• Stories Of Resilience
• A Look Back On 50 Years of BronxWorks
• Did You Know?
• Photo Essay
• Ways to Give

As we approach the year-end, we always like to celebrate the people we work with who are as much a part of the BronxWorks story as we are a part of theirs. We met some amazing people in 2022 showing their incredible resilience to overcome challenges and build a better future for themselves, for their families, and for their communities.

People like Maribel who is striving to improve her health after suffering an injury that prevents her from working. Recently diagnosed with diabetes, Maribel visits the BronxWorks Community Food Pantry for fresh fruits and vegetables to eat healthier. People like Maria and her daughters who found their permanent home after more than two years living in the shelter system. People like Luz, who spends her retirement volunteering to serve food and help her fellow members at our Morris Older Adult Center.

As you consider your year-end giving, please take a moment to read our participant stories and learn how your support can help them reach their goals. Read about how Kalif is embarking on his career in security so he can set the right example for his younger brother. Or how Sadia found her love for dance and performance in our after-school programs.

More stories of resilience came with the migrant families that arrived in New York City this year. BronxWorks welcomed hundreds of families into our Jackson, Willow, and Nelson family residences and opened a new Family Sanctuary to shelter over 300 people including 100 children. Many of these families, like Roberto and Claudia, started their journeys from Venezuela, fleeing the instability and economic decline. Roberto and Claudia, like many others, completed the long and dangerous trip to the southern U.S. border and arrived in New York this past fall with their young daughter.

Our work with our newest neighbors is just beginning and will go on for quite some time. We will help them navigate the systems that are in place here for them. We will connect them to the resources they need, like food and nutrition, and access to medical care and legal services.  We will help them learn English, and enroll their children in schools. As these families are putting together their lives in a brand new setting, BronxWorks will help them.

The BronxWorks Emergency Fund helps us respond quickly and provide vital services and programs to children, individuals, and families of the Bronx. Together with your support, BronxWorks continues to confront the persistent challenges of food insecurity, unemployment, and housing instability. It will also help us respond to the needs of new migrants who have recently joined our community.

As the year-end giving season approaches, please consider a gift to the BronxWorks Emergency Fund.

A Look Back On 50 Years of BronxWorks

On December 7, we kicked-off our celebration of our 50^th year of providing services to the Bronx. Friends, staff (current and former), board members, partners, and colleagues gathered at the Hard Rock Cafe at Yankee Stadium to commemorate the half-century of our work.

Board Chair, Roger Begelman (left); Deputy Bronx Borough President, Janet Peguero (center); Executive Director, Eileen Torres (right)

We were joined by New York State Senator Luis Sepulveda, New York City Council Member Althea Stevens, and Deputy Bronx Borough President Janet Peguero who, on behalf of the Office of the Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, herself a long-time champion and partner of BronxWorks, proclaimed the day of December 7, 2022 memorialized as BronxWorks Day. 

It was actually December 10, 1972 that would mark the beginning of BronxWorks, as taken from a picture of our grand opening. Founded under the name the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), our first office opened to help senior citizens resolve housing matters and access benefits and resources.

Additional offices opened in the 1980s, as CAB became one of the first Bronx-based organizations to provide services to people living with HIV/AIDS. An immigration program was created to provide assistance with legal residence and citizenship applications to the borough’s growing immigrant population.

Former Executive Director, Carolyn McLaughlin (left) speaking to Director of Development, Ken Small (right).

The 1990s saw crucial expansion as CAB responded to the growing needs of the borough, opening two family shelters at Nelson Avenue and Jackson Avenue, a borough-wide Homeless Outreach Team and a homeless drop-in center. We also established workforce programs, three senior centers, and importantly, merged with the Girls Club of New York and acquired the community center at 1130 Grand Concourse. 

The lobby of the Community Center at 1130 Grand Concourse acquired by CAB in 1995.

A young BronxWorks participant in the 1990s.

In the 2000s, you can start to see the modern BronxWorks take shape. The organization evolved as the needs of the Bronx grew. We expanded homeless services, including safe havens and shelters. We expanded education and youth development programs, including early learning centers, school-based after-school programs, and college readiness. In 2009, we changed our name to officially become BronxWorks. 

From 2010 and onward, you see the exact same pattern of growth where the need is strongest. We added Cornerstone Community Centers #2, #3, and #4, attended by a combined 3,500 participants a year. We launched iconic programs, like Jobs Plus, Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP); Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP); Homebase; community health programs; SNAP Nutrition Education; the Community Food Pantry; CMCC and Mott Haven Farm Stands; the Brook Supportive Housing Residence; Cooper Gardens Supportive Housing Program; Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter; Pyramid Safe Haven; and so much more. We added dozens more offices, hundreds more staff, and grew to completely embody our name.

As we complete the third year of the 2020s, what we have seen is that during difficult times in the Bronx, BronxWorks always takes action. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, through economic hardship, through unimaginable tragedies, BronxWorks has stepped up to provide the assistance that is needed. Looking ahead to the next 50 years, it's hard to believe we won't be right here doing the exact same thing. To commemorate our 50th anniversary, we have a year of celebration planned.

Mark your calendars for a special BronxWorks Gala celebrating 50 years of our work and programming in the Bronx. The 50th Anniversary Gala will be on May 18 at the New York Botanical Garden. Stay tuned for more information. For sponsorship or honoree inquiries, please reach out to Gianna Dell'Olio at gdellolio@bronxworks.org.

(Top) The CMCC Rooftop Garden before (left) and after (right). (Bottom) The team from NYRP and volunteers from Goldman Sachs after the completion of the revitalization.

Weekend Wellness Programming at CMCC

The BronxWorks Carolyn McLaughlin Community Center (CMCC) is expanding Saturday programming! In addition to our bi-monthly pantry and adult education classes, we now offer maternal and infant wellness programming! Childcare is offered to those enrolled in our 25+ Adult Education courses. Topics discussed include nutrition education, self-care activities, decreasing stress in the household, and how to model healthy behaviors for their families.

Learn more about our Maternal & Infant Health programs.

SAT Prep Classes at BronxWorks

The BronxWorks Center for Achieving Future Education (CAFE) also offers SAT Prep classes for High School Juniors on Saturday during the fall at CMCC. The SAT is an important test for high school juniors looking to attend college, and the preparation classes are a necessary part of getting ready to take the test in the Spring. Classes are offered in partnership with New York Cares. These classes are in addition to CAFE's multitude of other services, including college visits, scholarship help, and financial aid application assistance. We profiled the CAFE program in the BronxWorks September 2022 Newsletter.

(Left) Jill Chaifetz Transfer School (JCTS) Student Diego and JCTS Program Director Quianna McNair

JCTS College Application Day

The BronxWorks Jill Chaifetz Transfer School (JCTS) program held a College Application Day event during Thanksgiving week. Students enjoyed a meal and worked together to apply to colleges with assistance from the BronxWorks CAFE Program. All students received a special "Keep Calm I Applied To College" shirt. JCTS is a public high school designed for older students aged 16 to 21 who have fallen behind academically. Young adults work with dedicated staff to create individual academic plans that put them back on track to graduate with a traditional high school diploma. JCTS was founded in 2007 through a partnership with BronxWorks, the Department of Education, and New Visions for Public Schools.

There are many other ways you can support BronxWorks.

• Make a contribution. Donate Now!
• Purchase essential items for our participants from our Amazon Wishlist
• Set up an Amazon Smile account and choose BronxWorks as your charity and Amazon will donate on your behalf every time you make purchase

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