Dear Neighbor,

Thank you for joining us for another week in review.

January is National Blood Donor Month, and we are experiencing a blood shortage citywide that could impact thousands of New Yorkers. We are urging our neighbors to join us this Monday at Borough Hall for our Blood Drive in partnership with the New York Blood Center to donate blood and potentially save a life.

Nervous about donating? Here are the facts:

✅62% of the U.S. is eligible to donate, yet only 3% do.

✅Donating blood only takes about an hour.

✅To make an appointment or if you are unsure, you can donate blood, call 1-800-933-2566 or visit nybc.org.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 718-590-3500 or email us at webmail@bronxbp.nyc.gov.

In partnership,

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson

The Adams administration announced they were restoring funding to the FDNY, NYPD, the NYC Department of Sanitation, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the New York City Department of Education`s Community Schools, and the Summer Rising initiative.

While supporting these restorations, we are calling on the administration to reconsider any proposed cuts to the Department of Buildings. Last week’s collapse of a 150-foot retaining wall in the Mount Hope neighborhood and last month’s partial collapse at 1915 Billingsley Terrace in Morris Heights underscores the importance of our City agencies and why we must not haphazardly reduce their operating budgets.

Any cuts to an agency tasked with the responsibility of overseeing our city’s infrastructure potentially puts our families at risk and is something we cannot afford to do.

Below is the full statement we released last Friday in response to the Mayor`s announcement.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Thank you to Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church, our guest speakers, my colleagues in government, and everyone else who joined us as we celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. King.

Dr. King dreamed of a better world and fought tirelessly to achieve that dream. He was a pioneer and trailblazer whose shoulders we proudly stand on, and over 50 years later, we are continuing his fight for racial equity and justice for all.

In the Bronx, we are doing this by dismantling barriers to care that disproportionately affect New Yorkers of color, fighting for truly affordable housing, increasing access to employment, and creating opportunities for our youth to have pathways to future careers.

It is a new day in the Bronx!

Today, we unveiled new signage for Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point. This name change shows the rest of the world that our borough means business and we are ready to chart a new course. Thank you Bally’s for joining us as a community partner and we look forward to building on this relationship in the pursuit of a better Bronx.

In her 2024 State of the State address, Governor Kathy Hochul outlined a bold agenda with initiatives that align with the priorities put forth in our strategic policy statement to build a better and stronger Bronx.

From healthcare to housing discrimination, employment for historically marginalized New Yorkers, public safety, swimming access, and so much more that will help eliminate barriers that have often affected our most at-risk residents.

Some Highlights:

The first-in-the-nation statewide paid prenatal leave and expanding access to doula services.

Incentives for the construction of affordable housing and increased protections for low-income New Yorkers with Section 8 vouchers.

Flood resiliency plans for our homeowners as the prevalence of coastal storms increases.

Investments in gender-affirming care.

Improving health services for our veterans.

January is Scholarship Month in New York City. We are proud to join NYC Kids RISE to promote this important college savings program for eligible public school scholars between Kindergarten and the 2nd Grade. Citywide $30M across 200 schools have already participated. Thanks to Chancellor Banks, NYC Public Schools, NYC Kids RISE, the Gray Foundation, and PS 85 The Great Expectations School in CSD10 for hosting us. $93,000 in college savings alone at PS85. Let’s continue to promote this important program that invests in our scholars' futures! 

UPCOMING EVENTS

RESOURCES