOAL 2: WE WILL POSITION BCS AS A KEY SERVICE-DELIVERY MODELS. “HOMETOWN” RESOURCE AND PARTNER WITH BROOKLYN COMMUNITIES. Innovative Approaches to Meet the Needs of Core Constituencies for our Programs Leverage Our 150th Anniversary Milestone We will enhance our comprehensive services In 1866 our founders saw injured Civil War model. By providing holistic, evidence-driven veterans and homeless young orphans, and were services, we will sustain strong and resilient moved to action against these injustices. We are families. We’ll promote school-readiness by proud that for 150 years our dedicated staff and offering children – from infancy through high supporters have joined in common purpose with school and into young adulthood – stimulating our resilient clients and consumers, to continue curricula and student-centered supportive services to build a just, compassionate and sustainable to foster educational success. In consultation with ONE Brooklyn Community. As we approach 2016, our consumers living with mental illness and we will leverage our 150th Anniversary celebration physical and developmental disabilities, we will to attract targeted investments in our programs strengthen and emphasize person-centered and multi-service facilities. supportive programming that is rooted in Increase Our Reach and the Effectiveness integrated, community-based service models. of Our Marketing With the ongoing transition to managed care, We will reenergize and redouble our effort we will educate ourselves and our consumers to to promote a greater public awareness and increase their ability to access effective and understanding of the lives of the thousands of compassionate care. children, youth, families and adults who live in Deepen and Unify Services in poverty within our ONE Brooklyn Community. Targeted Communities We will promote BCS as a leader in high-quality, We will reinforce our connections and roots innovative and effective services that provide in neighborhoods like Coney Island, East individuals and families the tools they need for self- New York and Central Brooklyn for which the sufficiency and support their efforts to overcome challenges of entrenched poverty are the greatest. the devastating impacts of poverty. We will build Collaborating with community residents and and strengthen partnerships with businesses and partner organizations, we will develop a more community organizations to support enhanced and comprehensive understanding of the needs and expanded programs, particularly those to educate aspirations of all stakeholders. We will develop and train Brooklyn’s future workforce. new programs and enhance our existing array of services, to increase opportunities for all of the children, youth, families and adults we serve, and with the goal of establishing multi-service centers in our target communities, to meet the full range of community needs.

7 GOAL 3: WE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD A HIGH- PERFORMING AND FINANCIALLY SOUND ORGANIZATION.

Enhance Capacity for Performance Management and Outcome Measurement We are committed to infuse evidence-driven practice models throughout our work. We will build our internal capacity for program evaluation and analysis, and will partner with outside research providers to further enhance our ability to measure our impact. We will upgrade our technology platform and we will provide training to ensure that our staff can effectively employ program data to improve our services. Improve Financial Sustainability We will leverage our major assets, particularly our headquarters, to secure our long-term stability and capacity for growth. We will preserve our roots in Downtown Brooklyn, while also ensuring that the value of our capital assets can better serve our mission and help to support sustainable growth. With an active and energized Board, supported by a strong staff team, we will look to secure new and increased investments to strengthen and enhance our programs. We will also continue to improve our real-time financial management capacity. Invest in Internal Operations, Human Capital and Infrastructure We will engage our dedicated BCS staff and organizational leadership at all levels, by fostering strong and effective internal communication and collaboration. We will build a culture of career-long learning, with opportunity for professional development. We will also reinforce our commitment to personal and organizational accountability. We will develop a well-managed, modern and efficient physical infrastructure for all of our programs, and will invest in improvements to ensure that our community- VISION: BCS IN 2017 based locations meet the needs of clients and staff.

Today, as we chart our course for the next four years, we’re resolved to build an even broader commitment to this cause, as we bring more of our neighbors together to create opportunities for all to succeed in this place we all love so much. We will deepen our understanding of the challenge of poverty, and we’ll challenge ourselves to find innovative and effective tools to remedy its impacts. To do that, we will draw upon our community’s most valuable and inspiring asset – the creative energy and hard work of the people of Brooklyn, and of people throughout the world who look to Brooklyn as a symbol of all that is possible in a world of dynamic change. We hope this plan gives you a greater understanding of BCS, our historic achievements, the challenges we face today and our hopes for the ONE Brooklyn Community of tomorrow. We invite you to join us on this journey and to share your thoughts with us both now and in the years to come. We look forward to working with you!

9 JOIN OUR VISION FOR ONE BROOKLYN COMMUNITY #ONEBROOKLYNCOMMUNITY 285 SCHERMERHORN STREET | BROOKLYN, NY 11217 | 718.310.5600 | WEAREBCS.ORG CELEBRATE OUR LEGACY. INVEST IN BROOKLYN’S FUTURE.

BCS MILESTONES

Brooklyn Children’s Aid Society organized (1866). Brooklyn Bureau of Charities organized (1886). In our early 1866- years, we built a home for homeless newsboys, and pioneered foster care programs, kindergarten and day care to help working 1896 mothers, training for jobless men and women, and housing for homeless women.

As the 20th Century opened, we established Brooklyn’s first infant health station, and early legal aid and visiting nurse services. 1897- We battled the TB, influenza and polio epidemics, and fought to 1926 improve conditions in tenement housing, and for court reform. Joined the NY Times Neediest Cases Campaign (1912).

We opened our new headquarters, added job training services for people with disabilities, and led the way for community mental 1927- health and family counseling programs, along with juvenile justice reform. During the Great Depression we doubled the number of 1956 people served and tripled our annual relief outlays. Merged to become Brooklyn Bureau of Social Services (1948).

We expanded job training programs and added new vocational assessment facilities, and offered day programs for adults with developmental disabilities. We pioneered a new model for children’s services, with the goal of avoiding foster care and 1957- keeping children safe in their homes, and we developed new 1986 services to help people living with mental illness achieve stability in their lives and live independently in the community. Renamed Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service (1969).

Education became a major new focus – from home-based family child care network serving infants and toddlers, to preschools in Fort Greene and Bed-Stuy, to our acclaimed after-school academic support program (the Gary Klinsky Children’s Centers), to our Brooklyn High School for Leadership & Community Service and our Youth Stand United program for young people with mental illness. We opened our peer-driven mental health recovery 1987- program, the East NY Clubhouse, and our Transitional Living 2016 Community for homeless women, and we stepped up to provide relief for Brooklynites after September 11th and Superstorm Sandy. Rebranded as Brooklyn Community Services (2009). Developed community centers to serve Brownsville, Coney Island and Downtown Brooklyn. Initiated ONE Brooklyn Community campaign and Brooklyn Stand Up! community education panel discussion series.

OUR VISION BCS envisions ONE Brooklyn Community, where all members of our community can access an excellent education, job opportunities, safe and affordable housing, and quality and affordable health care and wellness programs.

OUR MISSION BCS celebrates the strength of the human spirit. Our mission is to empower at-risk children, youth and families, and adults with mental illness or developmental disabilities to overcome the obstacles they face, as we strive to ensure opportunity for all to learn, grow and contribute to ONE Brooklyn Community.

285 Schermerhorn Street • Brooklyn, NY 11217 • T. 718-310-5600 • WeAreBCS.org BCS IMPACT Over 13,000 people were served in 2016 through BCS’s comprehensive programs and services, including Early Childhood Development, After‑School Education, Youth Development, Family Services, Workforce Development, Mental Health & Wellness and Services for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities.

Brooklynites engaged Children & youth educated through our volunteer and empowered 2,000+ projects and community 2,557 events like Spring into Action, Community Parents & children served Engagement Summit through our Bedford and Brooklyn Stand Up! Stuyvesant and East New panel series 2,460 York Family Centers

Consumers living with mental illness received ​Youth & adults that 1,318 help in reaching their received work readiness personal goals and 806 and job skills training attaining wellness

PRECIOUS At only three years of age, Precious had already lived in three different homes. She was placed in foster care, along with her six year old brother, after her mother and her grandmother were not able to care for her. In April, Precious’ foster mom enrolled her in the BCS Atlantic Avenue Early Learning Center. The Center provides a high quality early childhood education and prepares each child for kindergarten and elementary school. Despite instability in her life, Precious is thriving at the Center, benefitting from an approach that nurtures a child’s individual growth and development. At our program, Precious eats two healthy meals per day and a snack, a menu selected by a nutritionist. After breakfast during circle time, the kids learn about their world. Lessons include the days of the week, colors, and how to describe the weather. Typical daily activities include language development, music time and light exercise. One of Precious’ favorite activities is the community walk, which introduces children to their surroundings and to pedestrian safety. Precious is one of the center’s most confident walkers. Her BCS PROGRAM teachers say she is a bright student who loves playing with the Atlantic Avenue Early Learning Center other children. Our early childhood education program helps kids Bedford Stuyvesant like Precious reach their full potential.

DONNA Donna is a proud member of the BCS Community for All program, which helps adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities live independently and participate in the community. Donna is an avid volunteer, dancer and music fan. When she started at our program, Donna was unable to travel by herself or identify information such as the time and date. She was also very shy and did not engage with the other clients. Donna’s mom passed away when Donna was a child and although she now lives with her loving grandmother, the trauma of losing her mom left Donna withdrawn and timid. Our staff worked with Donna on verbal exercises and role play activities to help her come out of her shell, taught her travel skills, and how to tell time and read basic signs. With the help of BCS, Donna now enjoys socializing with others, taking trips, and volunteering with children at a day care center. Donna even has a new goal—to make a difference for the elderly. She hopes to become employed in a nursing home and has started working on BCS PROGRAM her job skills. Community for All Day Habilitation Boerum Hill

NELDON & JAHYEM Neldon is a single father to Jahyem, an energetic 11 year old boy. Neldon and Jahyem came to from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia in 2012, and currently live in a family shelter. Since their arrival in the US, Neldon has struggled to find steady employment. To support his son, he relies on freelance work assisting with electric jobs. In St. Lucia, he worked for a telephone company for over 15 years. He hopes to obtain his electrician license here in New York. Neldon also struggles to care for his son, who has developmental delays and ADHD. One day in church, Neldon met a BCS social worker and shared his story. BCS helped connect the family to free legal services to assist Neldon in obtaining full custody of his son, helped Neldon find an appropriate school for Jahyem, as well as linkages to organizations with services for kids with special needs. BCS also helped Neldon stay afloat financially, by providing funds for groceries, a birthday present for Jahyem, and medical fees.

Neldon is a very patient and caring father. His dream is for his son to BCS PROGRAM attend college one day. Jahyem reports that he wants to be a doctor Family Support Services Downtown Brooklyn or a police officer. After a Lifetime of Instability, Hoping for a Place to Touch Down By TERENCE McGINLEY NOV. 15, 2016 Gregory Manson in Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn, a place he remembers playing as a child. Credit Michelle V. Agins/

Gregory Manson has moved so many times that he struggles to He rents a room in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, as a participant in a remember all of the dates, the neighborhoods and the family members home-sharing program. He enjoys cheering on New York’s basketball he has stayed with. There was his stepmother in Canarsie, Brooklyn, teams. a sister in Jamaica, , and his grandmother’s apartment in the After injuring himself at work, Mr. Manson required hernia surgery, Farragut Houses in Brooklyn. It is all blended and blurred. which was performed at Brooklyn Hospital Center in September. He One day, however, stands out. In foster care because his mother had had to wait six weeks before resuming the sort of lifting required of been charged with burglary, his uncle showed up that day to take him him at his airport job; in the meantime, he could not work. home to live with him. He pays $560 in monthly rent and a $30 phone bill, and he does not “My uncle came to the foster home that day and he cried,” he said. “I have a bank account. He earns too much to qualify for food stamps, remember it like it was yesterday. He brought me a yellow Tonka truck.” but not enough to afford all his meals. He said he may have to rely on a food pantry soon. When Mr. Manson’s mother was released from prison he was already a young teenager, and she took him to Richmond, Va., to live with her. Brooklyn Community Services used $560 from the Neediest fund to Around age 15 or 16, he recalls, he found himself in trouble. pay Mr. Manson’s October rent. “Me and my friends — well, they’re supposed to be your friends — some- “We know he has a history of working, and it’s not something he would how we got into this police gymnasium,” Mr. Manson said. “Somebody be dependent on,” said Kristina Reintamm, director of community lit some papers on fire.” education and engagement for the organization. He spent six months in a group home in Virginia. Afterward he begged After a lifetime of instability, Mr. Manson hopes to return to work at the his mother, Jaunita Fields, to let him return to his grandmother’s place airport and find a studio apartment. “If I can get my own place, it would in Brooklyn. be one of the happiest days of my life,” he said. “I never went back down South,” he said. “It’s just different from the city.” But Mr. Manson, who was actually born and grew up, for a time, in Brooklyn, said the borough has changed. It is harder to get by. His adult life has been no less transient. Now 43, Mr. Manson has bounced around shelters and transitional living facilities in the Kings- “Ten dollars an hour and you can’t even afford a studio,” he said. “All of bridge section of the Bronx, Washington Heights in Manhattan and these buildings, all of these hotels downtown and they aren’t thinking Downtown Brooklyn. He has a mild intellectual disability, and says he about the poor people.” struggles at completing tasks like job applications. He would like to connect with his son, Marquell, who is 22 and lives Brooklyn Community Services, one of the organizations supported by with his mother in Pennsylvania. Somewhere along the way, father The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, has worked with Mr. Man- and son lost touch, though he does speak with his daughter, Lailah, 19, son since 1999 to provide him with job coaching and preparation skills. who lives in Utica, N.Y. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Manson worked as a baggage handler at Ken- “I don’t know what happened,” Mr. Manson said. “I guess they changed nedy International Airport, riding the subway for two hours to get there their number. It’s a rough situation I’m going through with my son.” from the Bronx. The ride home at night was even longer. In 2008, he The rest of his family is in New York City. His father lives in Harlem and became unemployed after his company lost its contract with JetBlue. he has siblings in Queens and Brooklyn. After a stint working maintenance and folding clothes on the night “Certain families don’t stick together,” Mr. Manson said. “I know how shift at an Old Navy store at the Atlantic Center Mall in Brooklyn, Mr. important it is to keep a roof over your head.” Manson went back to work at the airport in 2013. After Schizophrenia Diagnosis, a Sense of Clarity

and a Place of His Own Lavelle Lockett, who spent years living on and off the streets, at the East New York Clubhouse in Brooklyn. Credit Christopher Lee for The New York Times By EMILY PALMER NOV. 13, 2016

The visions started when Lavelle Lockett was 18. They came in the form woman reported that Mr. Lockett grabbed “her buttocks and then fled,” of blurry, silent figures, and when they arrived, he knew to stay away. He according to the police. He was later arrested. avoided them like the people he had seen in the alleys where he lived on Mr. Lockett, who said he was innocent, spent more than a month on Rikers and off for much of his life, until November 2014. That is when, at 24, he Island on charges of sexual abuse and forcible touching. was hospitalized and told he had schizophrenia. While incarcerated, Mr. Lockett told a guard that he knew the British royal Mr. Lockett, who is 26 and has a thin frame and square glasses, looks back family intimately and was “a sibling of Prince William” and the “son of at those six turbulent years with what-ifs. He said the trajectory of his life Princess Diana,” according to medical records Mr. Lockett provided The — the encounters with the police, the sleepless nights riding the subway — New York Times. This led to his hospitalization at Kingsboro Psychiatric could have been avoided if he had received the diagnosis earlier. But now, Center in Brooklyn, where doctors said he had schizophrenia. he said, he is focused on changing the way he is perceived. Doctors prescribed medication that has eliminated the delusions, he said. “I just want people to think of me as a nice guy,” Mr. Lockett said in a soft voice, drumming his fingers on a table. The sexual abuse charges have not moved forward. Records show that he was considered “not fit to proceed” with the case. So after his weeklong He strains to piece together all the memories since his early childhood hospitalization ended, he was released to Family Care, a residential service when he and his mother were evicted from their Queens home. They through the New York State Office of Mental Health for people with severe slept in motels when they had enough money, and on the streets, outside mental illnesses. shopping malls, when they did not. His home in the Flatbush neighborhood is his most stable housing situation After her death, he was raised in foster care, shuffled among homes in the since before he and his mother were evicted. Bronx and New Jersey. The frequent displacement led him to fall behind in school, a common experience for transient students. He dropped out in the “I try to avoid problems with people,” Mr. Lockett said. “I’m usually by myself, ninth grade and continued wandering. but now I have friends around that help me out.” Mr. Lockett once got a job working with two men who operated hot-dog Those friends came last year when Family Care introduced Mr. Lockett to stands. Pushing the cart down the streets of Jamaica, Queens, Mr. Lockett the East New York Clubhouse, part of Brooklyn Community Services, which sold snacks to provide money for his caretaker. After a day’s work, he got is one of eight organizations supported by The New York Times Neediest his choice of free hot dogs, bagels and doughnuts. Cases Fund. “I was living the life,” he said with a laugh. Elizabeth Ostop, a social worker at East New York Clubhouse, recalled how withdrawn Mr. Lockett was when he joined a year ago. Out of foster care and homeless, Mr. Lockett returned to the streets at 20, this time alone, spending nights looking for a place to sleep. Sometimes “He didn’t talk for months,” she said. “He wouldn’t even take off his hat. He it was on a bench in Madison Square Park, other times it was on the No. 1 kept his jacket and gloves on, even inside. He’d look at you out of the corner train. of his eyes and wouldn’t talk.” He avoided everyone, everywhere, but confrontation was inevitable, he said. A year into the program, she considers him the most changed person there. Violence eventually found him on a lonely Bronx street. Mr. Lockett chats with other members and plays basketball in an informal league. He is studying for a high school equivalency test and hopes to Three men engaged him in small talk, but they had other interests. They attend college. He spends his free time honing his computer skills. encircled him and “came at me with fists,” Mr. Lockett said, leaving him with a black eye that remained swollen for weeks and a greater fear of living on Brooklyn Community Services used money from the Neediest fund to the streets. provide Mr. Lockett with his first laptop, a light blue HP, in September. He tried to pass his waking hours without getting into trouble. But he spent He sees learning the basics as a first step toward becoming a video game a night in jail for jumping a subway turnstile when he did not have any designer. His ultimate creation would be an action game focused on money, he said, and the police issued him a trespassing complaint at a strategy, he said. video game store for staying there for five hours playing Metal Gear Solid. “The characters wouldn’t be superheroes but instead characters you create His most serious infringement was in August 2014, on Park Avenue. A as you go along,” Mr. Lockett said. “I like those characters because they can be you, but in a different world.”

Dane DeHaan & Anna Wood Help Brooklyn Community Services Raise Over $47,000 at ONE BK Unite Walk-A-Thon

October 4 10:04 PM2016 by BWW News Desk

Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) ONE BK Unite raised over $47,000 for BCS programs and clients at the Prospect Park walk-a-thon on Sunday, September 25. The walk included participants like Brooklyn's Hollywood couple Dane DeHaan("The Amazing Spider-Man 2") and Anna Wood (USA's "Falling Water"), the ONE BK Unite Ambassadors, and writer-image activist Michaela Angela Davis, a member of the BCS Board of Directors.

The monies raised at the ONE BK Unite walk will go directly to BCS programs and services. BCS wants to change the math for the 23% of Brooklyn residents who are living in poverty. BCS Top fundraisers were presented awards at the event. The BCS Program Team winners , comprised of BCS staffers and clients, were Community for All ($2,010) and East New York Family Dreamwalkers ($1,335). The Group Winners were BK Winots ($3,010), Soul Steppers ($2,360) and Con Ed BCS Walk team ($1,615). Individual top fundraisers were Lorraine DiPaolo, Claude Pierre-Louis and Janelle Farris, who each raised between $3,000 - $4,000. For the dog category, the top fundraising dog was Rocco, who helped owner Dana Simmons-Greco raise $940.

ONE BK Unite was a fun, family event. Attendees, including BCS staffers and clients, walked either one mile or 3.5 miles throughout the park. There was an energetic warm up yoga session provided by SYNCStudio Bklyn, giveaway prizes, face painting for children and a DJ. Dogs were also part of the ONE BK Unite walk.

Ambassadors DeHaan and Wood, who are Williamsburg residents, strolled with their petite mixed-breed rescue dog, Franny, an adorable rescue pup from California. DeHaan had won raves as Harry Osborn/Green Goblin in smash "Amazing Spider-Man 2"and co-starred in the Beat Poet biopic "Kill Your Darlings" with . In 2017, he will be seen as Valerian in the eagerly awaited ("The Fifth Element") sci-fi flick "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets." Wood, whose been appeared in "Mad Men" and "House of Lies," is now co-starring in the USA Network sci-fi thriller "Falling Water."

"By supporting the ONE BK Unite walk we are hoping to bring awareness to the 23% of Brooklynites living in poverty," said DeHaan. "We want to show our love and support for them and the work that Brooklyn Community Services provides."

Also joining the ONE BK Unite walk was Michaela Angela Davis, the noted CNN and BET News contributor, writer-image activist and member of the BCS Board of Directors. Davis, a longtime Brooklyn resident and community activist, was joined by her daughter Elenni Davis-Knight.

The lead sponsor for ONE BK Unite was PVH. Other sponsors included: New York Mets, SYNCStudio Bklyn, Equinox, The Vale Collective and JUST Water. Each ONE BK Unite participant received a gift bag with: BCS water bottle, Walk T Shirt, New York Mets rallying towel and T shirt, Speedo Goggles, KIND Granola Bar and bottle of JUST Water.

The ONE BK Unite walk is part of the BCS 150th anniversary. ONE BK Unite brings together hundreds of Brooklynites, from all neighborhoods, to walk or donate for this annual event benefitting the work of BCS. The funds raised sustains the 23 BCS programs and services for our 13,000 Brooklynite clients living in poor and low income neighborhoods. For more information, check out www.onebkunite.org. Pictured: Sonya Shields, Chief Officer, External Relations and Advancement, BCS; Michaela Angela Davis, writer-image activist and BCS board member and her daughter Elenni Davis-Knight

Brooklyn Actors Billy Magnussen, Michael Chernus, and More Speak Out on Poverty Through MTA Subway Poster Campaign September 9 10:49 PM2016 by BWW News Desk

Actors Billy Magnussen, Michael Chernus, Will Rogers and Staceyann Chin have joined the Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) 2016 ONE Brooklyn Community MTA Campaign, which launched on September 7 in 36 Brooklyn subway stations, featuring stylized posters illustrating a diverse, hip and eclectic group of Brooklyn movers and shakers who are advocating for poor and low-income Brooklyn residents. The BCS ONE Brooklyn Community MTA campaign's call to action is to help change the math for the 23% of Brooklynites living in poverty through volunteering, advocacy and philanthropy. It features a diverse cross section of 27 actors, musicians, poets, writers, artists, chefs and business owners living in Brooklyn neighborhoods like Bedford Stuyvesant, Williamsburg, Crown Heights, Greenpoint, Park Slope, Ditmas Park and Prospect Heights. BCS, which is currently celebrating its 150th anniversary, has been named a "Best Place to Volunteer in Brooklyn" by Brooklyn Magazine.

"I want to find a way to help Brooklyn continue to grow and evolve without losing its identity, and without marginalizing the people who have called it home for decades," said Will Rogers, the acclaimed Off-Broadway actor (The Submissionand Golden Age) who recently co-starred with Tom Hanks in Steven Spielberg's film Bridge of Spies. "We need to take action before we pass the point of no return. Brooklyn Community Services is giving a voice to those who are not listened to. They believe in unity." Other Brooklyn actors joining the BCS ONE Brooklyn Community MTA campaign include: Billy Magnussen, a Tony nominee for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, who also appeared in Bridge of Spies, and recently as in The People V. OJ Simpson: . Michael Chernus, known for Orange is the New Black, is an Obie winner( In the Wake at The Public Theater) and has appeared in films Captain Phillips, Men in Black 3 and The Bourne Legacy. Chernus shares the ad with his wife, playwright Emily Simoness, who is founder and executive director of SPACE on Ryder Farm, a creative home to playwrights, musicians and dance companies. Staceyann Chin, the spoken word poet, noted as a performer and co-writer for Broadway's Tony-nominated Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam, has a one woman show Motherstruck directed by Cynthia Nixon. Broadway actor-singer-dancer Wesley Taylor, winner of Theater World Award for Rock of Ages and co-star of The Addams Family musical, is known for TV's SMASH and the web series It Could Be Worse. The BCS ONE Brooklyn Community MTA campaign also includes author, entrepreneur, and LGBT advocate Jodie Patterson (founder of Doobop.com and GeorgiaNY.com, who is a frontline activist of her 7 year old transgender son) and entrepreneur Joe Ghartey, Entrepreneur (education & technology). There are musical artists, such as: folk and blues singer and musician Toshi Reagon (who has performed with Lenny Kravitz, Ani Difranco and Elvis Costello and mother Bernice Reagon, historian and founder Sweet Honey in the Rock), bandleader, vocalist and songwriter Dannis Winston (who has performed with Dionne Warwick, Patti LaBelle, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin), singer/songwriterRaye 6 (who has performed with M1 of Dead Prez and Ghostface Killa) and DJ, musical director and arts educator DJ Reborn (who has done music for Common, Talib Kweli, John Legend and India Arie). Visual artists include acclaimed painter, illustrator and collage artist Charlotta Janssen (Civil Rights Freedom Riders art series and owner of Chez Oskar restaurant in Bedford Stuyvesant), photographer Shannon Greer (Perry Ellis, Publics and Target), painter and designer Cacho Falcon (designer of Beyonce and Tina Knowles t-shirt collection and the t-shirt for First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign) and noted visual artist Chitra Ganesh (solo shows atMoMA PS1, Brooklyn Museum, The Andy Warhol Museum and Permanent Collection at MOMA, Philadelphia Museum of Art and Baltimore Museum of Art). The public awareness campaign's creative concept was developed by Grammy nominated singer, model and writerMaiysha Kai, as art director, and visual artist Mark Holthusen, as photographer. The concept blends images of local tastemakers in iconic natives with the clients that BCS serves. "I am really proud to be a part of a campaign that brings attention to the underserved people in Brooklyn," said Ms. Kai. "We want to remind New Yorkers that Brooklyn is more than a destination or a trend."

The campaign is powered by Investors Bank who's Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary,Brian F. Doran, played a leading role to ensure the campaign continues to reach a wide audience. "Investors Bank is committed to partnering with institutions that share our community values and work to empower people in underserved neighborhoods," Mr. Doran stated. "We are very proud to be a part of this important campaign, particularly during the organization's 150th anniversary celebration." "We are deeply grateful to Investors Bank for their support of this timely campaign in the Borough," said Sonya Shields, Chief Officer for External Relations and Advancement at Brooklyn Community Services. "As we watch Brooklyn continue to evolve, it's important that we preserve not only its history, but the livelihood of its native residents. It's a balancing act, but our campaign aims to celebrate Brooklyn's triumphs while also bringing much-needed attention to the 23% who live in poverty in our great borough."

Other participants in the ONE Brooklyn Community Campaign:

Marva and Myriam Babel, Co-Founders/Owners of Ode to Babel Bar and Ode to Babel Preserves & Jams Renae Bluitt, Creator, In Her Shoes Blog & Founder, Crush Media Gordon Chambers, Recording Artist & Award-Winning-Songwriter Calcie Cooper, The Social Broker Nook Will DuBose, Design Architect Ivan Garcia, Chef and Owner of Mesa Coyoacan & Zona Rosa Aliya LeeKong, Chef and Author of Exotic Table Ashley Austin Morris, Comedian/Actress/Writer Imani Uzuri, Vocalist/Composer/Cultural Worker Gerardo Zabaleta, Owner of Mesa Coyoacan and Zona Rosa Restaurants The BCS ONE Brooklyn Community campaign will continue to roll out through the organization's 150th Anniversary celebration. Other initiatives of the ONE Brooklyn Community campaign include BCS's panel discussions, "Brooklyn Stand Up!" and its networking and fundraising events series, ONE BK Social. More information is available atwww.onebrooklyncommunity.org. ABOUT Brooklyn Community Services (BCS)

BCS celebrates the strength of the human spirit, and in 2016, we celebrate our 150th Anniversary. Our mission is to empower at-risk children, youth and families, and adults with mental illness or developmental disabilities to overcome the obstacles they face, as we strive to ensure opportunity for all to learn, grow and contribute to ONE Brooklyn Community. To achieve this mission, we offer comprehensive and holistic services: early childhood education; youth development services and educationally rich after-school programs; counseling for at-risk families; treatment, recovery and job training to support the life goals of adults living with mental illness; person-centered rehabilitation and community living support for adults with developmental disabilities and disaster recovery case management and relief services. BCS also seeks to increase public awareness of the impacts of poverty on individuals and the community at-large. With a staff of over 400 and over 20 sites around the borough, BCS serves 12,000 people every year. Today, BCS is one of the longest serving nonprofit, non-sectarian social service providers in New York City.

OBAMA ENCOURAGES MORE KIDS TO JOIN SCIENCE, TECH COMMUNITIES - PG. 2

NATIONAL NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION

THE NATION’S ONLY BLACK DAILY Reporting and Recording Black History

75 Cents VOL. 45 NO. 30 FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2016 Final VOLUNTEERS SERVICE UNDERSERVED AREAS

More than 300 volunteers brought their skills and muscles to under- dening volunteers at the Brooklyn Community Services Transitional Liv- served neighborhoods in a civic group’s “Spring into Action” project. Gar- ing Community Urban Garden in East New York. SEE PAGE 3.

CONTACT: Fern Gillespie at [email protected] (O) 718-310-5774 (C ) 917-334-9298

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The Speaker’s Bureau at Brooklyn Community Services Brooklyn High School for Leadership and Community Service Celebrates 4th Anniversary Inspiring At-Risk Transfer Students

Brooklyn Movers & Shakers Share Advice with Students on Achieving Over Adversities

Brooklyn, NY (November 15, 2016) – For four years, the Speaker’s Bureau at Brooklyn Community (BCS) Services’ Brooklyn High School for Leadership and Community Service (BHSLCS) has been inspiring the school’s at risk students to dream big, set goals, and continue working hard through talk and mentoring sessions with high profile Brooklynites spanning the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office to Alvin Ailey Dance Company.

Situated in Clinton Hill, BHSLC is a transfer high school for over-age, under-credited youth, ages 16-21. BHSLCS serves 220 students who have either fallen behind their classmates in conventional high school settings, or have previously dropped out. Some of the benefits at BHSLCS include small classes, earn up to 15 credits a year, paid internships, supportive counselors, college bound direction, college tours , Regents preparation and the networking with professionals through the Speaker’s Bureau.

“The Speaker’s Bureau recruits people from a range of professions who are successful and dynamic and doing cool things,” said Steve Williamson, an attorney and BCS board member, who founded and coordinates the program. “The speakers are people who have overcome obstacles and hardships in their life to get where they are. “In this way, our students are not only exposed to new ideas and professions, but also feel a connection to the speakers.”

This November, BCS and Williamson celebrated the Speaker’s Bureau’s fourth anniversary with a special reception at the Brooklyn Marriott featuring students and speakers. After participating in the Speaker’s Bureau, Geo Derice, a motivational speaker and author of “The Thirst is Real: The Teen’s Guide to Maximizing Your True Potential,” continued to mentor the students. “Students text me and tell me about different projects they are working on. The cool thing about it is that mentoring takes education and it kind of fills the gaps,” explained Geo, who grew up in East Flatbush and lives in Sheepshead’s Bay. “I had a young gentleman who graduated a few years ago who was working on a clothing line and he would send me images of the clothing. It’s rewarding to have those types of relationships.”

Kern Edwards, a recent graduate of BHSLCS, found himself disengaged and failing classes at his previous high school. However, at BHSLCS, he found himself enthusiastically balancing classwork and paid internships. In spring 2017, he is enrolled at Kingsborough Community College to study accounting and photography. “I would like to thank all the speakers for guiding me and inspiring me on my journey,” said Edwards. “If they could make it in life, so could I.”

The speakers that have volunteered to participate in the Speaker’s Bureau share their stories, achievements, struggles, and career paths with the students. The speakers are successful professionals, businesspeople and artists and activists who share similarities with the students, either by background, neighborhood, personal struggle, family challenge or ethnicity. Speakers have included: Honorable Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix, Associate Justice of the New York State Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department; Janesse Dawson, an Assistant District Attorney with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office; Tracy Inman, co-Director of The Ailey School at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Jocelyn Cooper co-founder of AfroPunk; George Littlejohn, co-founder and co-owner of Purpose Records; Frantz Pierre-Louis, Jr., a co-founder of Team First and former professional basketball player; Soul Cycle’s Charlee Atkins and Jennifer Daniel, founder of the Princess Chambers prom program.

“The people that come in have had lives like our students have gone through,” said Stacey Fischler, Program Director of BHSLCS. “When they share that story and make that personal connection to our kids, I think it gives them tremendous hope that they can be successful as well.”

BHSLCS continues to welcome positive, inspiring role models to connect with the students through the Speaker’s Bureau. The format is approximately 35 minutes and typically consists of a speech followed by an interactive discussion or Q&A. While the time commitment is short, the positive impact on the kids is huge.

“There is a real need for students to be exposed to all that’s out there in this world,” said Williamson. “The speakers in our program introduce them to many different industries and professions, giving them opportunities to meet and interact with people who inspire and enlighten them.”

For more information on the Speaker’s Bureau at BHSLCS, please check out www.wearebcs.org

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CONTACT: Fern Gillespie at [email protected] (O) 718-310-5774 (C ) 917-334-9298

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hollywood Actors Dane DeHaan and Anna Wood Named ONE BK Unite Ambassadors for the Brooklyn Community Services Walk-A-Thon At Prospect Park on September 25

Brooklyn, NY (September 20, 2016) -- Williamsburg’s celeb married couple Dane DeHaan and Anna Wood are walking to help change the math for the 23 percent of Brooklynites living in poverty as the ONE BK Unite Ambassadors for the Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) walk-a- thon on Sunday, September 25 in Prospect Park.

The ONE BK Unite walk-a-thon starts at the Grand Army Plaza Entrance to Prospect Park. Registration starts at 11:00am and the walk begins at 12:00noon.

DeHaan, who won raves as Harry Osborn/Green Goblin in smash “Amazing Spider-Man 2”and co-starred in the Beat Poet biopic “Kill Your Darlings” with Daniel Radcliffe, will be starring as Valerian in the eagerly awaited Luc Besson (“The Fifth Element”) sci-fi flick “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.” Wood, whose been seen in “Mad Men” and “House of Lies,” recently starred in the CBS legal series “Reckless.”

"Brooklyn changes every day. We are a part of that change,” said DeHaan. “By supporting the ONEBK Unite walk we are hoping to bring awareness to the 23% of Brooklynites living in poverty and show our love and support for them and the work that Brooklyn Community Services provides."

ONE BK Unite participants will walk one mile or walk the whole park in 3.5 miles. There will be a warm up Yoga Session provided by SYNCStudio Bklyn, prizes, face painting for children and a DJ. Dog walkers are invited too. Each ONE BK Unite participant will receive a gift bag with: BCS water bottle, Walk T Shirt, New York Mets rallying towel and T shirt, Speedo Goggles, KIND Granola Bar and bottle of JUST Water. Sponsors include: New York Mets, SYNCStudio Bklyn, Equinox, The Vale Collective, JUST Water and PVH.

The ONE BK Unite walk is part of the BCS 150th anniversary. ONE BK Unite brings together hundreds of Brooklynites, from all neighborhoods, to walk or donate for this annual event benefitting the work of BCS. The funds raised sustain the BCS programs and services that 12,000 Brooklynites living in poor and low income neighborhoods utilize each year. The fee is $10.00 to register for ONE BK Unite and registration is available onsite. For more information, check out www.onebkunite.org

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CONTACT: Fern Gillespie at [email protected] (O) 718-310-5774 (C ) 917-334-9298

BROOKLYN COMMUNITY SERVICES LAUNCHES 2016 “ONE BROOKLYN COMMUNITY” PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN ON BROOKLYN’S 36 MTA SUBWAY PLATFORMS

Brooklyn Actors, Musicians, Poets, Writers, Artists and Entrepreneurs In Poster Campaign to Raise Greater Public Awareness and Community Engagement For 23 Percent of Brooklynites Living in Poverty

(Brooklyn, NY) September 12, 2016- The Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) 2016 ONE Brooklyn Community MTA Campaign launched in September in 36 Brooklyn subway stations with stylized posters illustrating a diverse and eclectic group of Brooklyn movers and shakers who are advocating for poor and low-income Brooklyn residents. The ONE Brooklyn Community campaign’s call to action is to help change the math for the 23% of Brooklynites living in poverty through volunteering, advocacy and philanthropy.

The BCS 2016 ONE Brooklyn Community MTA campaign features a diverse cross section of 15 actors, musicians, poets, writers, artists, and business owners living in Brooklyn neighborhoods like Bedford Stuyvesant, Williamsburg, Crown Heights, Greenpoint, Park Slope, Ditmas Park and Prospect Heights. It spotlights actors Billy Magnussen (Broadway’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and the TV series The People V. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story), Michael Chernus (TV’s Orange is the New Black, Off -Broadway’s In the Wake and film’s Captain Phillips, Men in Black and The Bourne Legacy), Will Rogers (film Bridge of Spies) and Wesley Taylor (Broadway’s Rock of Ages and Addams Family the Musical and TV’s SMASH).

There’s acclaimed spoken-word poet, performer, writer and LGBT activist Staceyann Chin (wrote and performs in her one woman show Motherstruck), playwright Emily Simoness, (founder and executive director of SPACE on Ryder Farm, creative home to playwrights, musicians and dance companies) and author, entrepreneur, and LGBT advocate Jodie Patterson (founder of Doobop.com and GeorgiaNY.com, who is a frontline activist of her 7 year old transgender son).

Musical artists include folk and blues singer and musician Toshi Reagon (who has performed with Lenny Kravitz, Ani Difranco and Elvis Costello and mother Bernice Reagon, historian and founder Sweet Honey in the Rock), bandleader, vocalist and songwriter Dannis Winston (who has performed with Dionne Warwick, Patti LaBelle, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin), singer/songwriter Raye 6 (who has performed with M1 of Dead Prez and Ghostface Killa) and DJ, musical director and arts educator DJ Reborn (who has done music for Common, Talib Kweli, John Legend and India Arie).

Visual artists include acclaimed painter, illustrator and collage artist Charlotta Janssen (Civil Rights Freedom Riders art series and owner of Chez Oskar restaurant in Bedford Stuyvesant), photographer Shannon Greer (Perry Ellis, Publics and Target), painter and designer Cacho Falcon (designer of Beyonce and Tina Knowles t-shirt collection and the t-shirt for First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign) and noted visual artist Chitra Ganesh (solo shows at MoMA PS1, Brooklyn Museum, The Andy Warhol Museum and permanent collection at MOMA, Philadelphia Museum of Art and Baltimore Museum of Art).

The public awareness campaign’s creative concept was developed by Grammy nominated singer, model and writer Maiysha Kai, as art director, and visual artist Mark Holthusen, as photographer. The concept blends images of local tastemakers in iconic natives with the clients that BCS serves. “I am really proud to be a part of a campaign that brings attention to the underserved people in Brooklyn,” said Ms. Kai. “We want to remind New Yorkers that Brooklyn is more than a destination or a trend.”

Jodie Patterson stated why she wanted to participate in the campaign: “As a mom, if I can enlighten others on just one new idea I’ve uncovered, then the world can change. Community is what is needed most right now with less division, less fraction and more collective movement towards light.”

The campaign is powered by Investors Bank who’s Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Brian F. Doran, played a leading role to ensure the campaign continues to reach a wide audience. “Investors Bank is committed to partnering with institutions that share our community values and work to empower people in underserved neighborhoods,” Mr. Doran stated. “We are very proud to be a part of this important campaign, particularly during the organization’s 150th anniversary celebration.”

“We are deeply grateful to Investors Bank for their support of this timely campaign in the Borough,” said Sonya Shields, Chief Officer for External Relations and Advancement at Brooklyn Community Services. “As we watch Brooklyn continue to evolve, it’s important that we preserve not only its history, but the livelihood of its native residents. It's a balancing act, but our campaign aims to celebrate Brooklyn’s triumphs while also bringing much-needed attention to the 23% who live in poverty in our great borough."

The full list of participants in the ONE Brooklyn Community Campaign include:

Raye 6, Singer/Songwriter/Community Activist Marva and Myriam Babel, Co-Founders/Owners of Ode to Babel Bar and Ode to Babel Preserves & Jams Renae Bluitt, Creator, In Her Shoes Blog & Founder, Crush Media Gordon Chambers, Recording Artist & Award-Winning-Songwriter Staceyann Chin, Writer/Performance Artist/Activist Michael Chernus, Actor Calcie Cooper, The Social Broker Nook Will DuBose, Design Architect Cacho Falcon, Visual Artist Ivan Garcia, Chef and Owner of Mesa Coyoacan & Zona Rosa Chitra Ganesh, Visual Artist Joe Ghartey, Entrepreneur, Education & Technology Shannon Greer, Photographer/Eccentric Innkeeper Charlotta Janssen, Painter/Restaurateur (Chez Oskar)/Eccentric Innkeeper Aliya LeeKong, Chef and Author of Exotic Table Billy Magnussen, Actor Ashley Austin Morris, Comedian/Actress/Writer Jodie Patterson, Co-Founder of Doobop.com & LGBT Activist Toshi Reagon, Musician/Composer/Producer/Cultural Instigator DJ Reborn, DJ/Arts Educator/Musical Director Will Rogers, Actor/Writer

Emily Simoness, Executive Director of SPACE on Ryder Farm Wesley Taylor, Actor/Writer/Producer Imani Uzuri, Vocalist/Composer/Cultural Worker Dannis Winston, International Bandleader/Mentor Gerardo Zabaleta, Owner of Mesa Coyoacan and Zona Rosa Restaurants

The BCS ONE Brooklyn Community campaign will continue to roll out through the organization’s 150th Anniversary celebration. Other initiatives of the ONE Brooklyn Community campaign include BCS’s panel discussions, “Brooklyn Stand Up!” and its networking and fundraising events series, ONE BK Social. Brooklyn Community Services has been named a “Best Place to Volunteer in Brooklyn” by Brooklyn Magazine. More information is available at onebrooklyncommunity.org

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Fern Gillespie, [email protected] 718-310-5774/917-334-9298

Mermaids, Pokemon and the Creature from the Black Lagoon Were Top Winners at 26th Annual Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest Presented by Brooklyn Community Services & Astella Development Corp

(Brooklyn, NY) August 24, 2016- Sand sculptures of Three Mermaids, a Pokemon Cell Phone and the Creature from the Black Lagoon thrilled Coney Island beach goers as the top three winners of the 26th Annual Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest presented by Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) and Astella Development Corp on August 20.

The 26th Annual Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest featured approximately 60 sand sculptures created by amateur and semi-professional sand sculptors competing in the family, individual adult and adult group sand sculpting categories. The judges included NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP and Johanna G. Sherman, Vice President, Astella Development Corp and Founder & Chairperson of the Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest. The winners were based on unique creativity and artistic execution. These three winning sand sculptures received a $250 cash prize, a fun time in the sand and sand sculpting bragging rights:

The winners were: Adult Group: “Creature from the Black Lagoon” by Larry Watkins, Dave Bobal and Tom Oldewurtel; Family Group: “Pokemon Cell Phone” by the Allison and Daniel Andrade and their children and Individual Adult: “Three Mermaids” by Jose Aguirre

“What better way to enjoy the summertime than a sand sculpting contest in iconic Coney Island?” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, who was also a judge. “For more than 25 years, people of all ages have flocked to the beach and boardwalk to witness incredible feats of sand artistry, and this year was no different. The contest makes fun and creative use of one of New York City’s most treasured beaches, and Parks is always happy to host it. We thank our generous partners at Brooklyn Community Services, Astella Development Corp., and the Alliance for Coney Island for making this a favorite event for New Yorkers year after year.”

"The 26th Annual Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest was a fun, family day at historic Coney Island beach. The public was thrilled to watch semi-professional and amateur sand sculptors from all over the country create some of the most beautiful and artistic sculptures," said Jodi Querbach, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Programs at Brooklyn Community Services. "This year marks Brooklyn Community Services 150th Anniversary. At BCS we celebrate the strength of the human spirit. We would like to thank the Coney Island community for the opportunity to host this great event."

Attendees included NY State Assembly Member Pamela Harris, a lifelong Coney Island resident; NYC Council Member Mark Treyger; and Marla Simpson, Executive Director, Brooklyn Community Services. The afternoon also featured music by DJ Xlence, the Santos Latin band, Brooklyn Dance Center and Coney Island Brooklyn Public Library’s children’s summer reading program. An original sand sculpture was built on the beach that saluted Brooklyn Community Services’ 150th anniversary, which is a year-long celebration.

The Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest was co-sponsored by Fine Fare Supermarket, State Senator Diane Savino and NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. For more photos, check out Brooklyn Community Services on FACEBOOK or www.wearebcs.org.

# # # CONTACT: Fern Gillespie at [email protected] (O) 718-310-5774 (C ) 917-334-9298

Brooklyn Community Services Raises Over One Million Dollars At 150th Anniversary Kick-Off Gala Event on June 6

Total Includes $500,000 Donation from Charles J. Hamm, Former BCS Board Chairman

(Brooklyn, NY) June 7, 2016 - Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) milestone 150th Anniversary Kick-Off Gala, held June 6 at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, has raised over $1.1 million, a new record for BCS.

“Our BCS 150th Anniversary Kick-Off Gala not only recognized the historic impact of our organization on Brooklynites, it was also a record-breaking financial success. The $1.1 million dollars raised will go directly into the BCS programs,” said Marla Simpson, Executive Director, BCS. “I want to extend a special thank you to Charles Hamm, a longtime BCS supporter and former BCS Chairman of the Board, for a major $500,000 donation. It will make an instrumental impact on BCS clients.”

The elegant 150th Anniversary Kick-Off Gala honored Brooklyn’s visionary trailblazers: philanthropists and long-time BCS supporters Charles J. and Irene Hamm, builder and corporate leader Forest City Ratner Companies, NYC First Lady and mental health care activist Chirlane McCray, BCS program honoree Lanetta Darlington and BCS outstanding service honoree is Ellen Fine Levine. The emcee for the gala was Carla Hall, co-host of ABC’s The Chew and the owner of Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen Restaurant in Brooklyn.

Charles J. and Irene Hamm received the BCS Philanthropic Leadership Award. Charles J. Hamm started his illustrious career in advertising and marketing, becoming Executive Vice President at McCann Erickson. After 24 years in advertising, he became President and CEO of Independence Savings Bank. From its Brooklyn headquarters, he grew the community-based bank from eight branches to 150. In 1998, he founded Independence Community Foundation, now known as the Brooklyn Community Foundation. In addition to his long service on the BCS Board of Directors, including as Chairman, Charlie’s impact has been felt throughout Brooklyn, through his work with such great institutions as Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Pratt Institute. Former Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz, presented the award to Mr. and Mrs. Hamm.

Chirlane McCray, the First Lady of the City of New York, received the BCS Civic Leadership Award “BCS has always been as vigorous and dynamic as Brooklyn itself, “ stated Ms. McCray, a longtime Brooklyn resident and community advocate. “Throughout its history, the organization has been at the forefront of movements that would go on to change the world.” A graduate of Wellesley College, she began her career as writer, editor and marketing analyst with Redbook, Essence and other magazines. She served as a speechwriter for Mayor David Dinkins and New York State Comptroller Carl McCall. As First Lady, she also serves as Chair of the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City. An outspoken advocate of the need to break the stigma associated with mental illness and expand access to care, Ms. McCray joined Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2015 to release a groundbreaking mental health roadmap, ThriveNYC. Today, she spearheads the City’s efforts to transform mental health care throughout all communities. “In 2016, BCS joined with Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration to partner with the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City on a very important initiative called Connections to Care,” she said. “It’s a signature initiative of Thrive NYC that is bringing mental health resources into the 15 organizations that already provide to the most vulnerable New Yorkers.” The presenter was Michael Berry, a mental health advocate and former BCS client.

Forest City Ratner Companies received the BCS Corporate Leadership Award. Forest City’s leadership in the construction of Downtown Brooklyn paved the way for the economic boom Brooklyn is experiencing today. From the MetroTech Center in 1992 to Atlantic Center in 2004 to Barclays Center in 2012, Forest City has built with a deep seated belief in Brooklyn and the people who live here. Bruce C. Ratner, Forest City Ratner's Executive Chairman and former member of the BCS Board of Directors and MaryAnne Gilmartin, Forest City Ratner’s President and CEO, accepted the award on behalf of the company. “Forest City Ratner is not only committed to the borough of Brooklyn to insure that we have solid buildings, but we have solid families. Some of the people who will live in this new housing believe that they were not deserving of having a quality life. They felt that displacement was equal to development and Bruce changed that,” said presenter Eric L. Adams, Brooklyn Borough President. “You cannot be judged by brick and mortar. You must be judged on how you build people.”

Lanetta Darlington received the BCS Program Leadership Award. Ms. Darlington attended the BCS Gary Klinsky Children's Centers (GKCC) after-school program at P.S. 149 in East New York as a child. Her parents, who emigrated to Brooklyn from Guyana, inspired Lanetta to focus on academics. She graduated as high school salutatorian and earned an accounting degree from NYU. During high school, she worked as a teacher's aide with GKCC at P.S. 149, mentoring students. Today, she is a successful financial analyst at New York Presbyterian. She remains committed to GKCC as a volunteer and is also involved in community work in her East New York neighborhood, where she continues to reside with her husband and daughter. Steven Klinsky, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of New Mountain Capital, a former BCS Board member and long-time benefactor of the GKCC program, presented the award. “Without a doubt, GKCC has had a great impact in my life,” said Ms. Darlington. “The program taught me to be curious and not complacent. Asking questions such as ‘what’, ‘if,’’ how,’ and ‘why?” I learned the importance of creativity and knowing that it’s ok to think differently. That knowing that I had something special to offer.”

Ellen Fine Levine – BCS ONE Brooklyn Community Outstanding Service Award. Ms. Levine is Vice-Chair and Treasurer of the BCS Board of Directors. Through her exemplary service on the BCS Board since 2007, Ms. Levine has had a lasting impact on BCS and all those we serve. Until her retirement in 2015, Ms. Fine Levine was Managing Director and Executive Client Officer of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), and previously, the company’s Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. She is a Certified Public Accountant and Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the NY State Society of Certified Public Accountants. She also serves on the Dean's Advisory Board of the UAlbany School of Business and Chairs the Gotham Comedy Foundation's Board of Advisors. Edward Gentner, Esq., Senior Counsel at Cullen and Dykman LLP and Vice-Chair of the BCS Board of Directors, presented the award.

Monday night’s gala had a record number of corporate and individual sponsors. Proceeds of the gala will support BCS programming.

In addition to signature event support from honorees Charles and Irene Hamm and Forest City Ratner Companies, BCS’s major gala sponsors and donors include: Bala Consulting Engineers, Robert Catell, CBRE, Citi, Louis Colombo, Con Edison, Corcoran, Cullen & Dykman, Cydean Group, Depository Trust & Clearing Corp, Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh, Lorraine DiPaolo, Alan Fishman, Gartner, Edward Gentner, Goldman Sachs, Greenberg Traurig, Investors Bank, Steven Klinsky, Charlie Lewis, M.C. O’Brien, Gerry McGinley, Robert Morgano, The New York Jets Foundation, The New York Mets, Optimum, Park Strategies, Pinnacle City Living, PVH, Susan Rifkin, Signature Construction, Susan Skerritt, Uber, Jonathan Weld and The Wright Group.

Please connect to BCS on Facebook, LinkedIn, , Instagram or at www.wearebcs.org.

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CONTACT: Fern Gillespie 718-310-5774 917-334-9298 [email protected]

Brooklyn Community Services Holds Panel Discussion and Resource Hub Brooklyn Stand Up! Breaking the Stigma of Mental Illness on March 28 at St. Francis College Moderated by BET and CNN Correspondent Michaela angela Davis

ThriveNYC Study Estimates the 1 in 5 New Yorkers Affected by Some Form of Mental Illness

Brooklyn, NY (March 23, 2016) To confront the debilitating effect of mental illness on Brooklyn’s low income communities, Brooklyn Community Services (BCS), will host the summit Brooklyn Stand Up! Breaking the Stigma of Mental Illness, a panel discussion and Mental Health Resource Hub moderated by BET and CNN correspondent Michaela angela Davis on March 28 at St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street in Brooklyn from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. It is free to the public.

In 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray released ThriveNYC, a major study by the City, estimating that 1 in 5 New Yorkers is affected by some form of mental illness – including depression. According to a 2011 study by the CDC, African Americans and Hispanics living below the poverty level are three times more likely to report psychological distress.

Brooklyn Stand Up! Breaking the Stigma of Mental Illness is designed to raise public awareness, inspire dialogue, connect our attendees to resources, and strengthen community support of those living with a mental illness. A group of distinguished panelists will discuss symptoms and access to treatment, myths about mental illness, crisis response, available resources and services, and practical advice to support friends and family members who are dealing with someone with a mental illness. The panel will be followed by access to the Mental Health Resource Hub, where attendees can gain access to information and consult with mental health professionals. In addition, the hub will have information on holistic methods in modifying stress: yoga, gardening, exercise, diet and more.

The moderator Michaela angela Davis is a multi-talented media expert, who is a former Essence fashion beauty and culture editor, editor-in-chief of Honey and creative consultant for the rebranding of BET. Currently, she’s BET's editorial brand manager, a CNN contributor and on the BCS board of directors. As a journalist, she’s covered on the stigma of mental illness for Ebony.com, CNN.com and other media outlets.

“African Americans need less silence in our families about mental illness and more education and access to affordable services in our communities. There are many historic and systemic reasons why Blacks don’t seek mental health services, but I am hopeful that this generation will seize the moment and break the cycle of stigma,” said Davis. “The most powerful thing we can do is let go of the shame, share our stories and seek support.”

The panelist include: Terrie Williams, MSW, award-winning public relations executive and author of Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting on the impact mental illness on the African-American community; Alistair Blake, Psychotherapist and Program Director of BCS Metro Club PROS; Wendy Brennan, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) NYC Metro; Megan Crowe-Rothstein, Director of Social Work at the Urban Justice Center Mental Health Project; Kenneth J. Dudek, President of Fountain House and Suzanne M.L. Colin, Ph.D., Psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine and former President of the Association of Hispanic Mental Health Professionals (AHMHP).

“For over 25 years, BCS has been on the frontline in providing holistic services for people living in underserved neighborhoods,” said Marla Simpson, Executive Director of BCS. “At BCS, our staff sees first- hand that access to mental health services is so often inextricably linked to our clients’ ability to meet many of the challenges they face in their daily lives – from unemployment, to housing insecurity, to crises affecting families, children and youth. BCS’s mission is to empower clients and assist them in overcoming all these obstacles so we can all contribute to ONE Brooklyn Community. Access to mental health care is essential to that goal.”

BCS has several leading mental health outreach programs in Brooklyn that focus on the needs of adults, teens and families: BCS Brooklyn Community PROS and Metro Club PROS (Personalized Recovery Oriented Services), East New York Clubhouse, Transitional Living Community (helps homeless women transition to permanent housing) and Youth Stand United for young people ages 16 to 21. BCS is part of the statewide Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) initiative and is also participating in the recently announced ThriveNYC “Connections to Care” initiative, partnering with Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.

Some of the nonprofits in the Mental Health Resource Hub include: Institute for Community Living (ICL), National Alliance on Mental Illness, A Gotham Health Center East New York (NYC Health &Hospitals), The Bridge, Fountain House and Urban Justice Center.

Join the conversation with Brooklyn Community Services at www.wearebcs.org, FACEBOOK, Twitter and Instagram at @wearebcs. For more information and registration on Brooklyn Stand Up! Breaking the Stigma of Mental Illness, please contact: WeAreBCS.org/BKStandUp.

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