More than 100 kids drew their bows and let their arrows fly at CAMBA Beacon 271's Ninth Annual Battle of the Boroughs Archery Tournament on Feb. 15.

Competitors, ranging from third graders through high school students, along with a few adults, attend archery programs taught by Coach Larry Brown, who is dedicated to bringing the sport of archery to low-income neighborhoods in New York City. In addition to teaching at Beacon 271, Brown operates the nonprofit Center Shot Archers and is a former Columbia University coach.

"Archery is a growing sport and a great opportunity for young people," says Debra Mack-Glasgow, Director of Beacon 271. "Most of our young people have little access to a sport that helps them develop focus, dexterity and discipline." 

Hadiyah, 10, who took home a first-place trophy in her division, says that the focus required for archery is helping her concentrate in school. "I'm getting better and better" on tests, she says.

View more photos from the tournament here. Watch Hadiyah demonstrate her winning techniques on Good Day New York and learn how archery helps youth achieve in a report from News 12 Brooklyn. 

Register Now for CAMBA's Healthy Way 5K

NY State to Save SNAP Benefits from Federal Cuts

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this week that New York State will preserve $457 million in SNAP benefits (commonly known as food stamps) that were to be cut by the recently enacted Federal Farm Bill. The cut would have cost 300,000 state residents an average of $127 per month per household---a huge loss for so many who struggle to feed their families. CAMBA applauds Governor Cuomo for helping New York's most vulnerable residents keep food on their tables. 

SNAP benefits are critical for the 5,000 people CAMBA's emergency food pantry serves each month. Learn how to support our pantry.

CAMBA serves young people in low-income neighborhoods around New York City. In many of these neighborhoods, police presence is high and tension between police and local youth can run even higher.

This month, staff from CAMBA youth programs reached out to an expert in NYPD procedure to help them teach the kids in their communities how to safely navigate encounters with the police. 

Carlton Berkley, a retired NYPD Detective and an advocate for transprency in police procedures, made the trip to Flatbush to give 15 staff a hands-on primer on police procedure. Front and center were the controversial "stop and frisk" practices that have been in the recent spotlight in New York City and around the country.

Berkley demonstrated police techniques, debunked "stop and frisk" myths (the practice is officially called "Stop, Question and Frisk") and educated staff on laws and rights. Berkley's number one piece advice to a youth in a police encounter: "Always stay calm."

CAMBA staff on-hand represented programs that, together, serve almost 2,000 young people in the areas of adolescent pregnancy prevention, child abuse prevention, relationship abuse prevention and student support.

Committed to developing sustainable and energy efficient affordable housing, CAMBA Housing Ventures, Inc. (CHV) enrolled CAMBA Gardens in LEED for Homes.  The LEED for Homes rating system was developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) in order to promote the design and construction of high-performance, sustainable homes. The voluntary rating system recognizes performance in many areas including: site factors, energy efficiency, water conservation, material selection and indoor environmental quality to name a few.  CAMBA Gardens was able to achieve LEED Platinum Certification, the highest certification level, due to exemplary performance in many of these areas. In doing so, the multi-family affordable and supportive housing development requires less energy and therefore produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions as well as provides for greater occupant comfort and health.

The project team, including CAMBA Housing Ventures, Inc. (Developer), Harden Van Arnam Architects PLLC (Architect), Reynaldo C. Prego, PE Consulting Engineers (Engineer), Bruno Frustaci Contracting (General Contractor), Aeon Solar (Solar Installer), Steven Winter Associates (Sustainability Consultant), Enterprise Community Investment, Inc. (Syndicator),  Extraordinary Building Consultants (Owner's Representative), and Corporation for Supportive Housing (Predevelopment Financing Funder) convened sustainability and design charrettes during the design phase to incorporate the buildings' green features into the drawings and specifications. During construction, the sustainability consultant worked with the owner and contractor to ensure best practice construction with specific attention to air sealing and compartmentalization. The building passed a demanding set of testing and verification requirements.

CAMBA Gardens includes the following energy saving and sustainable measures:

* Transit oriented development. Located within walking distance to a variety of public transportation options such as the 2 and 5 subway lines and a number of Brooklyn bus lines.
* On-site bike storage for residents and close connection to the NYC bike path network.
* Excellent proximity to jobs.
* Within walking distance of community resources, including healthcare (New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation's Kings County Hospital Center), supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and schools.
* Access to open space such as Wingate Park and Prospect Park.
* 86 KW rooftop solar array providing 104,000 kW/hrs of electricity per year and powering approximately 45% of common areas.
* All installed landscaping is local and non-invasive. Over 90% of plants are drought tolerant
* High efficiency irrigation system designed by an EPA WaterSense certified professional including, drip irrigation, multiple zones and moisture sensors.
* High albedo, reflective roofing material to reduce heat island effects.
* Very high efficiency flow rates for showers, sinks, and toilets.
* Energy Star qualified fixtures and appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators and common clothes washers.
* Efficient lighting design including pin-based CFLs, occupancy sensors in common spaces and timers on outdoor lighting.
* Tightly sealed building envelope. Passed rigorous testing requirements such as duct tightness testing and blower door testing.
* High performance fiberglass windows with efficient thermal properties (U and SHGC values).
* 28% energy savings compared with ASHRAE 90.1-2007.
* Continuous rooftop exhaust in both kitchens and bathrooms and outdoor air ventilation for better indoor air quality.