NY City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito spent a morning at our emergency food pantry this month for a press conference to kick-off the City's 2014 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). 

Gathered around the pantry's hydroponic farm, the Speaker and fellow Council Members Mathieu Eugene and Ydanis Rodriguez announced this year's expanded program to fight youth unemployment in NYC. Thanks to a $15.2 million investment from the City Council for the current fiscal year, SYEP will serve an additional 10,700 teens this summer, bringing the total to 47,000 citywide.

Administered by the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, SYEP provides New York City youth between the ages of 14 and 24 with paid summer employment for up to six weeks in July and August.

"The Summer Youth Employment Program is an invaluable opportunity for our youth to take advantage of the diversity of industry and career opportunities New York City has offer," said Speaker Mark-Viverito. "In getting a head start this summer, the next generation of innovators will cultivate the tools they need to surmount the challenges of unemployment and economic hardship facing our workforce."

The Council Members were joined by CAMBA staff and SYEP participants for the exciting launch. Aside from hosting the event, CAMBA's food pantry is an SYEP work site where teens are spending the summer tending the hydroponic farm, organizing food on shelves and keeping the pantry running smoothly---all to serve the 4,300 clients who walk through the doors each month.

Beyond the pantry, CAMBA places 645 local teens at 82 SYEP work sites, including nonprofits, government agencies, libraries, hospitals and CAMBA's own summer camps. 

Taylor Sinclair-Woods, 21, is commuting from Canarsie to work at the food pantry for the summer. Now in her third year in the program, Sinclair-Woods knows well the importance of a summer job for her career plans.

"People my age - 19, 20, 21 - it's hard because employers want people with experience, and people my age don't have experience," Sinclair-Woods said. "I'm hoping to become a health inspector, so working at the pantry will give me real world experience in my field."

We're in the height of summer, by why not look ahead to the fall? On Thursday night, October 30, we'll be at Tribeca Three Sixty� in lower Manhattan for CAMBA Casino Night Out, our annual casino-themed gala. Our gala brings together a dynamic group of more than 300 leaders in business, politics, development, community, arts and service who are committed to empowering low-income New Yorkers.

This year's honorees are Martin Dunn, Partner, Dunn Development, and Dr. David Cohen, Executive Vice President, Maimonides Medical Center. Join us to honor their exceptional community leadership in the fields of affordable and supportive housing and patient-centered health care.

Tickets and sponsorship information at camba.org/casinonight.

CAMBA Housing Ventures' newest affordable and supportive housing development has garnered yet another high honor. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce awarded CAMBA Gardens I a 2014 Building Brooklyn Award this month, in the "Residential Affordable" category.

The CAMBA Housing Ventures (CHV) team was on-hand, along with the project's partners, to receive the award at the July 23 ceremony and cocktail reception at the Williamsburgh Savings Bank in Brooklyn. 

Now in its 14th year, the Building Brooklyn Awards recognizes recently completed construction and renovation projects that enrich Brooklyn's diverse neighborhoods and economy. CAMBA Gardens I was one of 13 winners, sharing the spotlight with Whole Foods Market, Kickstarter, The Weeksville Heritage Center and nine others.

CAMBA Gardens I is a $66.8 million, 209-unit, LEED Platinum development on the Kings County Hospital Center (KCHC) campus in Wingate, Brooklyn. The development represents a new national model for partnerships between public hospitals, nonprofit developers, social service providers and community stakeholders.

"We're honored to receive this award, and to have the Chamber of Commerce recognize the innovative approach CAMBA and CHV are taking to affordable and supportive housing in Brooklyn," said Joanne M. Oplustil, President and CEO of CAMBA and CAMBA Housing Ventures.

Learn more about CAMBA Gardens I here.