The seventh
annual Good Neighbor Awards, held on Saturday, May
5, 2007, honored seven community volunteers who contribute
to the quality of life and health of the neighborhood
on the West Side. The dinner and awards presentation,
held at the Goddard Riverside Community Center on
Columbus and 88th Street, was attended by more than
200 neighbors, including representatives Charles Rangel,
Scott Stringer, Daniel O’Donnell, Linda Rosenthal
and Gale Brewer.
An annual tradition since 2001, the Neighbor to Neighbor
Dinner has become a much anticipated event in the
community. The evening includes the Good Neighbor
Awards which are presented to exemplary individuals
and organizations, from youth mentors to homeless
shelters. A committee of active community residents
solicits nominations and selects the recipients. “Over
the past seven years, the Good Neighbor Awards has
become a signature event,” said Stephan Russo,
Executive Director, Goddard Riverside Community Center.
“It has taken on an importance not only for
those who have selflessly given of themselves to help
others; but the evening has become a moment to renew
our commitment to make this neighborhood better, and
the world a more just place.”
This year, five individuals and two groups were honored
for establishing safer neighborhoods and community
activities, directing sing-a-longs and choruses at
senior centers, creating pleasant environments for
the homebound and hospitalized, fighting for tenants’
rights, advocating for affordable housing, keeping
a church’s doors open, and giving children an
opportunity to play softball.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Russo said, “To
me, this evening underscores how critical it is to
bring different elements of our community together.
This evening is our chance to paint our own little
mosaic of the kind of world we hope to create. Tonight
we build bridges, find the points of intersection
in which we can come together, recognize our common
bonds and share in our common experiences.”
2007 Awardees
James C. Freund
- for his extensive community service and generosity
with seniors and youth of the Upper West Side, for
his leadership of the chorus, his piano playing for
weekly sing-a-longs at Goddard Riverside and Hamilton
Senior Centers and for his photography projects with
high school students.
Milagros Lopez
- for her devotion to the homebound and the hospitalized,
for her exemplary work at the Senior Center and with
the Mount Sinai Community Board and for her decorating
and artistic contributions.
Bruce Nichols
- for his outstanding leadership of the Edgecombe
Block Association, for his devotion to the residents
of Corner House providing them with holiday celebrations
and home delivered meals, an annual barbecue, a Super
Bowl Party and trips to the theater and for establishing
a safer neighborhood with a play street for children
with breakfasts and lunches and job opportunities
for teens.
Carole Singleton
- for her courageous advocacy as a tenant leader,
her passion for social justice, her vision for a city-wide
tenant base and years of selfless and dynamic service
to victimized tenants of scandal-ridden 203k and 203b
housing.
Softball Coaches
and Umpires - a group award to the coaches
and umpires, Julius Bryan, Michael Gilfillan, William
Kelly, Deyan Landa, Marta Santiago, Juan Sierra and
Richard Slade in Goddard Riverside’s Children’s
Spring Softball League for their diligence in teaching
boys and girls teamwork, skills and sportsmanship.
This group, who for the most part were former players
in the league, is devoted to giving back that which
they learned as youth.
Susan Susman
- for her passionate advocacy and outstanding leadership
in preserving affordable Mitchell Lama housing. As
a member of the Mitchell Lama Residents Coalition,
a founder and activist in the Preserve West Park North
Coalition and as president of the Central Park Gardens
Tenants’ Association, she has been an invaluable
motivator, organizer and information source for the
neighborhood and beyond.
The Guardians
of the Temple of the Lord - a group award to
these devoted women who for years have been the backbone
of The Church of Saint Gregory the Great. They fought
with petitions and letters to keep the church from
being closed, maintain the church sweeping, vacuuming,
washing and polishing each Saturday morning, hold
multiple fund raising activities, send Christmas gifts
of toys and clothing to the Dominican Republic and
collect and distribute food for their neighbors in
need.
About Goddard Riverside
Community Center
Goddard Riverside Community Center, a not-for-profit
organization, assists 16,000 people each year from
Manhattan’s Upper West Side and Harlem Communities.
Services include basic assistance for the most needy;
affordable childcare; college counseling; and job
training. The agency also manages 600 units of affordable
housing. In addition, Goddard Riverside’s advocacy
and legal services offer individuals and groups a
voice in their community and a way to address critical
social issues.
Goddard Riverside is one of 36 settlement houses
serving New York City and a member of United Neighborhood
Houses.
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