On February 17, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham hosted a press conference at Brooklyn Borough Hall, joining the Brooklyn Community Foundation and United Way of New York City to announce the NYC Haitian Community Hope & Healing Fund. The Fund will provide financial support and critical resources to local nonprofit organizations that are attuned to the needs of Haitian American New Yorkers affected by the earthquake; it will also focus on strengthening these organizations so they can most effectively serve the increased number of people needing assistance. 

“I applaud the Brooklyn Community Foundation and the United Way for creating the Haitian Community Hope & Healing Fund, another extraordinary example of how people of goodwill have come together to open their hearts and wallets in the wake of last month’s earthquake,” said BP Markowitz. “According to one poll, a staggering 59 percent of Haitian Americans in the United States—many of them living in New York City—have lost a loved one in the tragedy, and the Fund will help address the short- and long-term needs of our Haitian American communities in Brooklyn and Queens.”

Press release from Brooklyn Community Foundation:

CONTACT:
Andrew Yarbrough/ayarbough@globalstrategygroup.com/ (212) 260-8813 / (646) 652-9018
Dara Lehon /dlehon@BrooklynCommunityFoundation.org/ (718) 246-6882 / (917) 589-1282

Brooklyn Community Foundation and United Way of NYC Hold Press Conference to Announce NYC Haitian Community Hope and Healing Fund
______

Local fund to meet immediate and longer-term needs of Haitian American communities of New York City in earthquake’s aftermath

Brooklyn, NY, February 17, 2010 – The Brooklyn Community Foundation and United Way of New York City announced the NYC Haitian Community Hope and Healing Fund at a press conference held this morning in Brooklyn’s Borough Hall. New York City is home to one of the largest Haitian populations outside of Port au Prince – more than 140,000 people – the vast majority of whom live in Brooklyn and Queens. The impact of the January 12, 2010 earthquake has extended well beyond Haiti’s shores, penetrating some of the city’s most vibrant and under-resourced communities.

The NYC Hope & Healing Fund will provide financial support and critical resources to local nonprofit organizations that are attuned to the needs of Haitian American New Yorkers affected by the earthquake; it will also focus on strengthening these organizations so they can most effectively serve the increased number of people needing assistance. 

In attendance at today’s press conference were Marilyn Gelber, President, Brooklyn Community Foundation; Gordon J. Campbell, President and CEO, United Way of New York City; Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President; Yvonne Graham, Deputy Borough President, Brooklyn; Mark McMillan, Deputy Counsel, Queens Borough President’s Office; Fatima Shama, NYC Immigrant Affairs Commissioner; Representative from Council Member Jumaane D. Williams; Council Member Mathieu Eugene; Dr. William L. Pollard, President, Medgar Evers College; Carine Jocelyn, Executive Director, Diaspora Community Services; Giselle Cahalan, Queens Market President Capital One Bank; Brendan Dugan, President, St. Francis College; as well as members of the local community.

“While attention to date has focused mostly on immediate and short-term needs in Haiti, NYC’s Haitian community will face significant long-term challenges as a result of this tragedy,” said Gordon Campbell, President and CEO of the United Way of New York City.  “They will include psychological and emotional impacts such as trauma and grief, as well as tangible consequences, such as loss of income, orphaned children and other issues that will put members of this vibrant community – of all ages – at risk.”

The Fund is a long-term initiative that will help strengthen New York City community-based organizations so that they can most effectively serve the anticipated increased number of people who need assistance.

Early assessments indicate that the  need for culturally competent, sensitive, and attuned neighborhood-based services will increase dramatically over the coming months and years, and the Fund envisions being a catalyst to develop those resources, which will include immigration assistance, grief and trauma counseling, and English language acquisition.

“The unimaginable scale of destruction and devastation in Haiti stunned and shook us here in Brooklyn as we began to hear about the ripple effects on our Haitian American neighbors living here in New York City” said Marilyn Gelber, President of Brooklyn Community Foundation. “We listened to community members speak passionately about longer term effects of the earthquake that would inevitably emerge locally and it became clear that there was an urgent need to strengthen the ability of local nonprofit service providers to deal with the range of complicated issues confronting them – from legal services related to family law and immigration, case management for the economic and housing issues as families reunite, educational and literacy needs of new immigrants, services to help cope with the grief of loss, and much more. We are gratified that the United Way of New York City, with their vast experience following the tragedy of 9/11, recognized this local need and joined in partnership with the Brooklyn Community Foundation to create a pooled fund to both provide hope and help heal the Haitian American community of New York City, now and in the future,” she said.

Both Brooklyn Community Foundation and the United Way of NYC have contributed $100,000 to help launch the NYC Hope and Healing Fund. It has also received initial funding commitments from the Altman Foundation, Capital One Bank and St. Francis College and will be seeking additional funding from other foundations and corporations as well as donations from the general public. The immediate and long-term needs of the community will be continually assessed and the Fund hopes to raise enough money to support these efforts over time.

“I applaud the Brooklyn Community Foundation and the United Way for creating the Haitian Community Hope & Healing Fund, another extraordinary example of how people of goodwill have come together to open their hearts and wallets in the wake of last month's earthquake. According to one poll, a staggering 59 percent of Haitian Americans in the United States-many of them living in New York City-have lost a loved one in the tragedy, and the Fund will help address the short- and long-term needs of our Haitian American communities in Brooklyn and Queens,” said Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President.

An Advisory Committee comprised of leaders within the Haitian communities of New York City, as well as experts in human services and the long-term effects of disasters on local communities, will meet regularly with program staff from Brooklyn Community Foundation and United Way to guide and advise on the Fund’s approach. The Fund Advisory Committee’s co-chairs are Carine Jocelyn, Executive Director of Diaspora Community Services, and Dr. William Pollard, President of Medgar Evers College.  

“We know the devastating effects of the earthquake in Haiti and its ripple effect here in the New York area,” said Carine Jocelyn, Co-Chair of the NYC Hope and Healing Fund Advisory Committee and Executive Director of Diaspora Community Services. “The Hope and Healing fund is a perfect vehicle to address the short and long term issues.”

“As an institution with a significant number of Haitian-American students, located in the largest population center of Haitians and Haitian-Americans in the country, we, at Medgar Evers College, have felt the devastating effects of this tragedy most acutely,” said Dr. William Pollard, Co-Chair of the NYC Hope and Healing Fund Advisory Committee and President of Medgar Evers College. “We are proud to partner with the Fund and its sponsoring organizations.”

“In these difficult times, the formation of strategic partnerships and collaborative alliances are an essential component to the ongoing relief efforts,” said New York City Council Member Councilman Jumaane D. Williams. “We are fortunate to have the Brooklyn Community Foundation and the United Way of New York City working together on the mid and long term needs of Haitian Americans here in New York. I am pleased the NYC Hope and Healing Fund will supplement the efforts already begun in my district with the 45th District Haitian Relief Effort. Having an integrated structure for Haitians to both provide assistance as well as receive assistance will be crucial in the long term.”

Members of the Advisory Committee include Valerie Barton-Richardson, CAMBA; Darnell Benoit,  Flanbwayan; Ruddel Deceus, “18 Mai” Committee, Inc.; Christy Gibney, Nonprofit consultant; Alan Goodman, Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service; Yvonne Graham, Brooklyn Borough President’s Office;  Dr. Eda Harris-Hastick, Medgar Evers College; Roy A. Hastick, Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Chung-Wha Hong, New York Immigration Coalition; Christine Jaus, Dwa Fanm; Ninaj Raoul, Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees; Karl Rodney, Carib News; Regine Roumain, Haiti Cultural Exchange; Elsie Saint Louis Accilien, Haitian Americans United for Progress;  Fatima Shama, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs; Robert Siebel, Catholic Charities Brooklyn & Queens; and Farah Tanis, Black Women’s Blueprint, Inc. (list in formation)

For more information about the NYC Hope & Healing Fund please visit www.HopeandHealingFund.org.

ABOUT UNITED WAY FOR NEW YORK CITY
United Way of New York City (UWNYC) brings together people, resources and ideas to achieve long-lasting systemic changes that improve the education, income stability and health of low-income New Yorkers, and foster a more robust and effective nonprofit sector. We believe that everyone has a role in building a better future for all. We offer diverse opportunities for New Yorkers to give, advocate and volunteer to advance the common good. To learn more about our work and how to get involved, visit www.unitedwaynyc.org

ABOUT BROOKLYN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION