Lots of of youngsters obtained Christmas items and posed with Santa on Dec. 22 through the Caribbean-American Middle of New York, Inc.’s (CACNY) 25th Annual Kids’s Christmas Social gathering at Group Worship Middle (CWC) Church of the Nazarene within the Bedford-Stuyvesant part of Brooklyn.
Trinidadian-born Jean Alexander, CACNY’s co-founder and government director, informed Caribbean Life on Wednesday that the occasion was held in collaboration with CWC’s Youth Group. The church is situated at 1160 Bedford Ave.
Alexander mentioned the youths and the secretary, Barbara Williams-Day, adorned the venue and helped with planning and distribution of items – from “wrapping, show and precise shows with Santa.”
“The youths additionally helped with serving the meals and refreshments earlier than helping Santa in presenting over 150 toys, hats and gloves to infants as much as 16-year-olds,” mentioned Alexander, disclosing that a few of CACNY’s Board Members attend the church.
She mentioned this was the one place the place the presentation befell this yr for Christmas, “as CACNY shouldn’t have sufficient provides for an additional occasion.”
“As Santa arrived, the kids squealed with enjoyment of anticipation, as they lined up by age to get to our jolly Santa for his or her items,” Alexander mentioned. “I used to be fairly happy and relieved how fantastic the night progressed.
“The church elders and Barbara had been more than happy, and requested us to proceed doing extra tasks with them through the yr, which we agreed to,” she added.
Alexander mentioned she and fellow Trinidadian Dolly L. Williams, then CACNY’s chairperson, began CACNY’s Annual Kids’s Christmas Social gathering in 1998.
She mentioned Williams, president of A. Williams Development Firm for over 40 years and former commissioner with New York Metropolis Planning Fee, approached her with the notion of offering new toys at Christmas time for youngsters residing in homeless shelters in Brooklyn.
Alexander mentioned that, whereas the non-profit CACNY, in 1998, didn’t have “out there money available”, it didn’t stop them from continuing with their initiative.
She mentioned they went purchasing for over 100 toys, paid for by Williams, and that they each personally delivered them to shelters in Brooklyn.
“Over the following years, this enterprise grew by leaps and bounds to 1000’s, and CACNY ultimately joined up with New York Metropolis’s Division of Homeless Companies, serving some 30 shelters in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island, with new garments, toys, sneakers, heat coats, hats, gloves and scarves,” Alexander mentioned.
“After all, the occasions had been all the time festive, with Caribbean vacation and parang music, thrilling video games, meals, dance competitors and leisure earlier than Santa appeared to ship his truck load of toys,” she added.
As much as 2018, Alexander mentioned youngsters had been bused to varied occasion places by New York Metropolis companies.
Since 2019, she mentioned CACNY now not works with the Division of Homeless Companies, “as some donors, primarily the big toy firms, like Mattel, and others who imported toys from China, drastically in the reduction of attributable to tariff charges and COVID-19.
“However, this didn’t cease CACNY from its long-standing purpose of bringing pleasure and happiness to the much less lucky youngsters,” Alexander mentioned.
From just a few 1000’s within the shelter system to principally lots of now, she mentioned CACNY serves youngsters in under-served areas in Brooklyn and Queens, with a lot fewer donors.
Alexander mentioned Delivering Good, formally KIDS-Youngsters In Distressed Conditions; sponsoring donor for over 20 years, Lloyd Shulman, head of JW Mays & Firm; CACNY’s present chairperson, Sharondale Brackett-McIntosh; Xavier Excessive Faculty in Manhattan; and Spectrum are CACNY’s “largest steady donors.”
She mentioned different supporters comprise: Con Edison; Brooklyn Division of Parks & Recreation; New York Metropolis Council, by way of NYC Division of Youth & Group Improvement; NYS Sen. Roxanne Persaud; and Brooklyn Metropolis Council Members Rita Joseph, Farah Louis and Crystal Hudson.
Alexander mentioned, for the primary time this yr, Healthfirst and Emblem Well being supported CACNY.
She mentioned CACNY has grown to supply quite a few FREE multi-services to 1000’s of youths yearly for in-school and after-school tutoring providers; back-to-school occasions for youngsters, with lots of of recent backpacks stuffed with faculty provides; vacation events; particular occasions; and a bi-annual Faculty Scholarship Profit & Awards Gala.
On Oct. 26, 2023, Alexander mentioned six minority faculty college students obtained money scholarships, “as CACNY honored 12 deserving people who went above and past the decision of responsibility through the darkest days at the start of COVID-19.”
She mentioned plans have already begun for CACNY 2025 Gala.
CACNY is situated within the Brooklyn Conflict Memorial Constructing at 195 Cadman Plaza West, downtown Brooklyn.
Alexander mentioned CACNY was shaped in 1987 “to supply wanted providers to immigrants and minorities in New York.
