Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and Council Member Farah N. Louis with NYPD Chief of Patrol Juanita Holmes; HALEFO President Claude Celestin, and members of HALEFO; Louis Spano, President of Red Hook Shipping; and Michael Stamatis President of Red Hook Terminals.

Commissioner Roberto Perez, Office of the Mayor's Community Affairs Unit

NYPD Chief of Patrols, Juanita Holmes

Claude Celestin, President of HALEFO

Brooklyn, NY – Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (AD-42), and Council Member Farah N. Louis (CD-45) joined members of the Office of the Mayor, and the NYPD at a press conference yesterday to see the ship with donations to aid Haiti loaded. The country continues to recover from a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake which struck the southwest of Haiti on August 14th.

Shipping 100 tons of donated goods to Haiti is a huge undertaking that required a collaborative effort from several parties. We are thankful for the efforts put forth by Mayor Bill de Blasio with the NYC Stands With Haiti - Mayor's Fund; Commissioner Roberto Perez of the Mayor's Community Affairs Unity who helped to connect all the dots of service; Chief of Patrol, Juanita Holmes who coordinated efforts with police departments throughout the city; and Claude Celestin, President of the Haitian-American Law Enforcement Fraternal Organization (HALEFO), who contributed the manpower to organize all of the donations received by NYPD.

Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn with Michael Stamatis, President of Red Hook Terminals; Council Member Farah N. Louis; and Louis Spano, President of Red Hook Shipping.

Another huge component of the success of this mission to get aid to Haiti is the transportation from the U.S. to Haiti. Michael Stamatis, President and CEO of Red Hook Terminals, and Louis Spano, President of Red Hook Shipping were gracious enough to open their terminal and allow the use of their containers to deliver the goods.

My district office opened its doors to receive donations. We collected closed to 600 boxes/barrels worth of goods including medical supplies, food, baby products, toiletries and other humanitarian goods. Support from many helped to make this a success including the community who overwhelmingly answered the call for help with there donations; volunteers who helped to sort and pack; Liffy Van Lines who provided all of the professional boxes and packing supplies; as well as Williams Caribbean Shipping and Standard Shippers who contributed shipping grade barrels; and the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) who provide the transport from our office to the terminal.

We also received generous support from the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) and AFYA with donations and transportation from the U.S. to Haiti set to take place on another shipment.

Haiti is in dire need of support and we hope that this donation will help to alleviate the burdens Haitians have been faced with. Members of my district in Little Haiti are watching and praying for relief for their families abroad.

Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn represents the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn covering Ditmas Park, Flatbush, East Flatbush and Midwood. She is currently the Chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs), and incoming Chair of the Task Force on Women's Issues. She serves on the following committees: Housing, Government Operations, Education, Banks, Health, and Higher Education. sits on Governor Hochul's Domestic Violence Advisory Council and Mayor De Blasio's MWBE Task Force.

As a current Assemblymember, District Leader, and Chair of Brooklyn Democratic Party, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn has been an outspoken advocate on issues concerning immigration, education, economic development, unemployment, education reform, health care access, senior citizen centers, affordable housing, school safety, women's and LGBTQ rights, as well as other issues affecting the quality of life in the community.  

http://nyassembly.gov/mem/Rodneyse-Bichotte

and www.rodneysebichotte.net