bronxfree press - Grace Outreach

Transcription

bronxfree press - Grace Outreach
BRONX
JULY 6 - JULY 12, 2011 • VoLUme 2 - No. 27
The
FREE PRESS
the community’s bilingual newspaper
el periódico bilingüe de la comunidad
The Grace-ful
Graduates
Las aLumnas de distinción
P3
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
The Long Reach of Grace
Story by Adrian Cabreja
Photos by Leo Sorel
“I’m very proud,” said Eddie
Sánchez.
He spoke with affection as he
stood beside the elegant woman
in white.
The couple was beaming, and
stood close together as they
waited for the ceremony to
begin.
But this was no wedding.
These two are already married.
“It’s never too late to get
an education,” said his wife,
Rebecca Sánchez, whose broad
smile was infectious.
She would know.
She is 56 years old, and she
was graduating.
Finally.
Sánchez, and her beaming
husband, were one of the 140
women and their families
in attendance in a packed
auditorium
at
Immaculate
Conception School on East
151st Street in the Bronx this
past Thursday, June 23rd for
their Commencement exercises.
It was a distinctive – and
distinct – graduating class.
Composed entirely of women,
of varying ages and backgrounds,
see GRACE p10
Grace Outreach is the only tuition-free GED program
designed specifically for women in the South Bronx.
Grace Outreach es el único programa de GED gratuito diseñado
específicamente para las mujeres en el Sur del Bronx.
Una búsqueda por la gracia – y la graduación
Historia por Adrian Cabreja
Fotos por Leo Sorel
“Estoy bien orgulloso”, dijo Eddie Sánchez.
Habló con afecto mientras se paraba al lado de
la elegante mujer en blanco.
La pareja estaba brillando, y estaban parados
cerca mientras esperaban por la ceremonia que
comenzara.
Pero esto no era una boda. Estos dos ya
estaban casados.
“Nunca es tarde para conseguir una educación”,
dijo su esposa Rebecca Sánchez, cuya amplia
sonrisa era contagiosa.
Ella sabría.
Ella tiene 56 años, y se estaba graduando.
Finalmente.
Sánchez, junto a su brillante esposo, era una
de las 140 mujeres y familiares que asistieron a
un nutrido auditorio en la Escuela la Inmaculada
Concepción en el este de la Calle 151 en el Bronx
este pasado jueves, 23 de junio para sus ejercicios
de inicio.
Era una distintiva – y distinta – clase
graduándose.
Compuesta completamente de mujeres, de
varias edades y orígenes, los logros presentados
fueron mucho más allá que los grados otorgados.
Grace Outreach, una organización sin fines
vea GRACIA p4
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JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
GRACIA de p3
de lucro la cual fue fundada en el 2004 por
Margaret Grace, comenzó como un centro
educativo de GED sirviendo a mujeres de bajos
recursos del Sur del Bronx.
Desde su fundación, más de 600 mujeres
han recibido sus grados.
La mujer en Grace Outreach tiene muchas
diferentes razones de no haber terminado su
escuela superior. Algunas de las estudiantes
fueron victimas de violencia domestica. Otras
eran madres solteras que encontraron difícil el
encontrar el tiempo para seguir una educación
mientras también atendían a sus niños.
Algunos eran simplemente estudiantes cuyas
necesidades no eran vistas por los modelos
educativos existentes, y quienes no eran
animadas ni motivadas para permanecer en la
escuela.
Tradicionalmente, las probabilidades estaban
en contra de ellas.
Los vecinos del barrio de Mott Haven, uno
de los distritos más pobres del Congreso en
la nación, ha tenido históricamente un bajo
promedio de graduación.
Esta no era una ceremonia típica.
Las mujeres de Gracia han enfrentado
grandes obstáculos para conseguir una
educación, las clases de reto que lo hacen, en
muchos casos, imposible.
Lois Grogan, una madre de 34 años, creció
en East River Houses en East Harlem y ahora
vive en el Bronx River Houses en la Calle 174.
La vida de Grogan, ella es la primera en
decirlo, ha sido difícil: pobreza, niñez dolorosa,
drogas, cárcel.
“Fue difícil”, explica Grogan, de su
crecimiento.
Pero también es rápida en aceptar
responsabilidad de sus decisiones.
“Yo escogí seguir a la gente equivocada”,
dijo ella. “He experimentado prisión. Nunca he
estado en drogas fuertes, pero si vendí para
vivir”.
Cargos por drogas se convirtieron en cuatro
sentencias de cárcel separadas para Lois,
abarcando sus años de adolescencia. Su última
sentencia, la cual duró dos años, terminó en
el 1998, cuando tenía 21 años. Rápido luego
de llegar a la casa bajo libertad condicional,
se enteró que estaba embarazada de su hija
Ariyanna.
“Me di cuenta que finalmente era tiempo de
enderezar mi vida”, dijo ella.
Un amigo la introdujo a los programas de
Grace Outreach, Grogan firmó cuando llegó el
tiempo de la inscripción.
Y a pesar de la introducción de nuevas
tensiones en su vida en ese momento,
incluyendo el diagnóstico de cáncer de su
padre, y las luchas personales de su hija con la
escuela, Grogan no fue disuadida.
Aprobó el examen de GED luego de dos
meses con los instructores de Grace Outreach.
Y obtuvo un total de 2,500 puntos, 250 puntos
por encima del punto para pasarlo.
Ella reconoce a sus seguidores, incluyendo
su familia, y los maestros y empleados en
Grace Outreach la ayudaron a enfocarse.
“Yo veo a personas y les digo, ‘estoy de
regreso en la escuela y ellos dice, ‘así es”, dice
ella. “Y ahora, con mi GED, ellos dicen, ‘eso es
lo que está sucediendo’”.
Aunque Grace Outreach comenzó
principalmente en el 2004 como un centro
educativo de GED, se ha expandido
considerablemente. Ha crecido a una
agencia más diversificada que también ofrece
programas de preparación para universidades,
clases especializadas de ‘Math Boot Camp’, en
una gran diversidad de servicios de carreras y
eventos.
La meta es proveer un apoyo comprensivo
a los estudiantes y graduandos cuando
comienzan el colegio, entrenamiento vocacional
y nuevas carreras.
La adquisición del GED, argumenta Andrew
Rubinson, director ejecutivo en Grace Outreach,
es transformadora y de largo alcance.
“Estamos aquí para celebrar”, explica
Rubinson, “y un mejoramiento que contribuirá a
la construcción del Bronx”.
La oportunidad para estas mujeres, explica
él, para ser más económicamente seguras
persiguiendo su educación y adquiriendo
un entrenamiento real de trabajo, crea un
nuevo modelo para el éxito y rompe ciclos de
desesperación.
Los 13 experimentados empleados de Grace
Outreach, incluyen tutores y maestros. La
organización no cobra por la matrícula, y trabaja
de cerca con sus estudiantes para prepararlos
y darles una fuerte fundación en matemáticas,
lectura y escritura. También busca reconocer
áreas especificas de debilidad académica, las
cuales para algunos individuos, podría haber
llevado a previos fallidos intentos en obtener el
GED en otras instituciones.
Ivy de Jesús, de 37 años residente del Bronx
quien creció en Co-op City con sus padre
puertorriqueños, es otra orgullosa graduada en
blanco.
Pero su historia, como las otras, es un poco
más complicada.
De Jesús tomó el examen de GED tres veces
y fracasó cada vez.
Previamente, a Ivy nunca antes se le había
informado de las secciones en las que había
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JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
tenido problemas. Pero en Grace Outreach, sus
maestros pudieron reconocer donde necesitaba
asistencia adicional y tutoría, lo cual era en
partes de matemáticas en el examen.
Inscribieron a De Jesús en un programa
intensivo de matemáticas. Desde enero hasta
abril de este pasado año, tomó clases de
matemáticas todo el día.
Tomó el examen una cuarta vez y lo aprobó,
teniendo una puntuación de 70 puntos sobre el
punto para pasar en matemáticas.
Ahora se prepara para caminar con sus
compañeros graduandos.
Cuando se le preguntó como encontró la
resistencia para tomar el examen una cuarta
vez, ella señala hacia sus hijos y dijo, “ellos son
mi resistencia”.
Para hacer el día aun más memorable, esta
es la segunda graduación en la familia hoy.
Jalah, su hija de 6 años, se gradúo de Jardín
Infantil en la mañana. “Orgullosa”, dijo la
pequeña niña, cuando se le pregunta como se
siente acerca de su madre. “Orgullosa”, vuelve
a decir.
De Jesús desea continuar una carrera en
psicología y especializarse en psicología de
adolescentes. Y ella no está sola mirando hacia
delante.
Muchos de sus compañeras ya han
comenzado a tomar pasos definitivos para
nuevos futuros. Veinte de las graduadas han
aplicado y fueron aceptados en universidades.
Armados con su GED, muchos de los
estudiantes están buscando nuevos trabajos y
buscando una educación superior en un año o
dos.
vea GRACIA p10
Steel and Grass: Art comes to the Park
By Adrian Cabreja
This past Tues., June 28 th, the Van
Cortlandt Park Administration and
Conservancy, in partnership with the Arts
Students League of New York, unveiled
a 12-foot tall theatrical mask made of
aluminum and steel. The sculpture was
created by seven artists from the Arts
Student League.
The unveiling was a significant occasion,
as it celebrated a five year partnership
between the Arts Students League of New
York and the City Department of Parks
and Recreation. The partnership, named
the Model to Monument program (M2M),
is an innovative program that promotes
sculpture and other arts in public areas
and parks.
“We are hoping that this art piece
attracts people to see the charms of this
park,” said Ira Goldberg, Director of the
Arts Student League of New York.
The City Parks Department is initiating
M2M as a city-wide project that will
look to ensure that art is brought to all
communities throughout New York.
Van Cortlandt Park is participating in
the city-wide initiative.
“Van Cortlandt is one of our preeminent
parks, but has been historically under
served by public art projects,” said
Jonathan Kuhn, Director of Art &
Antiquities at the Parks Department.
Margot
Perron,
Administrator
and President Van Cortlandt Park
Conservancy, hopes that the sculptural
piece will serve to attract more visitors
to the park.
“It is our pre-eminent park,” explains
Perron of the City’s fourth largest park.
There are more than a thousand acres of
parkland in Van Cortlandt Park, where
playing fields and playgrounds abound.
The park also boasts the country’s first
public golf course, the borough’s largest
freshwater lake, and the oldest house in
the Bronx.
And it is at the site of that house, the
Van Cortlandt Park Museum House, that
the sculpture was erected.
The theatrical mask was placed just
The 12-foot tall aluminum and steel sculpture was born out of the Model to Monument program (M2M), a five year partnership
between the Arts Students League of New York and the City Department of Parks and Recreation, that promotes sculpture and
other arts in public areas and parks.
La escultura de12 pies hecha de aluminio y acero fue creada como resultado del programa “Modelo a Monumento (M2M)”, una asociación entre la Art Students
League y el Departamento de Parques y Recreación de la ciudad, que promueve la escultura y otras artes en áreas públicas y parques.
south of the house, a gathering space
where, traditionally, visitors have come
to enjoy live theater and music, and other
presentations. The area was also favored
because the student artists were attracted
to its open space.
Still, there were challenges.
Anchoring the structure to the ground
was said to have been the largest hurdle.
Engineers had planned a specific way of
securing the structure, but when digging
holes, they came upon landfill. The
students had to dig it out by hand because
they couldn’t get large equipment into
the location.
“I’m very proud and exhausted,” said
student artist Nao Shay. “We did a lot of
last minute work.”
Other League student artists who
worked on the mask include Elizabeth
Allison, John Balsamo, Allston Chapman,
Akihiro Ito, Selva Sanjines, and Matthew
White.
The project took a year to build and
place.
Perron encourages residents to visit
and view the mask for themselves.
“It will be fun to watch in different
seasons with the leaves changing colors
around it,” she explained, “how it
weathers with the rain, how it will look
in the snow.”
The mask will remain on-site at Van
Cortlandt Park until May 2012.
Hierro y césped: Arte Llega a Van Cortland
Por Adrián Cabreja
Este pasado martes, 28 de junio la
Administración y Conservación del Parque Van
Cortlandt, en asociación con la “Art Students
League” de Nueva York, develaron una máscara
teatral de 12 pies de altura hecha de aluminio y
acero. La escultura fue creada por siete artistas
de la Art Students League.
El develado fue una significativa ocasión,
ya que celebraba cinco años de asociación
entre la Art Students Leaguey el Departamento
de Parques y Recreación de la ciudad. La
asociación, llamada el programa Modelo a
Monumento (M2M), es un programa innovador
que promueve la escultura y otras artes en
áreas públicas y parques.
“Esperamos que esta pieza de arte atraiga
personas a ver los encantos de este parque”,
dijo Ira Goldberg, Directora de la Art Students
League.
El Departamento de Parques de la ciudad
está iniciando M2M como un proyecto a nivel
de la ciudad que busca asegurarse que el arte
sea llevado a todas las comunidades a través
de Nueva York.
El Parque Van Cortlandt está participando en
la iniciativa de la ciudad.
“Van Cortlandt es uno de nuestros parques
por excelencia, pero ha sido históricamente
poco servido por proyectos públicos de
arte”, dijo Jonathan Kuhn, Director de Arte y
Antigüedades del Departamento de Parques.
Margot Perron, Administradora y Presidenta
de Conservación del Parque Van Cortlandt,
espera que la pieza escultural sirva para atraer
más visitantes al parque.
“Es nuestro parque más destacado”, explica
Perron del cuarto parque más grande de la
ciudad. Hay más de mil acres de tierra en el
Parque Van Cortlandt, donde abundan los
campos de juego y jardines infantiles.
El parque también posee el primer campo de
golf público del país, el lago de agua dulce más
grande del condado y la casa más vieja en el
Bronx.
Y fue en el sitio de esta casa, el Van
Cortlandt Park Museum House, donde fue
erigida la escultura.
La máscara teatral fue colocada justo al
sur de la casa, un lugar de reunión donde,
tradicionalmente, los visitantes venían a
disfrutar teatro y música en vivo, y otras
presentaciones. El área también fue favorecida
porque los estudiantes artistas fueron atraídos
por su espacio abierto; aunque hubo retos.
El anclar la estructura al suelo fue uno de
los mayores problemas. Los ingenieros habían
planeado una manera específica de asegurar la
estructura, pero cuando se comenzaron a cavar
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
huecos, se encontraron con vertederos. Los
estudiantes tuvieron que cavar a mano porque
no podían llevar equipo grande al lugar.
“Estoy bien orgullosa y extenuada”, dijo el
artista estudiante Nao Shay. “Hicimos mucho
trabajo de último minuto”.
Otros artistas estudiantes de la Liga quien
trabajó en la máscara lo fueron Elizabeth
Allison, John Balsamo, Allston Chapman,
Akihiro Ito, Selva Sanjines y Matthew White.
El proyecto tomó un año para ser construido y
colocado.
Perron insta a los residentes a visitar y ver la
máscara por si mismos.
“Será divertido el ver las diferentes
estaciones con las hojas cambiando de color a
su alrededor”, explicó, “como es con la lluvia y
como se verá en la nieve”.
La máscara permanecerá en el sitio en el
Parque Van Cortlandt hasta mayo del 2012.
Mike Made Northern Manhattan His Home
by Luis Miranda
Mike Fitelson, our beloved Associate
Publisher, has often come to me to tell
me that it’s time to spread his wings. I’ve
always been able to convince him that
anything that he wants to do is compatible
with his work at the Manhattan Times. I
would remind him of the many projects
we have done together – from starting the
Uptown Arts Stroll in 2003 to creating
NoMAA in 2007 to publishing our annual
Northern Manhattan Dining Guide – and
in the end we would agree that he needed
to stay at the Manhattan Times.
This spring, he approached me again
saying that it was time to try different
things. And once again I was able to
convince him that he still had it in him to
keep on informing the people of Northern
Manhattan and, through the Bronx
Free Press, the Bronx, about what was
happening in our communities. But this
time, with the arrival of a new daughter
just around the corner and with his desire
to continue his professional development,
when he said that it was “time to go,” I
decided that the time had come to put my
guard down and put aside my desire to
make him feel guilty for leaving.
So it is that after nearly a decade as
colleagues at the Manhattan Times, Mike
is heading down a new professional path,
leaving behind his corner desk in our
offices at 5030 Broadway and becoming
a contributor to the newspaper. Let me be
clear, while Mike will no longer be our
Associate Publisher, he will continue to
partner with us and, most importantly, he
won’t be abandoning our neighborhood.
Nevertheless, we are going to miss him.
Nine years ago, when Mike knocked
on our doors at 5000 Broadway, I was
captivated by his enthusiasm, his energy,
and the optimism that he radiated. I
thought, “This is one of those crazies
from California who sees the world
through rose-colored glasses.” Our editor
then, Nicki Britton, told me “this guy
is good, a great photographer and with
a desire to lay down roots in Northern
Manhattan.” Even though I’m usually
somewhat suspicious of strangers, Mike
won me over immediately.
Mike doesn’t speak Spanish but he
has established relationships with more
Latinos than many Hispanics I know.
For years, whenever I went to a local
event in the area, leaders would pull me
aside to tell me: “Mike is great. He calls
us regularly to see what is going on and
when we reach out to him he’s always
there.” Anyone who has worked with
Mike immediately discovers his affable
character, his sense of humor, and his
innate curiosity. He’s a great writer, a
first-class photographer, and a wonderful
colleague.
The Arts Stroll, which is now a monthlong celebration, began in 2003 because
Mike had the idea of organizing the
area’s artists with the Manhattan Times
playing a key role in this effort. In those
Mike Fitelson, seen here with his
daughter emceeing the 2010 Uptown
Arts Stroll kickoff, is reducing his role
at the Manhattan Times after nearly
nine years. PHOTO Sirin Samman
first years, with few resources but with
an abundant supply of energy and vision,
Mike was able to get dozens of restaurants,
institutions and community agencies to
participate in the Stroll. As is usual with
Mike, when NoMAA was created he had
no problem handing over the reins of the
event to a new organization whose stated
mission was the development of the arts
in the area. That’s because Mike is so
sure of himself, and has such a healthy
ego, that he doesn’t need continuous
backslapping.
Northern Manhattan lucked out
when Mike decided to settle here. The
Manhattan Times lucked out when this
great neighbor knocked on our doors
asking how he could work with us. His
colleagues and I know that when this real
leader is by your side, you have already
won half the battle. I have no doubt
that Mike and I will continue along the
same path, organizing events and still
committed to the residents of Northern
Manhattan, all because Mike made
Northern Manhattan his home.
Mike: Plantó Bandera en el Alto Manhattan
Por Luis Miranda
En varias ocasiones, Mike Fitelson, nuestro
querido associate publisher, me ha dicho que
ya era tiempo de comenzar a diversificar su
portafolio. Yo siempre lo convenzo de que
todo es compatible con su vocación en el
Manhattan Times. Le recuerdo los muchos
embelecos que hemos hecho juntos - desde
la creación del Paseo de las Artes en el 2003,
hasta el desarrollo de NoMAA en el 2007 y la
publicación de la guía de restaurantes del Alto
Manhattan - y al final concluimos que se tiene
que quedar en el Manhattan Times.
El año pasado vino con la misma cantaleta:
de que ya era tiempo de hacer otras cosas. Y
una vez más lo convencí de que todavía le
quedaba energía para seguir informándole a
los residentes del Alto Manhattan, y a los del
Bronx, con la apertura del Bronx Free Press,
del acontecer comunal. Pero esta vez, con
la llegada de su nueva hija a la vuelta de
la esquina y su deseo de proseguir con su
desarrollo profesional, cuando me dijo, “ha
llegado el momento”, decidí que tenía que bajar
la guardia y tragarme el deseo de hacerlo sentir
culpable.
Así que después de casi una década de
ser colegas en el Manhattan Times, Mike
da un nuevo paso profesional, abandona su
escritorio en la esquina de nuestras oficinas en
el 5030 de Broadway, y se convierte en nuestro
colaborador. Déjenme aclarar – aunque Mike
deja de ser nuestro associate publisher, seguirá
colaborando, y sobre todo, su estrellato no
abandonará nuestro vecindario. Pero todos lo
vamos ha echar de menos.
Cuando hace nueve años, Mike tocó nuestras
puertas en el 5000 de Broadway, me cautivó su
entusiasmo, su energía y el positivismo que su
personalidad radiaba. Pensé, “este es uno de
esos locos de California con una visión color
de rosa de la vida.” Nicki Britton, la entonces
editora, me decía “este muchacho es bueno,
T: 212-569-5800 F: 212-544-9545
www.thebronxfreepress.com
[email protected]
5030 Broadway, Suite 801
New York, NY 10034
PUBLISHERS
Roberto Ramirez Sr.
Luis A. Miranda Jr.
David Keisman
ASSOCIATE
PUBLISHER
Mike Fitelson
tremendo fotógrafo y con deseo de echar raíces
en el Alto Manhattan.” Y aunque yo siempre
soy medio arisco con los que no conozco, Mike
conquistó mi corazón de inmediato.
Mike no habla español pero ha establecido
relaciones con más latinos que muchos
hispanos que yo conozco. Por años, mientras
asistía a eventos en el área, los líderes me
decían, “Mike es estupendo. Nos llama
con regularidad a ver que está pasando, y
cuando nosotros lo contactamos, siempre dice
presente.” Todo el que ha trabajado con Mike
de inmediato descubre su carácter afable, su
sentido del humor y su curiosidad innata. Es un
gran escritor, un fotógrafo de primera y un buen
compañero de trabajo.
El Paseo de las Artes que ahora celebramos
por un mes, comenzó en el 2003 porque Mike
tenía una idea para organizar a los artistas
del área, con el Manhattan Times jugando un
papel importante. En esos primeros años,
con pocos recursos pero con energía y visión,
EDITOR
Debralee Santos
EDITORIAL
STAFF
Gloria Pazmino
PRODUCTION
suzanne bell
Mike consiguió que docenas de restaurantes,
instituciones y agencias comunales participaran
en el Paseo. Como es característico de
Mike, cuando se creó NoMAA, no tuvo ningún
problema pasándole las riendas del evento a
la nueva institución que tenía como misión el
desarrollo de las artes en el área. Y es que
Mike es tan seguro de quien es, su ego es tan
saludable, que no necesita espaldarazos de
aprobación continuamente.
En el Alto Manhattan tuvimos suerte cuando
Mike terminó en nuestros lares. El Manhattan
Times tuvo suerte que este gran vecino terminó
tocando a nuestras puertas para ver como
podía colaborar. Este servidor, Luis Miranda, y
todos los que comparten con Mike saben que si
este líder genuino esta de tu lado, ya ganaste la
mitad de la batalla. No tengo duda de que Mike
y yo seguiremos del mismo bando, organizando
embelecos y comprometidos con los vecinos
del Alto Manhattan, porque Mike plantó bandera
en nuestra comunidad.
SALES
ASSOCIATE
Adrian Cabreja
TRANSLATORS
John Gutierrez
Yamilla Miranda
ONLINE
ADMINISTRATOR
Tony Reyes
DISTRIBUTION
MANAGER
Landa M. Towns
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
By Debralee Santos
I LOVE THE BRONX :
Hunts Point Produce Market
Contributed by Nilka Martell
As part of our ongoing BFP series
highlighting the various favorite spaces,
things and people of many of our readers,
we turn to Nilka Martell, who continues
to explore her hometown.
“I am a Bronx native, daughter, sister,
mother of three beautiful Bronx babies,
photographer, writer and motivator,” says
Martell, of Puerto Rican descent.
A paralegal for over 17 years until
December 2010, she has since been
dedicating her time to exploring the
Bronx.
Her energy and enthusiasm are
indefatigable, and admirable.
“I want to make my fellow residents
aware and informed of how lovely our
borough is, what it offers, and how to
lend a helping hand in our environment.”
Of this new time in her life, Martell
says, “I have never felt so alive!”
She writes to us this week about
the Point – and a bit about pride, both
personal and historical.
Over 19 years ago I worked at the
Hunts Point Produce Market.
I was young, and my folks were
adamant that I take the bus there. But I
defied them; my curiosity, then as now,
was too great. Instead, I often took the
train to Hunts Point and walked the rest
of the way.
It afforded me the opportunity to
observe mi gente - how my Puerto Rican
people, despite concerns about crime and
economic hardships, smiled, laughed,
played music, danced in the streets and
waved our flag, proudly, from street
lamps, fire escapes and windows.
Yes, there were some blocks that were
potentially dangerous.
But that didn’t stop me, and I spoke to
everyone who gave me a chance, in an
effort to hear their story.
I still walk around the Hunts Point area,
and things have changed.
While Puerto Rican flags still wave
and music still plays, the streets are safer
and cleaner.
I find myself awed by the history of the
Hunts Point area. Amazing structures,
like the Bank Note Building and the
Corpus Christi Monastery, and sites
like the Joseph Rodman Drake Park (the
cemetery) help keep Bronx history alive.
Hunts Point is named after a landowner
of long ago, Thomas Hunt, and the
surrounding streets, Drake, Halleck,
Longfellow, Leggett, Tiffany, Casanova,
Whittier, all represent prominent people
– the landed gentry – who once inhabited
this land.
On Lafayette Avenue and Edgewater
Road, there is a small park – the Hunts
Point Riverside Park. One of its best
assets is its location – right next to the
Bronx River!
I took a stroll there this week and found
the Parks Department cleaning up the
park and pruning the beautiful flowers
that provide so much color and green life
this park.
The sprinklers were on and kids were
laughing and running around, seeking
refugee from the hot weather. Three
cement boats and seashells provide a
sitting area within the sprinkler area –
creating a feel for the time when Indians
and early European settlers used this
River for travel.
Along the River there is a boat launch.
“Rocking the Boat” sponsors free
canoe paddling every Saturday between
the hours of 12 – 5 pm. The park itself
provides a sitting area where you can read
a book by the River or simply soak in the
rays. There are also grills and tables for
barbequing and picnicking.
This quiet little park nestled in this
industrial area is one of the borough’s
best kept secrets. I hope you can find
your way there this summer!
Me encanta el BRONX :
Mercado de Alimentos en Hunts Point
Por Debralee Santos
Contribución de Nilka Martell
Como parte de nuestra serie de BFP
destacando los diferentes espacios, cosas y
personas favoritas de muchos de nuestros
lectores, nos dirigimos a Nilka Martell, quien
continúa explorando su ciudad natal.
“Yo soy nativa del Bronx, hija, hermana,
madre de tres preciosos niños del Bronx,
fotógrafa, escritora y motivadora”, dijo Martell,
de descendencia puertorriqueña.
Paralegal por más de 17 años hasta
diciembre del 2010, desde entonces ha
dedicado su tiempo a explorar el Bronx.
Su energía y entusiasmo son infatigables y
admirables.
“Quiero hacer a mis compañeros residentes
concientes e informados de cuan hermoso es
nuestro condado, lo que ofrece y como ofrecer
una mano amiga a nuestro ambiente”.
De este nuevo tiempo en su vida, Martell
dice, ¡“nunca me he sentido más viva”!
Esta semana nos escribe acerca del ‘Point’
– y un poco de orgullo, tanto personal como
histórico.
Hace más de 19 años atrás trabajé en el
Mercado de Alimentos de Hunts Point.
Era joven, y mis padres estaban inflexibles
de que tomara el autobús hacia allá. Pero los
desafié; mi curiosidad entonces, como ahora,
era demasiada. En cambio, a menudo tomé el
tren para Hunts Point y caminaba el resto del
camino.
Me dio la oportunidad de observar mi gente
– mis puertorriqueños quienes, a pesar de
las preocupaciones acerca del crimen y las
dificultades económicas, sonreían, reían,
tocaban música, bailaban en las calles y
ondeaban nuestra bandera, orgullosamente,
desde los postes de luz, escaleras de incendio
y ventanas.
Sí, existían algunos bloques que eran
potencialmente peligrosos. Pero eso no me
detuvo, y hablé con todo aquel que me dio una
oportunidad, en un esfuerzo de escuchar su
historia.
Todavía camino alrededor del área de Hunts
Point, y las cosas han cambiado.
Aunque todavía hay banderas
puertorriqueñas ondeando y la música continua
tocando, las calles son más seguras y limpias.
Me encuentro impresionada con la historia
del área de Hunts Point. Increíbles estructuras,
como el edificio “Bank Note” y el Monasterio
Corpus Christi, y lugares como el Parque
Joseph Rodman Drake (el cementerio)
mantiene la historia del Bronx viva.
Hunts Point es nombrado luego de un
dueño de la propiedad hace muchos tiempo
atrás, Thomas Hunt, y las calles adyacentes,
Drake, Halleck, Longfellow, Leggett, Tiffany,
Casanova, Whittier, todas representan personas
prominentes – los terratenientes – que una vez
habitaron esta tierra.
En la Avenida Lafayette y Edgewater Road,
hay un pequeño parque – el Parque Hunts
Point Riverside. Una de sus mejores ventajas
es su ubicación – justo al lado del Río Bronx.
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
Di un paseo por ahí esta semana y encontré al
Departamento de Parques limpiando el parque
y podando las preciosas flores que proveen
tanto color y vida verde a este parque.
Las rociadoras estaban prendidas y los niños
estaban riendo y corriendo alrededor, buscando
refugio de la caliente temperatura. Tres botes
de cemento y conchas proveían un área para
sentarse dentro del área de las rociadoras
– creando una sensación para el tiempo cuando
los indios y los primeros europeos utilizaron
este río para viajar.
A lo largo del río hay un embarcadero.
“Rocking the Boat” ofrece rema en canoa
gratuita todos los sábados entre las horas de
12 – 5 p.m. El parque provee un área donde
sentarse donde usted puede leer un libro en el
río o sencillamente en los rayos. También hay
parrillas y mesas para barbacoas y picnics.
Este pequeño parque tranquilo situado en
esta área industrial es uno de los secretos
mejor guardados del condado. Espero que
encuentre su camino este verano.
Comidas
de Verano
Gratis
Suelo me pasó a mi
veranos de haces unas
canastas y jugar con
mis amigos. Así sé
que los niños necesitan
comida nutritiva para
seguir jugando
The Woodlawn Cemetery, home to many remarkable mausoleums such as the one
pictured here, was recently designated as a National Historic Landmark.
Es por eso que las
comidas de verano
gratuitas se sirven
en cientos de lugares
alrededor de la ciudad
para los niños y
adolescentes cuando
no hay escuela.
Urban Health Plan generates
hundreds of calls and
signatures to protest budget
cuts
Asegúrese de que
se trata de un
verano divertido
y sin hambre.
311
Llame al
o visite la página
schools.nyc.gov/
schoolfood
para encontrar un sitio
de Comidas de Verano
en su vecindario.
El Programa de las Comidas
de Verano es un proveedor de
igualdad de oportunidades.
We’re Talking
the Bronx
Chauncey Billups,
Jugador de Básquet Profesional
More than 12,000 community health
center supporters took to the phones and
made more than 30,000 calls to Congress
in protest over proposed 2012 budget
cuts that would slash Medicaid payments
by 50% and eliminate federal funding to
community health centers within three
years.
Locally, Urban Health Plan’s (UHP)
patients and staff generated almost
200 calls and received 278 signatures
on a petition for area legislators in the
United States Senate and House of
Representatives in protest about the
proposed cuts.
June 30 was National Mobilization
Call-In Day, sponsored by the National
Association of Community Health
Centers, to alert Congress about the
impact the proposed budget cuts would
have on 1.4 million nationwide people
who receive essential primary and
preventive care services from 1,200
community health center organizations.
UHP, a network of community health
centers, offers primary and specialty
health care and social services to residents
of the South Bronx and Corona, Queens.
Last year it served 43,000 patients through
223,000 patient visits at four clinic sites,
five school-based clinics, and four parttime sites.
“Community health centers provide
affordable health and medical services to
some of the most vulnerable members of
our society – the elderly, the very young,
and the poor and uninsured,” says Paloma
Hernandez, president and CEO of Urban
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
Health Plan. “The Bronx is already the
sickest county in New York State and
one of the sickest in the nation, as our
residents struggle with rampant rates
of diabetes, asthma and hypertension.
Eliminating funding for community
health centers jeopardizes the health of
communities already risk for preventable
and treatable diseases and illnesses,”
says Hernandez.
The Woodlawn Cemetery
Designated National Historic
Landmark
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
announced this past Thurs., June 30 th
that the Woodlawn Cemetery has
been designated a National Historic
Landmark—the
highest
recognition
accorded to the nation’s most historically
significant properties. Woodlawn, which
will celebrate its 150th anniversary
next year, is one of the nation’s most
remarkable examples of a 19th-century
garden cemetery. It is home to the largest
and most distinguished collection of
historic mausoleums in the nation, and is
a still active cemetery. The designation
recognizes its outstanding landscape
design and collection of art and
architecture.
The designation also recognizes
Woodlawn’s
significant
role
in
memorializing and
celebrating prominent Americans,
who shaped American history and
culture. Since Woodlawn’s founding
in 1863, 310,000 people—from Gilded
Age magnates to pioneers for women’s
rights to Harlem Renaissance writers and
musicians, as well as artists, athletes, and
ordinary citizens— have been interred on
see TALKING p20
This year an amazing 858 transfer students
finished college at Monroe.
Maybe it’s time you made
the move.
Maybe it’s all the exciting in-demand degrees. Or the
professors who actually work in their fields. Perhaps it’s the
two unique campus experiences. Or the classes that meet
around your schedule. Whatever the reason, hundreds of
motivated, career-minded students are taking their credits
and turning them into marketable Associate or Bachelor’s
Degrees at Monroe College. Transferring to Monroe means:
• Generous transfer credit policy
• Additional credit for military or academy training
• Exciting degrees, in demand right now
• Professors who also work in their fields
• Unique Bronx & New Rochelle campuses
• Fully furnished apartment-like dorms
• Online & on campus class options
• Day, evening & weekend classes
• One-on-one financial aid & assistance
Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s and Online Degree Programs:
Accounting
Baking & Pastry
Business Management
Criminal Justice
Culinary Arts
Early Childhood Education
Health Services
Administration
Hospitality Management
Information Technology
Medical Administration
Medical Assisting
Pharmacy Technician
Public Health
Registered Nurse
MBA in Business
Management
MS In Criminal Justice
1.800.55.MONROE
monroecollege.edu
Education for the REAL
WORLD
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
GRACIA de p4
Deidre Green, otra graduada de Grace
Outreach, planea ir al Colegio Comunal Hostos
y luego conseguir una maestría en gerencia
de negocios. Su madre a su lado, añadió
que actualmente ella tiene muchas ideas
de negocios, y que desea comprender los
negocios para poder ser efectiva en el mundo
del comercio.
Rubinson, quien también ha hecho trabajo
comunal en el Norte de Manhattan, señala el
compromiso de las mujeres.
“Es el entusiasmo que estas mujeres
muestras”, dijo él. “Es increíble”.
Rubinson también piensa que el programa
nunca hubiera tenido el éxito que tiene hoy
sino hubiese sido por la inteligente y dedicada
facultad que sirve a las mujeres en estos
programas. Es pronto para animar a otras
mujeres en situaciones donde podrían sentirse
sin esperanzas en considerar las historias de
éxito de Rebecca, Lois, Ivy y Deidre.
“Nosotros podemos ayudarle a realizar y
entender sus objetivos”, dijo él. “Hay ayuda en
la búsqueda de ellas”.
Como Rebecca Sánchez lo pone, “el GED es
un primer paso”.
GRACE from p3
the achievements on display
went far beyond the degrees
being granted.
Grace Outreach, a nonprofit organization which was
founded in 2004 by Margaret
Grace, began as a GED (General
Equivalency Degrees) education
center servicing low-income
women of the South Bronx.
Since its founding, over 600
women have received their
degrees.
The women at Grace Outreach
have many different reasons for
not having finished high school.
Some of the students were
victims of domestic violence.
Others are single mothers who
found it difficult to find the time
to pursue an education while
also tending to their children.
Some were simply students
whose needs were overlooked by
the existing educational models,
and who were not engaged or
motivated to stay in school.
Traditionally, the odds are
stacked against them.
The neighboring Mott Haven
neighborhood, one of the poorest
Congressional districts in the
nation, has had a historically
low high school graduation rate.
The usual commencement
ceremony, this was not.
The women of Grace have
faced down great obstacles in
getting an education, the kinds
of challenges that make it, in too
many cases, impossible.
Lois Grogan, a 34 year-old
mother, grew up in East River
Houses in East Harlem and lives
in the Bronx River Houses now
on 174th Street.
Grogan’s life, she’d be the first
10
to tell you, has been difficult:
poverty, painful childhood,
drugs, imprisonment.
“It was rough,” Grogan
explains, of her upbringing.
But she is quick too to accept
responsibility for her decisions.
“I chose to follow the
wrong crowd,” she says. “I’ve
experienced prison. I’ve never
been on hard drugs, but I did sell
for a living.”
Drug charges turned into four
separate jail sentences for Lois,
spanning her teenage years. Her
last sentence, which lasted two
years, ended in 1998, when she
was 21.
Soon after coming home on
parole, she learned she was
pregnant with her daughter,
Ariyanna.
“I realized it was finally time
to get my life together,” she
says.
Introduced by a friend to the
programs at Grace Outreach,
Grogan
signed
up
when
registration time came.
And despite the introduction
of new stresses in her life at
the time, including her father’s
cancer diagnosis, and her
daughter’s personal struggles
with her school, Grogan would
not be deterred.
She passed the GED exam after
two months with the instructors
at Grace Outreach.
And she earned a full 2500
points, 250 points above the
passing point.
She credits her supporters,
including her family, and the
teachers and staff at Grace
Outreach for helping her focus.
“I’d see people and tell them,
‘I’m back in school and they’d
say ‘You go!’,” she says. “And
now, with my GED, they say,
‘That’s what’s going on!’”
While Grace Outreach began
primarily in 2004 as a GED
education center, it has since
expanded considerably. It has
grown into far more diversified
agency
that
also
offers
college preparation programs,
specialized Math Boot Camp
classes, and a full array of career
services and events.
The goal is to provide
comprehensive
support
to
the students and graduates as
they begin college, vocational
training and new careers.
The acquisition of the GED,
argues Andrew Rubinson, the
Executive Director at Grace
Outreach, is transformative –
and far-reaching.
“We are here to celebrate a
milestone,” explains Rubinson,
“and an improvement that will
contribute to…the overall fabric
of the Bronx.”
The opportunity for these
women, he explains, to become
more economically secure by
pursuing their education and
acquiring real job training
creates a new model of success,
and breaks through cycles of
despair.
Grace Outreach employees
13
experienced
personnel
members, including tutors and
teachers.
The
organization
charges no tuition, and works
closely with its students to
prepare and give them a strong
foundation in mathematics,
reading and writing. It also looks
to recognize specific areas of
academic weakness, which, for
some individuals, might have
led to previous failed attempts
at obtaining GED’s at other
institutions.
Ivy De Jesus, a 37 year-old
Bronx resident who grew up
in Co-op City with her Puerto
Rican parents, is another proud
graduate in white.
But her story, like the others,
is a little more complicated.
De Jesus took the GED exam
three times before and failed.
Previously, Ivy was never
informed as to which test
sections she had had troubles
with.
But at Grace Outreach, her
teachers were able to recognize
where she needed additional
assistance and tutoring, which
was in the mathematics portion
of the exam.
They enrolled De Jesus in
an intensive mathematics boot
camp. From January until April
of this past year, she took math
classes all day long.
She took the exam a fourth
time and passed, having scored
70 points over the passing point
in math.
Now she prepares to walk
down the aisle to join her fellow
graduates.
When asked how she found
the stamina to take the exam a
fourth time, she points to her
children and said, “They are my
stamina.”
To make the day even more
memorable, this is the second
graduation in the family today.
Jalah, her 6 year-old daughter,
has graduated from Kindergarten
in the morning.
“Proud,” says the little girl, as
she is asked about how she feels
about her mother.
“Proud,” she says, again.
De Jesus wants to pursue
a career in psychology and
specialize
in
adolescent
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
psychology.
And she is not alone in looking
ahead.
Many of her fellow graduates
have already begun to take
definite steps for new futures.
Twenty of the graduates have
applied and were accepted to
colleges. Freshly armed with a
GED, many of the students are
seeking out new jobs right away,
and looking to higher education
in a year or two.
Deidre Green, another Grace
Outreach graduate, plans to go
to Hostos Community College
and pursue an MBA. Her mother
at her side, she added that she
currently has many business
ideas, and that she wants to
further understand business in
order to be effective in the world
of commerce.
Rubinson, who has also done
community-based
work
in
northern Manhattan, points to
the women’s commitment.
“It’s the enthusiasm these
women show,” he says. “It’s
amazing.”
Rubinson also believes that
the program would have never
been the success that it is today
if it were not for the intelligent
and dedicated faculty that serves
the women in the programs. He
is quick to urge other women in
situations where they might feel
hopeless to consider the success
stories of Rebecca, Lois, Ivy and
Deidre.
“We can help [you] realize
and figure out their goals,” he
says. “There is help in pursuing
them.”
As Rebecca Sánchez puts it,
“A GED is a first step.”
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JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
11
Bronx Boys Are Brawling
Story by Debralee Santos
Photos by Amanda Hiciano
It might be the fashionable streak of
dyed blond hair in his short crown of
curls.
It might be the confident stance, and
squared posture.
But Josue Vargas is clearly ready for
his close-up.
It might also be that the 13 year-old
amateur phenom from the Bronx, who
trains at the newly rehabbed Morris Park
Boxing Club, is already a 4-time Junior
Olympics Champion, a 4-time Metro
Champion, a Silver Glove Champion and
is ranked first in his division.
First in the nation.
He achieved all this after losing his
first fight at the age of 9, but he seems
never to have looked back since.
He’s been training for five years
with trainer Vic, and is the gym’s most
promising amateur.
“This is a future world champion in the
making,” says Joe DeGuardia, President
and CEO of Star Boxing and owner of the
Morris Park club. “This is a real superstar
in the making, right out of the Bronx.”
DeGuardia would know.
The Bronx native, a professional boxer
himself before his career in law and as a
boxing empresario, DeGuardia personally
invested in the gym’s rebuilding and
renovation after a devastating fire in
2009 left the popular facility in shambles.
He did so because he knew how vital the
gym was to members of the surrounding
community, many of whom had come
to rely on it for their daily training and
sparring bouts.
“This gym has been here for so many
years and has been so important in many
of these young people’s lives,” explains
DeGuardia.
The young men and women who turn
to the gym include professional boxer
Michael Ocasio, also of the Bronx, who
trains avidly at the gym.
“Every day,” grins the muscled young
man of how often he comes in to Morris
Park.
Ocasio comes from a boxing family,
but it was not his first sport. Growing up,
he was a star baseball player, and won
an athletic scholarship to the University
of Miami. But a shoulder injury after he
first joined the team made for an abrupt
change of plans. His rehabilitation
including boxing, and he took to it.
Ocasio has been training non-stop with
his trainer Tito for about two years, and
also trains younger boxers at the gym, to
whom he serves as a mentor.
But it’s the boxing he loves.
“I could be here all day and all night,”
he says. “I love it.”
Those around him agree.
“He is very hard-working, and a good
kid,” says DeGuardia.
Ocasio has shown himself to be worthy
of the hopes. The young fighter had a
knock-out in his first fight, and is now
looking for another, and then some, to
build up a professional boxing portfolio.
And the next one may be just around
the corner.
1
Baseball was Michael Ocasio’s first love, but when a shoulder injury caused him to rehab with boxing, he fell in love all over
again. His first was a TKO, and he’s looking to repeat his success. “I could be here [at the gym] all day and all night,” he says.
“I love it.”
Both boxers have matches coming up
on Thurs., July 7th at the Paradise Theater
on the Grand Concourse, where they will
be featured as part of the “Punching at
the Paradise” series.
For Vargas, whose favorite fighter is
Filipino superstar Emmanuel Dapidran
Pacquiao, also known as Manny Pacquiao,
this may be the beginning of the future.
After
all,
Pacquiao,
currently
considered the “number one” pound-forpound best boxer in the world, started
his professional boxing career at just 16
years of age.
“I’m ready,” says the determined young
man from the Bronx, his gloved fists in
position.
Morris Park Boxing Club
Josue Vargas, a 13 year-old amateur boxer of the Bronx, is already a 4-time Junior
Olympics Champion, a 4-time Metro Champion, a Silver Glove Champion and is
ranked first, nationally, in his division. “He is a ‘superstar in the making,’” according
to Joe DeGuardia, who will feature him in on the undercard of his “Punchin’ at the
Paradise” series on Thurs., July 7th.
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
1
UptowN diNiNg comida
Coffee so hip that it’s drip; Blue Bottle comes to Inwood
by Mike Fitelson
Growing up in the Dominican
Republic, some of Dulce
Martinez’ favorite memories
are of picking beans from her
grandfather’s coffee fields in
Santiago and drying them on
the floor. When coffee needed
to be made, her grandmother
would grind the beans by hand
with a mortar and pestle then
place the grounds in what was
essentially a sock tied in a
knot and dropped in hot water.
Martinez falls into blissful
reverie when remembering the
fragrant aroma that would fill
the room when the coffee was
ready.
Now Martinez and her business
partner Carmen Cabrera have
brought that “Ahhhhh” coffee
experience to Inwood, having
last month opened the American
bistro Sweet Praise on Broadway
near W. 212th Street in a former
bodega.
When it came time to choose a
coffee to serve, the management
team selected a purveyor that
has been a hit for its go-itslow process and deep flavor
in a world of quick, disposable
brews.
Every cup of coffee served at
Sweet Praise is ground on the
spot, then drip-poured while the
Por Mike Fitelson
Dulce Martinez, co-owner of Sweet Praise on
Broadway near W. 212th Street, with her daughter
Estephany Bautista.
pot sometimes making as many
as three passes to fill a cup. The
entire process takes just under
three minutes.
Peralta
said
that
some
customers have been skeptical
about the made-to-order routine,
others have had flashbacks to
how their grandmothers did it,
but that at the end of the day,
“Taste is what does the talking
for it.”
The resulting brew is extremely
Dulce Martínez, codueña de ‘Sweet Praise’ en Broadway cerca
del oeste de la Calle 212, con su hija Estephany Bautista.
PHOTO: Mike Fitelson
deep, rich, and, well, fresh.
“There is a science of coffee
to reach the peak of flavor,” she
said, “showing how huge [Blue
Bottle] is in California.”
And just in case anyone
worried that this new coffee
was too cool for Inwood, Peralta
notes that the five or so types of
bean they brew all blend great
with milk, making a delicious
café con leche.
Just like your grandmother
did, if she happened to live near
a coffee plantation.
Sweet Praise is at 4996
Broadway near W. 212th Street,
212-567-5009. Regular coffee
is $2; iced coffee is $2.75;
cappuccinos and lattes are $3.50.
Brunch is served from 9 a.m. to
3 p.m. and dinner from 5 p.m. to
10 p.m. Coffee, to stay or to go,
is served from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Café tan a la onda que cae gota a gota
Creciendo en la República
Dominicana, algunas de las
memorias favoritas de Dulce Martínez
son recoger granos de los campos
de café de su abuelo en Santiago y
secándolos en el piso. Cuando había
que hacer café, su abuela molía
los granos a mano con un mortero,
entonces colocaba el cafe en lo
que era esencialmente una media
amarrada con un nudo y la tiraba en
agua caliente.
Martínez recuerda el fragante
aroma que llenaba la habitación
cuando el café estaba listo.
Ahora Martínez y su socia Carmen
Cabrera han traído esa experiencia
de café a Inwood, habiendo abierto el
pasado mes el pequeño restaurante
americano ‘Sweet Praise’ en
Broadway cerca del oeste de la Calle
212 en una antigua bodega.
Cuando es tiempo de elegir un
café para servir, el equipo gerencial
seleccionó un proveedor que ha
sido un éxito en su lento proceso
y profundo sabor en un mundo de
infusiones rápidas y desechables.
Cada taza de café servida en
‘Sweet Praise’ es molida en el
momento, entonces se coloca el café
1
customer waits.
Sweet Praise is among the first
dozen or so businesses in New
York City selling Blue Bottle
Coffee Company, a microroaster
that only works with organic,
shade-grown beans.
The story of the Blue Bottle
Coffee Company starts in 1683
when the Turkish invasion of
Vienna is repelled and the fleeing
troops leave behind several bags
of coffee beans. The beans were
used in the creation of Central
Europe’s first coffee house,
called the Blue Bottle. Then
319 years later in 2002, as the
company’s Web site breathlessly
reports, a frustrated freelance
musician in Oakland, CA decides
to begin selling coffee that will
never be more than 48 hours
removed of the roaster.
Brewing coffee is such serious
business for Blue Bottle that
Rosemary Peralta, a barista
at Sweet Praise, went through
about nine hours of training to
learn the Blue Bottle method of
making espresso.
To make a cup of coffee, a
paper filter is inserted into one of
the four ceramic filters in a rack
on the countertop. The beans
are ground – about 30 grams
to make a 10-ounce cup – and
added to the filter. Finally water
is poured over the grounds, the
molido mientras el cliente espera.
‘Sweet Praise’ está entre la
primera docena o más de negocios
en la ciudad de Nueva York
vendiendo ‘Blue Bottle Coffee
Company’, uno que solo trabaja con
granos orgánicos. La historia de ‘Blue
Bottle Coffee Company’ comienza en
el 1683 cuando la invasión turca de
Viena es rechazada y las tropas que
huyen dejan atrás varias bolsas de
granos de café. Los granos fueron
utilizados en la creación de la primera
casa de café en Europa Central,
llamada ‘Blue Bottle’. Entonces 319
años después en el 2002, como
reporta la página electrónica de
la compañía, un frustrado músico
independiente en Oakland, CA decide
comenzar a vender café que nunca
estuviera más de 48 horas fuera del
asador.
Rosemary Peralta, empleada
de ‘Sweet Praise’, pasó cerca de
nueve horas de entrenamiento
para aprender el método de hacer
espresso de Blue Bottle.
Para hacer una taza de café, se
inserta un filtro de papel en uno de
los cuatro filtros de cerámica en un
estante en el mostrador. Los granos
son molidos – cerca de 30 gramos
para hacer una taza de 10 onzas
– y se añade al filtro. Finalmente
se vierte agua sobre los granos,
algunas veces haciendo la olla hasta
tres veces para llenar una taza. El
proceso entero toma como unos tres
minutos.
Peralta dijo que algunos clientes
han sido escépticos acerca de la
rutina de ordenar, otros han tenido
recuerdos de cómo lo hacían sus
abuelas, pero eso al final del día, “el
sabor es lo que hace hablar”.
El resultado de la infusión es
extremadamente profundo, rico y
bien fresco.
“Hay una ciencia del café para
alcanzar la cima del sabor”, dijo ella,
“mostrando cuan grande es ‘Blue
Bottle’ en California”.
Y por si acaso alguien está
preocupado de que este nuevo café
es demasiado bueno para Inwood,
Peralta señala que las más o menos
cinco tipos de granos que ellos
elaboran todos mezclan bien con
leche, haciendo un delicioso café
con leche, como lo haría tu abuela, si
vivía cerca de una plantación de café.
‘Sweet Praise’ está en el 4996 de
Broadway cerca del oeste de la Calle
212, 212-567-5009. El café regular es
a $2; café frío es $2.75; capuchinos y
lattes son a $3.50. Sirven desayuno/
almuerzo de 9 a.m. a 3 p.m. y cena
de 5 p.m. a 10 p.m. El café, para
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
quedarse o para llevarse es servido
de 9 a.m. a 10 p.m.
* * * dining About town * * *
181 Cabrini
altus CafE
Modern American
Espresso/Wine bar
American Fusion
854 W. 181st Street (off
Cabrini Blvd)
212-923-2233
www.181cabrini.com
Kitchen now open
Mondays
Weekdays:
8am - 11pm
sat & sun Brunch:
9am – 4:30pm
happy hour: 5-8pm
Columbia
soCial
4009 Broadway @168 St.
212-781-3333/3336
Mon-Fri: 11:30am-11pm
sat-sun: 11am-10:30am
chaMpagne Brunch:
sat-sun 11am-4pm
$11.95 with one drink
$19.95 unlimited drinks
Live Jazz Sunday Brunch
LiVe resident dJs:
thu, Fri: 6pm-LATE
Sunday Salsa DJ 5-10 PM
happy hour M-F 4-7PM
www.columbiasocialcafe.com
mimosa
Bar & Grill
263 Sherman Ave
Bet. 207th & Isham
Streets
212-544-0046
www.mimosacafenyc.com
daiLy: 6pm–3:30am
kitchen hours:
6pm–1am
happy hour:
Mon-Sat 6 – 9pm
Sun 1pm – 9pm
4325 Broadway
Off 184th Street
www.altuscafe.com
Daily: 5pm-2am
Kitchen open until 12am
Happy Hour: 5-8pm
Ladies night: Tues 9pm12am
bangkok
hEights
Thai & Japanese
812 W. 181st Street
near Pinehurst Ave.
212-568-2630
bangkokheightsnyc.com
7 days a week
Sun-Thu: noon-11pm
Fri-Sat: noon-midnight
open Bar: Thu 6-8pm,
$5 after
Brunch: Sat & Sun
Lunch speciaL: $6.95
Mon- Fri, 11:30-4pm
11am-4pm
We can cater your event!
Coogan’s
El PrEsidEntE
American-Casual
Dominican-Caribbean
4015 Broadway
at W. 169th St.
212-928-1234
www.coogans.com
Daily: 11am-midnight
daiLy: $5 cocktails all
day. $3 pints all day.
WeekLy: New
seasonally-themed food
specials.
Big Brunch:
Sat, Sun, Mon $11.95.
taCoCina
Mexican
591 Ft. Washington Ave. @
W. 187th St.
212-568-2299
Daily: 11am-11pm
Brunch: 11am-4pm Sat-Sun
tacocinaintheheights.com
Lunch speciaL: Combo
special with rice and beans:
$7.95. 11am-4pm.
kids Menu: $4.95-5.95
2 For 1 Margaritas:
Daily 4-7pm
3938 Broadway
near W. 165th St.
212-927-7011
Open 24 hours, 7 days
Mon.-Fri: Lunch special
$4.99. 11am-4pm. Buffet:
4.99 a pound. 11am-6pm
Live Music, see stuff to
do
Café tabaCo
& ron
Italian
501 W. 214th St.
and 10th Ave.
212-567-7170
Kitchen open every day
from 5 p.m. – 12 a.m.
happy hour: Weekdays
5 pm -11 pm.
Brunch: Sun 11am-4pm
See our nightly events in
Uptown Nightlife
Carrot toP
PastriEs
American
3931 Broadway
near W. 165th St.
212 927-4800
Mon-sat: 6am to 9pm
sun: 7am to 6pm
5025 Broadway near
W.215th St.
212 569-1532
Mon-Fri: 7am to 8pm
sat: 7am to 7pm,
sun: 9am to 6pm
www.carrottoppastries.com
indian road
Café
loCksmith WinE
& burgEr bar
Eclectic American
American
600 W. 218th St.
at Indian Rd.
212-942-7451
www.indianroadcafe.com
Mon-Thu: 7am-10pm
Fri-Sat: 7am-11pm
Sun: 8am-9:30pm
LocaL oWners, LocaL
eMpLoyees, LocaL Food
With curated coffee, wine, &
cocktail lists with the largest
craft beer selection in Northern
Manhattan. Locally sourced
eclectic American comfort food.
4463 Broadway (b/w 191st &
192nd Streets)
212-304-9463
kitchen hours:
Mon-Thurs noon-2am
Fri-Sun noon-11pm
Bar hours:
Mon-Wed noon-3am
Thurs-Sun noon-4am
Brunch: Sat-Sun 12-4pm
happy hour: Noon-8pm
CharliE’s Café
& grill
American Casual
561 W. 169th Street
b/w Broadway & Audubon
Avenue
646-478-7747
M-F: 6:30am – 7pm
sat: 9am – 5pm
sun: Closed
always Fresh
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
8-ounce burger - $5.95
manolo taPas
Cuisine from Spain
4165 Broadway
between 176th &177th
Streets
by La Rosa Fine Foods
212-923-9100
www.manolotapas.net
Mon-Thu: 12pm - 1am
Fri-Sun: 12pm -2am
Flamenco LiVe! on
Wednesdays
Uptown knows
dining.
Try one of these
eateries for your next meal or party.
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
1
Providing quality services to over 30,000 seniors since 1964
RAIN INWood seNIoR CeNteR
Alison Ortiz, Program Director
84 Vermilyea Ave., NY, NY 10034
(212) 567-3200
[email protected]
RAIN ApARtmeNts foR the
eldeRly
3377 White Plains Road
Bronx, NY 10467
347-843-0060
RAIN mIddletoWN seNIoR CeNteR
Patricia McCormack, Program Director
3033 Middletown Road
Bronx, NY 10461
(718) 822-0486
[email protected]
RAIN BAIley seNIoR CeNteR
Nelly Monsanto, Program Coordinator
2660 Bailey Ave., Bronx, NY 10463
(718) 796-2559/2589
[email protected]
RAIN BeAtRICe CAstIglIACAtullo ResIdeNCe
1424 Parker Street
Bronx, NY 10462
718-944-1494
RAIN BostoN eAst seNIoR CeNteR
Anthony Barr, Program Director
3450 Boston Road, Bronx, NY 10469
(718) 654-9200
[email protected]
RAIN BostoN RoAd seNIoR
CeNteR
Rosemary Durso, Program Director
2424 Boston Road, Bronx, NY 10467
(718) 547-8827
[email protected]
RAIN BostoN seCoR seNIoR
CeNteR
Melissa Johnson, Acting Director
3540 Bivona St., Bronx, NY 10475
(718) 671-8550
[email protected]
RAIN College AVe. seNIoR
CeNteR
(John Lopez, Interim Director)
1020 College Ave., Bronx NY 10456
(718) 681-7993
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RAIN eAst tRemoNt seNIoR
CeNteR
Shirley Martinez, Program Director
2405 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, NY 10461
(718) 828-0447
[email protected]
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RAIN exeCutIVe offICe
811 morris park Avenue
Bronx, Ny 10462
718-892-5550
www.raininc.org
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Beatrice Castiglia-Catullo
Founder & President
Dr. Anderson Torres
Chairperson
Louis M. Vazquez, LMSW
Executive Director
RAIN multI-seRVICes foR seNIoRs
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Elizabeth Padilla, LMSW, Program Director
3377 White Plains Road, Bronx, NY 10467
(347) 346-9676
Elder Abuse 1E2, (9250), Restore (2400)
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RAIN NeReId seNIoR CeNteR
Claire Cevasco, Program Director
720 Nereid Ave., Bronx, NY 10466
(718) 994-0132
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RAIN oNe stop seRVICes foR the
eldeRly
Flor Lopez, Program Director – Ext 26
1168 Castle Hill Ave., Bronx, NY 10462
(718) 239-4358
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Verna McDavid, Program Director
1246 Burke Ave., Bronx NY 10469
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Jose Martinez, MS, Program Director
1380 Metropolitan Ave., Bx, NY 10462
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3445 Holland Ave., Bronx NY 10467
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3450 Boston Road, Bronx, NY 10469
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JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
Pop-up Pianos: Beethoven in the Bronx
By Adrian Cabreja
The melodies of the Romantic era
freewheeled along the Bronx air as Emir
Gamsizoglu played Beethoven’s most
famous Sonatas in Joyce Kilmer Park this
past Wed., June 29th.
The event was put together by Sing
for Hope, a non-profit organization with
a clear mission: art, especially music,
belongs to everyone and therefore should
be made easily accessible to all.
The organization created the Pop-Up
Pianos initiative, in which upright pianos
are placed in outdoor sites throughout
New York City. The pianos “pop up”
primarily in parks, in order to maximize
the access provided to passer-by.
Throughout the five boroughs, there
88 different pianos were stationed. The
number was intended as a symbolic
representation of the eighty-eight keys
that a piano holds.
Each location hosted piano performances
by amateurs and professional musicians.
When not in use by scheduled
performers, the pianos were opened to
the public for play.
The borough of the Bronx was host to
seven pianos.
Dr. Cary Goodman, Executive Director
of the 161st Street Business Improvement
District lauded the initiative, and was
particularly proud about the event being
held at Kilmer Park.
“These concerts are a great way to
show the world how cultured the Bronx
really is,” he said.
The pianos were available for two
weeks, as the initiative began on June
18th and ended on July 2nd.
Gamsizoglu performed a total of
six piano pieces, which included the
“Tempest Sonata” and the “Moonlight
Sonata.”
The latter was, by far, the most
recognized and popular piece by the
appreciative crowd that gathered around
the black upright that was vividly
decorated with written expressions, such
as “Art is not what you see, but what you
make others see,” in bright white paint.
“I love the Moonlight Sonata, said
Emir Gamsizoglu, professional piano player and composer,
played Beethoven’s most famous Sonatas in Joyce Kilmer
Park this past Wed., June 29th as part of the “Pop-Up Pianos”
initiative.
Margaret Joyce, 70 year-old Bronx
native. “It never gets old to me.”
The autobiographical piece describes
the love story between Beethoven and
Austrian Countess Giulietta Guicciardi.
Despite their abiding affection, Beethoven
was not able to marry Guicciardi because
he was not an aristocrat.
Gamsizoglu, a Bronx resident, was also
Emir Gamasizoglu, pianista profesional y compositor, tocaba las sonatas más
famosas de Beethoven en el Parque Joyce Kilmer el miércoles 29 de junio como
parte de esta iniciativa.
thrilled to be playing
Before he started playing the piano, he
played basketball in his native Turkey.
He dreamed of becoming a professional
basketball player, but he was injured. He
discovered music at the age of twenty,
and has never let it go since. He plays
professionally, and is taken
His “pop-up fans” were grateful.
“It is great that we all have access to
such a beautiful instrument,” said Henry
Anderson, an avid piano player.
Additional pop-up piano sites in the
Bronx are: St. Mary’s Playground, Casita
Maria/ Hunts Point, Joyce Kilmer Park,
Arthur Avenue, St. James Recreation
Center, Owen Dolen Golden Age Center
and Van Cortlandt Park.
“Pop-Up Pianos”: Beethoven en el Bronx
Historia y fotos por Adrián Cabreja
Las libres melodías de la romántica fluyen
a lo largo del Bronx mientras Emir Gamsizoglu
toca las más famosas Sonatas de Beethoven en
el Parque Joyce Kilmer este pasado miércoles,
29 de junio. El evento fue creado por Sing
for Hope, una organización sin fines de lucro
con una clara misión: el arte, especialmente
la música, pertenece a todo el mundo y por lo
tanto debería de ser accesible a todo el mundo.
La organización creó la iniciativa ‘Pop-Up
Pianos’, donde se colocan pianos al aire libre
a través de la ciudad de Nueva York. Los
pianos ‘pop-up’ principalmente en los parques,
para maximizar el acceso provisto para los
transeúntes.
A través de los cinco condados, habían
88 diferentes pianos estacionados. El
número es intencionado como una simbólica
representación de las 88 teclas que posee un
piano. Cada ubicación tuvo una presentación de
piano por músicos principiantes y profesionales.
Cuando no fueron utilizados por intérpretes
programados, los pianos estaban abiertos al
público para su uso. El condado del Bronx tenía
siete pianos.
El Dr. Cary Goodman, director ejecutivo
del Distrito de Mejoramiento Comercial de
la Calle 161 elogió la iniciativa, y se mostró
particularmente orgulloso acerca del evento
llevado a cabo en el Parque Kilmer.
“Estos conciertos son una excelente manera
de mostrarle al mundo cuanta cultura posee
realmente el Bronx”, dijo él.
Los pianos estaban disponibles por dos
semanas, ya que la iniciativa comenzó el 18 de
junio y finalizo el 2 de julio.
Gamsizoglu interpretó un total de cinco
piezas de piano, las cuales incluyeron “Tempest
Sonata” y “Moonlight Sonata”.
Fue la pieza más reconocidas y popular de la
agradecida multitud que se reunió alrededor de
la negra pieza.
“A mi me encanta ‘Moonlight Sonata’, dijo
Margaret Joyce de 70 años nativa del Bronx.
“Para mi nunca envejece”.
La pieza autobiográfica describe el amor
entre Beethoven y la Condesa Austriaca
Giulietta Guicciardi. A pesar de su gran afecto,
Beethoven no pudo casarse con Guicciardi
porque el no era aristócrata.
Gamsizoglu, residente del Bronx, también
estaba emocionado de estar tocando.
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
Antes de comenzar a tocar el piano, jugaba
baloncesto en su país natal de Turquía. El
soñaba con convertirse en un jugador de
baloncesto profesional, pero resultó herido.
Descubrió la música a los veinte años de edad,
y desde entonces nunca la ha abandonado.
Inclusive, ya toca profesionalmente.
Sus fanáticos estaban agradecidos.
“Es maravilloso que todos tengamos
acceso a tan precioso instrumento”, dijo Henry
Anderson un ávido tocador de piano.
Otros lugares adicionales de pianos ‘pop-up’
en el Bronx lo fueron: el Jardín Infantil St. Mary,
Casita Maria/Hunts Point, el Parque Joyce
Kilmer, Avenida Arthur, Centro Recreativo St.
James, Owen Dolen Golden Age Center y el
Parque Van Cortlandt.
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JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
MORE
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the community
Bebé, Bebé – Los beneficios del ejercicio prenatal
Por Nancy Bruning
Todos se benefician de una actividad física
apropiada. ¿Pero sabía usted que el ejercicio
otorga beneficios especiales si usted está
embarazada? El ejercicio ayuda a reducir los
dolores de espalda, estreñimiento, hinchazón
e inflamación; puede ayudar a prevenir o tratar
la diabetes gestacional; aumenta la energía;
mejora el estado de ánimo; mejora la postura;
ayuda a mejorar el sueño; promueve el tono,
fuerza y la resistencia muscular; disminuye la
presión sanguínea materna; y mejora el estado
de animo después del parto, disminuyendo la
tristeza.
Muchas mujeres embarazadas simplemente
continúan sus rutinas de ejercicios existentes
y las modifican según sea necesario. Sin
embargo, si usted está embarazada y es
nueva en los ejercicios, usted puede estar
reacia acerca de comenzar algo nuevo, y
tener preocupaciones acerca de la seguridad y
comodidad.
Gracias a la Iniciativa de Ejercicio Prenatal
NYC, ahora tenemos clases de ejercicios gratis
y a bajo costo para mujeres embarazadas en el
Norte de Manhattan y el Bronx.
La iniciativa es un proyecto comunitario
que busca expandir la disponibilidad de
oportunidades de ejercicios asequibles y
de calidad para mujeres embarazadas. Fue
fundada en el 2010 por Andrea Bachrach Mata
y Marilinda Pascoe.
Marilinda es una enfermera comadrona
(CNM) en el New York Presbyterian Hospital
y en el Centro de Salud Comunal Rangel en
West Harlem. Andrea recibió entrenamiento
y una certificación a través de la Asociación
Americana Aquanatal mientras estaba
embarazada y ha estado enseñando ejercicio
acuático por los pasados 15 años. Marilinda
dijo, “somos un programa pequeño con una
gran idea: nos gusta tener programas de
ejercicio disponibles a mujeres embarazadas
de bajos ingresos y que viven en el Norte de
Manhattan y el Bronx. Buscamos colaborar con
el público y socios privados para desarrollar
un diverso grupo de programas gratis y a bajo
costo, y para establecer un modelo de ejercicios
para la comunidad prenatal que puede ser
copiado en otras partes de la ciudad de Nueva
York y otros lugares”.
La Iniciativa de Ejercicio actualmente ofrece
dos tipos de clases:
Ejercicio de agua prenatal: Este programa
de ejercicios acuáticos mezcla aeróbicos leves,
baile, yoga, natación, suave entrenamiento
para fortalecer y estirarse. Tanto para usted
como para su bebe es una actividad segura,
relajante y estimulantes – no tiene que ser una
confidente nadador para unirse. Las mujeres en
todas las etapas de embarazo son bienvenidas.
Clases gratis en la piscina del Parque
Jackie Robinson los martes y jueves a las
10 a.m., del 7 de julio hasta el 25 de agosto.
Avenidas Bradhurst & Edgecombe, Oeste de las
Calles 145 a la 155.
Clases a bajo costo
(aproximadamente $60 por 7 semanas) en el
Parque Riberbank State, los lunes de 7:15 p.m.
a 8:00 p.m. comenzando luego del 4 de julio.
Riverside Dr. entre las Calles 144 y 145.
Yoga Prenatal: Yoga para principiantes y
estudiantes más avanzados con posturas
modificadas para embarazadas. Vista ropa
ligera, cómoda y traiga agua.
Miércoles a las 6 p.m. y domingos a las
La Iniciativa de gimnasia prenatal de Nueva York fue fundada en el 2010, y ofrece clases a bajo costo para mujeres embarazadas en el norte de Manhattan y el
Bronx.
12 p.m. en Bread and Yoga, en el 4951
de Broadway en la Calle 207. http://www.
breadandyoga.com. Las mujeres pueden
participar a un reducido precio de $3 más $1
para la renta del colchón (llame, texteé o envíe
un correo electrónico antes de asistir a la clase
para conseguir el descuento).
“El comer para dos” y ganar mucho peso
durante el embarazo ya no es considerado
saludables para el bebe o la madre.
Según la Sociedad de Medicina MaternoFetal, las mujeres que aumentan mucho peso
es más probable que tengan un bebe más
grande que la edad gestacional, tienden a
tener cesárea, un parto inducido y diabetes
gestacional. Los estudios han mostrado que
los bebes nacidos a mujeres obesas tienen tres
veces más de probabilidades de morir dentro
del primer mes de nacido que las mujeres de
peso normal y que las mujeres obesas tienen el
doble de probabilidades de que nazca un bebe
muerto. Cerca de dos de tres muertes maternas
en el estado de Nueva York desde el 2003 al
2005 estuvieron asociadas con la obesidad
maternal, según la Iniciativa Maternidad Segura
auspiciada por el estado.
Negocio serio, pero el antídoto es divertido.
Vigilar lo que come claro está es parte del
plan de prevención. El ejercicio es la otra gran
parte de la ecuación.
Aunque no se han hecho estudios que
muestren que el ejercicio prevenga el aumentar
de peso durante el embarazo además de los
beneficios de salud documentados arriba, la
esperanza es que también ayudará a frenar el
peso durante el embarazo.
La Iniciativa de Ejercicio Prenatal NYC
piensa que “el periodo prenatal es un punto
crítico en las vidas de las mujeres y sus
familias. Desafortunadamente, para muchas
mujeres (particularmente mujeres de bajos
ingresos), es también un tiempo cuando
el acceso a programas de ejercicios…son
extremadamente limitados”. El grupo espera
desarrollar clases adicionales durante el tiempo
para ofrecerles a los residentes de NYC una
variedad de programas seguros, agradables y
asequibles.
Por favor comuníquese con los cofundadores
y directores de proyecto Andrea Bachrach Mata
y Marilinda Pascoe a nycprenatalfitness@gmail.
com o (646) 831-3903.
Nancy Bruning tiene un grado en salud
pública, es una entrenadora personal
certificada, y es la coautora de más de 25 libros
de salud y ejercicios. También es la presidenta
del Comité de Amigos del Fideicomiso del
Parque Fort Tryon y lleva a cabo ejercicios al
aire libre y talleres de pérdida de peso. Visite
la página de Nancy en www.NancyBruning.
net, escúchela en www.blogtalkradio.
com/Nancercize, o por correo electrónico a
[email protected].
Uno de los programas que ofrece la iniciativa prenatal de la ciudad Nueva York, son los ejercicios acuáticos
en la piscina de Jackie Robinson en Harlem y en el parque estatal Riverbank en Hamilton Heights.
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
1
TALKING from p8
the cemetery’s 400 acres.
“Woodlawn’s mission is to preserve
and celebrate the legacy of those who
came before us and we are honored to
be designated as a National Historic
Landmark,” said John P. Toale, President
of The Woodlawn Cemetery. We are
committed to the stewardship of our
country’s history and the aesthetic and
natural treasures on our grounds, and
to connecting our country’s past to the
present and future. We welcome everyone
to Woodlawn to see the lasting record of
American lives and achievements from
the Civil War-era to the present.”
The Woodlawn Cemetery is the final
resting place of many Americans who
have made a significant contribution
to our national culture. They include:
author Herman Melville, mayor Fiorello
LaGuardia, suffragist Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, composer Duke Ellington,
musician Miles Davis, financier Jay
Gould, entrepreneur Madame C.J. Walker,
composer Irving Berlin, publisher Joseph
Pulitzer, salsa singer Celia Cruz, artist
and philanthropist Gertrude
Vanderbilt Whitney, and political
cartoonist Thomas Nast, among many
others.
“The Bronx Knows,” the HIV
testing program, successfully
tests over 600,000 Bronx
residents
The New York City Health Department,
community partners, radio station Hot 97
and hundreds of New Yorkers gathered
this past Sat., June 25 th , at the historic
Paradise Theatre in the Bronx to celebrate
the success of The Bronx Knows, a
three-year borough-wide HIV testing
initiative.
Launched in 2008, The Bronx Knows
initially set out to test the estimated
250,000 Bronx residents who had never
been tested before. In the three years
since the Health Department and its
76 Bronx community partners began
this collaborative effort, all targets for
increasing testing have been surpassed.
“The Bronx Knows initiative has been
a great success in helping Bronx residents
learn their HIV status and connecting
those who tested positive gain early
access to care,” said Dr. Thomas Farley,
New York City Health Commissioner. “It
is one of many interventions throughout
New York City to expand HIV testing – a
critical step towards our ultimate goal of
integrating HIV screening into routine
medical care.”
The Bronx Knows community partners
have worked with the Health Department
to expand the offer of confidential and
voluntary HIV testing, linkage to care,
as well as HIV/AIDS education, to
Bronx residents as part of the initiative.
Bronx Knows partners have offered and
conducted 607,570 HIV tests and have
identified over 4,800 confirmed HIV
positive individuals to date. Of those,
at least 1,700 were reported to be newly
diagnosed and more than three-quarters
have been linked to care.
“The Bronx Knows initiative is an
exceptional example of what can be
accomplished when community partners,
0
government and individuals all work
together,” said Dr. Monica Sweeney,
Assistant Commissioner for HIV/AIDS
Prevention and Control. “As a result
of this initiative, nearly two thousand
Bronx residents were newly diagnosed
with HIV and linked to care. The real
benefit for all those Bronx residents
who were tested is that they now know
their HIV status and can take appropriate
action: get into treatment if positive, or
if negative, reduce their risk so that they
remain negative.”
Although much progress has been
made in the past decade, New York City
continues to be the epicenter of this
country’s HIV epidemic. In the Bronx,
754 residents were diagnosed with HIV
in 2009, and more than one-fifth had
already developed AIDS at the time of
their diagnosis. Bronx residents account
for more than 20% of New York City’s
HIV diagnoses and more than a quarter of
HIV-related deaths each year.
(LCA) at their 19th Annual Golden
Age Awards Banquet. These awards are
given for effective leadership, lifetime
contributions, public policy initiatives,
corporate contributions, and community
service. Both events were attended by
influential Hispanic leaders in the fields
of healthcare, business, and the senior
advocacy community. Expressing his
gratitude, Dr. Matos Rodríguez said:
“The Association of Hispanic Healthcare
Executives and the Latino Center on
Aging are vital organizations that service
our community, and I am most honored
to have been recognized by them. More
importantly, I regard this as tribute to
Hostos Community College. Through
our new Allied Health Career Pipeline
program, we are providing pathways to
careers in the fields of health, business
and aging advocacy for Latinos and other
members of the wonderfully diverse
South Bronx and Upper Manhattan
communities we serve.”
Hostos Community College
President Félix Matos
Rodríguez honored – twice
Ground is broken on The Hell
Gate Pathway Project
In June 2011, two of New York’s
leading Latino professional organizations
recognized Hostos Community College
President Félix Matos Rodríguez for his
significant contributions to the Latino
Community.
At the 11th Healthcare Diversity
Awards Gala on Thurs., June 17th, the
Association of Hispanic Healthcare
Executives and the National Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce on Health gave
Dr. Matos Rodríguez their Academic
Leader of the Year Award. The theme
of this event was “Today’s Leaders,
Tomorrow’s Innovators.”
Then on Thurs., June 23 rd, he received
the Effective Leadership Golden Age
Award from The Latino Center on Aging
Parks and Recreation Commissioner
Adrian Benepe joined NYC Economic
Development Corporation President Seth
Pinsky, New York Secretary of State Cesar
Perales, Deputy Bronx Borough President
Aurelia Greene, Bronx Community
Board 1 Chair George Rodriguez, Amtrak
Vice President of Government Affairs &
Corporate Communications Joe McHugh,
Randall’s Island Sports Foundation CoChair Nancy Neff, Randall’s Island Sports
Foundation Executive Director Aimee
Boden, and children from the Casita
Maria Center for Arts and Education to
break ground on the Hell Gate Pathway
at Randall’s Island.
The Hell Gate Pathway will run under
the scenic sand-colored arches of the Hell
Gate Bridge and railroad trestle between
the Hell Gate rapids to the south of
This past Fri., July 1st, the New York City Parks and Recreation Department, the
New York City Economic Development Corporation, and the Randall’s Island Sports
Foundation broke ground on the Hell Gate Pathway Project.
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
“The Bronx Knows,” the HIV testing
initiative, successfully tested over
600,000 borough residents and helped
them learn their HIV status. This is
particularly important in light of the
fact that Bronx residents account for
more than 20% of New York City’s HIV
diagnoses and more than a quarter of
HIV-related deaths each year.
Randall’s Island Park and the Bronx Kill
to its north. A key part of an Island-wide
pathway system, the Hell Gate Pathway
will open over a mile of non-vehicular
access along renovated and reclaimed
parkland. It is an important link in
creating a passable loop around most of
the Park and joining points adjacent to all
three surrounding boroughs of Queens,
Manhattan and the Bronx. It will also run
directly into the Bronx Connector, the
first at-grade access to Randall’s Island
from the Bronx, which is slated for
construction in coming years.
“The Hell Gate Pathway is a particularly
fitting use for a structure which continues
to reflect the long history of and romance
with travel in and around New York City,”
said Parks and Recreation Commissioner
Adrian Benepe. “Randall’s Island Park
offers waterways, roadways, rails and
new waterfront pathways, and the new
Hell Gate Pathway will link all of these
together at one spectacular site.”
“The Hell Gate Pathway is our most
architecturally significant section, and
visually quite stunning,” said Aimee
Boden, Executive Director of the Randall’s
Island Sports Foundation. “It will open
access to the Park’s remarkable new
facilities for all visitors, and especially
for communities in the Bronx, who are
geographically our closest neighbors.”
The $7.5 million Hell Gate Pathway
was developed by RISF in partnership
with Parks and NYCEDC.
It was
designed by Starr Whitehouse Landscape
Architects and Planners and funded
through a federal DOT Transportation
Enhancements Program (TEP) grant
with a local match from the Manhattan
Borough President.
Construction
was made possible by Environmental
Protection Fund (EPF) grants from the
New York State Department of State
and the New York State Office of Parks,
Recreation and Historic Preservation
alongside funding from the Office of the
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
The Hell Gate Bridge was also the
inspiration for the Sydney Harbour
Bridge in Sydney, Australia. According
to the February 2005 issue of Discover
magazine, it would be the last New
York City bridge to collapse if humans
disappeared, taking a least a millennium
to do so. Most other bridges would fall in
about 300 years.
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
1
The Breakfast Benefit:
A good meal ensures good beginnings
Story by Debralee Santos
Photos by Cel Garay
“As a parent, you spend a lot
of time telling your children how
important breakfast, the first
meal of the day, is,” said Hostos
Community College President
Felix Matos-Rodriguez, Ph.D.,
the keynote speaker of BASICS/
Promesa Systems, Inc.’s recent
morning gathering.
“And this is exactly what this
meal today is: important,” he
added.
So began the President’s
remarks at the recent celebration
of the Julio Martinez Memorial
Fund’s
(JMMF)
Breakfast
Benefit, held on Thurs., June
23rd at the New York Botanical
Garden.
The Breakfast Benefit is a
special event, now in its fifth
year, held to raise program funds
for the vulnerable children of
parents with substance abuse
disorders and children devastated
by homelessness.
The Breakfast proved a
success, as noted Chairwoman
Milagros Baez-O’Toole.
“Please look around you,” she
urged.
“Every seat today has been
sponsored,”
noted
BaezO’Toole of the packed room,
which included family members
and youths whose lives had
been personally impacted by
the services provided by the
Memorial Fund.
These included JMMF Scholar
2011 Kevin Linares, who was
visibly moved by the support of
those gathered. “I am not used to
speaking in front of these many
people,” he said shyly, with a
nervous laugh.
But
the
young
CUNY
Computer Science major proved
his mettle, eloquently detailing
how a previous detour into
drug abuse had not derailed his
plans.
“I have made mistakes, yes,”
he said. “But I am proud of
all the hard work I have done
too. And I am grateful to all of
you.”
BASICS/Promesa Systems CEO Raul Russi addresses the packed room during the Julio Martinez
Memorial Fund’s Breakfast Benefit at the New York Botanical Garden. “This program is a success
because of all of you,” he said.
BASICS/CEO President and ExOfficio Board Member Honorable
Hector L. Diaz
(bottom)
acknowledged the collective
efforts of the organization’s
team members over many
years. “I thank you, thank you,
and thank you,” he said. “Your
work is remarkable.”
Among the many guests in attendance, as seen here, were families
that had been directly assisted by the program funds offered by
the Julio Martinez Memorial Fund.
BASICS/Promesa Systems, Inc.
also highlighted their soon-tobe-official new name and logo,
The Acacia Network.
Chairwoman Milagros Baez-O’Toole (left) and President and ExOfficio Board Member Honorable Hector L. Diaz (center) beam
as they celebrate the Fund’s five past years serving vulnerable
youths.
Left: 2011 Julio Martinez
Memorial Fund Scholar Kevin
Linares explained how he had
been able to work through
past run-ins with the law and
drug dependency to now exel
as a CUNY Computer Science
major.
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
BASICS/Promesa Systems CEO
Raul Russi (left) and Hostos
Community College President
Felix Matos-Rodriguez, Ph.D.
(right) smile together after the
President’s keynote address.
“Nosotros los chicos de color somos los ‘X-Men’
originales”: una entrevista con Junot Diaz
de la muerte de Trujillo, hace
solo un mes atrás - ¿puede
ampliar un poco en el
“nuestro una vez y futuro”?
Yo pienso que el Trujillato deformó
la sociedad dominicana de maneras
profundas invisibles y todavía
estamos bregando con el daño como
cultura. Si Trujillo fuera a regresar
ahora mismo a RP sospecho, a un
lado los cambios cosméticos, se
sentiría muy a gusto con la sociedad,
con toda la corrupción e impunidad,
y un anti-haitianismo y absolutismo
que prevalece en el país. Se sentiría
como en su casa.
El ‘spanglish’ es una cosa
– el ‘dominicanish’, como
ha sido llamado por “la
comadre” Josefina Baex,
es otra. ¿Algunas palabras
favoritas en ese singular
idioma que le resuenen?
Mojiganga. Levente. Bultero.
Por Debralee Santos
Como parte del quinto
aniversario de TeatroStageFest
y el noveno Paseo de las Artes
del Alto Manhattan, “The Brief
and Wondrous Life of Oscar
Wao”, la novela ganadora del
Premio Pulitzer del escritor
dominicano Junot Díaz, fue
adaptada y presentada por el
actor de teatro Elvis Nolasco
en una presentación de un
solo hombre el 11 de junio.
Para marcar la ocasión y
ponerse al día con uno de
nuestros grandes autores
contemporáneos, Debralee
Santos del Manhattan
Times intercambio correos
electrónicos con Díaz sobre
la puesta en escena de su
novela, Trujillo y Anthony
Weiner, y claro está, el
superhéroe Dominicano.
En esta adaptación de
Oscar Wao, Elvis Nolasco
presenta un espectáculo
de una sola persona. Usted
concibe estos personajes
ahora traídos a la vida en
el escenario por una sola
persona - ¿Cómo se siente/
suena para usted, dado cuan
profundo usted lo imaginó y
por cuánto tiempo vivió con
los personajes que ahora
habitan en Nolasco?
¿Es eso solo una
interacción de la naturaleza
de ciencia ficción de la
experiencia completa de
“Wao”?
Un libro solo existe para un
lector. Una vez se lee el libro es un
libro para que el lector haga lo que
este desee. En la lectura nosotros
jugamos todas las partes en nuestro
corazones y en nuestra cabeza
así es que lo que el Sr. Nolasco
está haciendo me parece a mi solo
una extensión de la experiencia de
lectura. Pero nunca en mi vida me
imagine que alguien tenga tanto
talento, tanto ingenio, iluminando mis
personajes tan radiantemente.
¿Qué significa que
Oscar Wao llegue al Alto
de Manhattan, un espacio
descrito como “la cuna” de
la experiencia dominicana
en los estados?
Si no fuera por la experiencia
dominicana de la cual Washington
Heights es el corazón, Oscar Wao
no existiría. Para mí, el tener esta
obra en los Heights lo es todo, la
culminación de muchos de mis
sueños.
Mucho de lo que usted
paso viniendo a Jersey,
incluyendo migración,
Junot Díaz estaba en la audiencia durante la presentación de su novela “The Brief and
Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”, en el Centro Shabazz el domingo, 11 de junio.
FOTO: Mike Fitelson
vivienda terrible, dificultad
económica, dificultad con
el idioma inglés, y falta de
padre, sofás cubiertos de
plástico, son también la
norma de otra generación de
dominicanos/dominicanosamericanos adolescentes
y jóvenes en El Alto y el
Bronx. Usted dijo: “Yo siento
que mi unidad orgánica son
pobres niños inmigrantes
que desean hacer algo
para sentirse valiosos”.
¿Pensamientos/reflexiones
en mantenerlo unido, en
sentirse valioso, para un
nuevo conjunto que se
aproxima?
Cada vida, con todas sus
similitudes, es profundamente
particular. Solo se que deberían de
existir Medallas de Honor para vidas
como las de nosotros – deberían de
existir monumentos en Washington,
D.C. El crecer pobre e inmigrante,
y de color en los E.U. es el haber
sobrevivido una de las más difíciles
experiencias “normativas”.
Todo lo que puedo decir es que – a
pesar de lo gastado que esto puedo
sonar – solo en sueños un niño como
yo se las arregló para quedarse el
tiempo suficiente para tener “éxito”.
Si yo no hubiera tenido mis
sueños, si no me hubieran motivado,
esa vida en Jersey me hubiera
borrado.
Es una relación
interesante la que los
negros/latinos tienen con la
cultura de libros de ciencia
ficción/fantasía/cómicas.
Usted también se deleita
en los otros mundos de
lo extraño, mutantes y
‘fanboys’ - ¿puede la cultura
popular alguna vez reflejar lo
real? ¿Habrá alguna vez un
X-Man/Woman dominicano?
¿Con cual superpoder
podría dotarlo/la?
Nosotros los niños de color somos
los X-Men originales.
En una versión dominicana ella
vendrá y a lo mejor nosotros somos
los que la escribimos y no un tipo que
solo conoce a los dominicanos por lo
que lee ‘online’. Espero que su poder
será el romper imperios en dos. Eso
sería bueno.
En Oscar Wao, la vida de
Belicia fue casi destruida
por el dictador dominicano,
el cual usted describe en
el libro como “el dictado
dictador que nunca
dictaba…” Trujillo, escribe
usted, es “nuestro Sauron,
nuestro Arawan, nuestro
Darkseid, nuestro una vez y
futuro dictador”.
Este año estamos
marcando el 50 aniversario
Usted ha escrito algunos
de los pocos – e indelebles –
mujeres latinas/dominicanas
impresas: Belicia, Lola,
Aurora, Mami y Tia, Alma.
Y no ha recibido mucho en
ocasiones. Usted ha hablado
en el pasado acerca de
sentir una responsabilidad
de escribir de la mujer,
dada la gran influencia que
tuvieron en su vida. ¿Alguna
vez ha comenzado a sentirse
como una carga?
La experiencia dominicana no
puede ser escrita sin sus mujeres.
¿Por qué alguna vez tendría que una
carga? Cuando todo lo que se dice y
se hace como escritor humano es mi
verdadero asunto y ¿quien es más
humana que la mujer dominicana?
Nadie, en mi opinión. El día que
hagan imposible escribir acerca de la
mujer dominicana será el día que no
escriba ninguna otra palabra.
Miembro del Premio
Pulitzer y escritor de ficción,
y voraz lector, Jhumpa Lahiri
escribió, “cuando me hice
escritor mi escritorio pasó
a ser mi hogar; no había
necesidad de otro”.
¿Comparte usted ese
sentimiento? ¿Dónde está
su hogar para usted?
Para cada uno lo suyo, claramente.
Creo que no entiendo el reclamo de
Lahiri pero solo a simple vista no es
la clase de hogar que yo escogería
para mí. ¿Un sencillo lugar donde
solo yo tengo el dominio? Suena un
poco atemorizante. Suena como la
elección de un tirano, donde nada
que digamos o hagamos pueda ser
impugnado. Siempre he preferido
estar en diálogo con otros, estar
en comunión con otros y si aun en
conflictos con otros. Eso para mi
suena mucho más a hogar.
JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com
Escucha: para mi no hay un hogar
en el que valga la pena residir que
no envuelva simultaneidad. Siempre
he preferido la simultaneidad – ser
ambos un extraño y pertenecer; ser
un individuo y un miembro de una
comunidad, el ser de NJ y de Santo
Domingo, estar en mi hogar en mi
escritorio y también en mi hogar fuera
en el mundo.
Yo nací, como la mayoría de
nosotros, en la confusión de estados
y a esa confusión yo debo mi
verdadera lealtad.
Y de todas maneras el
individualismo solo, sin derecho a
un colectivo, es el verdadero sueño
capitalista para todos nosotros
– un lugar donde estamos todos
sumamente vulnerables a sus
depredaciones y más fácilmente
controlados – y ese estado es algo
que yo prefiero resistir.
“Llegó el verano a Nueva
York”: ¿hielo o piragua?
YunYun
¿Cualquier broma de
Anthony Weiner (buena o
mala)?
Porton-Weiner. Eso es. ¿Como
puedes elaborar en eso?
Luego de la interpretación
de Elvis Nolasco, durante
un periodo de preguntas
y respuestas, Díaz dijo
lo siguiente acerca de su
experiencia.
¿Lo que para mi es
explicito es cuan poco de esto
(teatro en vivo y las artes)
es accesible para nosotros.
Nosotros no recibimos el
alimento que deberíamos. Las
almas no se alimentan por
lo que usted compra o por lo
que viste. Este es un enorme
regalo, y algo como esta
presentación extiende su vida,
su alegría, su alma. Esta es la
sociedad que merecemos”.
¿Y que dijo acerca del
nuevo libro en el que está
trabajando?
“Absolutamente ilegible”.
Where The Path of Recovery Begins
Treatment Program:
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DPMMBCPSBUJWFXPSLJOHSFMBUJPOTIJQXJUIUIFDMJFOU
#PUIUIFEFUPYJöDBUJPOBOESFIBCJMJUBUJPOQSP
HSBNTBSFTVQFSWJTFECZBUFBNPGIFBMUIDBSF
QSPGFTTJPOBMTXIPTUSJWFUPFOHBHFUIFXIPMF
QFSTPOOPUKVTUUIFBEEJDUJPO
BASICS/Promesa Systems, Inc.
Amanecer Recovery Center is an
expansion on the Behavioral Health
Medical and Clinical Staff:
Services offered at Promesa Systems, Inc.
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RVBMJöFEIFBMUIDBSFQSPGFTTJPOBMTXIP
It is a state of the art facility, equipped
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with a detoxification unit and a
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MJTUTOVSTFQSBDUJUJPOFSTMJDFOTFEOVSTFTDFSUJöFE
rehabilitation unit, dedicated to the care
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of individuals who struggle with drug or
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alcohol addiction.
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Detoxification Unit:
Our mission is to successfully treat our
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clients using an integrated medical and BOEPSCFO[PEJB[FQJOFTXJMMSFDFJWFTBGFNFEJ
clinical approach. We are co mmitted to DBMMZTVQFSWJTFEEFUPYJöDBUJPO5IJTJOQBUJFOUVOJU
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helping them toward their recovery with XJUIBOBWFSBHFMFOHUIPGTUBZPGöWFEBZT5P
the utmost compassion, professionalism BMMPXGPSBOVOJOUFSSVQUFEDPVSTFPGUSFBUNFOU
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and respect.
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PVUQBUJFOUTFSWJDFT
Rehabilitation Unit:
The Amanecer Recovery
Center is only one way
that we fulfill the promise
at BASICS/Promesa
Systems, Inc. We offer a
multitude of services that
revolve around the well
being of our clients and
the community at large.
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FOWJSPONFOUGPSJOEJWJEVBMTXIPXJTIUPTUPQ
VTJOHBMDPIPMPSESVHT5IFVOJUDPOTJTUTPGUXFO
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BWFSBHFMFOHUIPGTUBZPGUXFOUZPOFEBZT"UUIF
DPODMVTJPOPGUIFSFIBCJMJUBUJPOQSPDFTTXFDBO
SFGFSUIFJOEJWJEVBMUPBOBQQSPQSJBUFSFTJEFOUJBM
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UJFOUTFSWJDFTGPSDPOUJOVFEUSFBUNFOU
Most iNsuRANCe plANs, iNCludiNg
MediCAid, ARe ACCepted.
Key Components:
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Admission Process:
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DBMMJOHUPJORVJSFBCPVUBENJTTJPOPSTJNQMZXBOU
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Visit us:
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BOEUPVSPVSGBDJMJUZ"U"NBOFDFS3FDPWFSZ
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BOESFTQFDUJOBOFOWJSPONFOUEFTJHOFEUP
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Amanecer Recovery Center: 1776 Clay Ave, Bronx, New York, 10457
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JULY 6, 2011 • the bronx free press • www.thebronxfreepress.com

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