06 BROOKLYN NEWS WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Since taking office, he has repeatedly called for
city government to explore ways of better connecting
our residents with outlets for volunteering,
noting that there are public-spirited, altruistic
Brooklynites all throughout the borough who are
eager to give back, but simply don’t know how or
where.
Volunteerism, in many ways, is the hallmark of
Borough President Adams’ administration. Since
he assumed office in 2014, he has shifted a great
deal of Brooklyn Borough Hall’s focus toward
uniting the borough’s residents — from Carroll
Gardens to Canarsie, and Bay Ridge to Bushwick —
in a tightly-knit community/government partnership,
which he has been touting as “One Brooklyn.”
In order to lay the groundwork for a truly unified
One Brooklyn, and to best make available to
neighbors opportunities for volunteering, Borough
President Adams recommends that the residents
of each neighborhood simply “get involved” — get
involved in neighborhood schools or houses of
worship, volunteer with social service organizations
such as food pantries and soup kitchens, and
Photo: Stefan Ringel/Brooklyn BP’s Office
make it a point to get involved in the local community
board. Borough presidents are responsible
for the appointment for each of their community
boards’ 50 unsalaried members, half of whom are
nominated by local members of the City Council;
Borough President Adams has made it his mission
to increase engagement in this most local representative
body of government in New York City,
launching in January the first-ever digital application
process for membership. As of the publishing
of this paper, the number of submitted applications
has increased 10 percent this year compared to
last, largely attributable to this shift.
“Our community board members are critical to
the conversation between the residents of each
neighborhood, their city agencies, and local elected
officials,” said Borough President Adams. “In a
city of more than eight million people, we cannot
lose sight of the hyperlocal focus needed to
solve problems and identify opportunities on every
block and street corner. Community boards are the
grassroots forums where ideas that will define the
future of Brooklyn are introduced and discussed.
They are the front lines of establishing a truly
united community’s vision for the future.”
Borough President Adams added that he is particularly
interested in receiving community board
applications from local teenagers. Last year, he
used the authority granted under a new state law
that gives borough presidents the ability to appoint
two members who are at least sixteen years of age
to each community board; as a result, teenagers
were selected to join Community Boards 2, 3, 6, 9,
11, and 16. Borough President Adams has previously
stated his goal to appoint youth members on
every community board in the borough. This year,
as of the publishing of this paper, the office has
received youth applications to an additional four
local community boards.
Borough President Adams also wants to demonstrate
that the members of a community have
a responsibility to assist their neighbors who are
less fortunate, particularly during the holiday season.
For Thanksgiving, Borough President Adams
distributed 1,500 turkeys as well as 7,000 pounds
of trimmings such as fresh apples, collard greens,
potatoes, and yams to more than 100 churches
and community-based organizations in Brooklyn.
He also organized dozens of toy drives at schools,
community centers, and small businesses, allowing
for the donation of thousands of toys during the
holiday season to children in need.
“Growing up, when there was not always an
abundance of gifts under the Christmas tree, I felt
how the kindness of others filled our home with
lasting hope and joy,” he recalled. “I am deeply
appreciative of every Brooklynite who contributed
to this past year’s successful toy drive, helping
one and all to enjoy truly happy holidays.”
Borough President Adams has helped organize
service projects for his team and others around
the borough, including volunteer projects with the
Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger, Brownsville
Multi-Service Family Health Center, and Habitat
for Humanity. Last December, he called upon local
communities of faith to donate weekly and monthly
MetroCards to his “Seeds of Kindness” campaign,
in order to ensure underserved Brooklynites lacking
social mobility can have access to mass transit.
In February, his office partnered with BirthFocus
and Carry the Future on a month-long collection
drive for baby carriers that will aid refugee families
with infants who are fleeing from violence in
Syria and other war-torn parts of the Middle East.
Additionally, to build on the interest Brooklyn residents
have in their community, Borough President
Adams worked in concert with State Senator
Martin Malavé Dilan and Assembly Member Erik
Martin Dilan to launch a proposal on Martin Luther
King, Jr. Day in 2015 that would provide New York
residents who volunteer at least 25 hours with an
accredited organization a tax credit equal to $200
a year.
Now, to go further, Borough President Adams
has established “10,000 Concerned Brooklynites,”
an effort to organize people from all walks of life
who want to contribute actively to the benefit of
their communities.
“Throughout my years in public life, I have
noticed that during our fast-paced daily movements,
good people often pass each other on the
street without ever meeting — without ever realizing
that great opportunities are being squandered,”
said Borough President Adams. “I want to do something
to change this.”
Borough President Adams invites all of his
neighbors to join “10,000 Concerned Brooklynites”
by visiting brooklyn-usa.org/10000-concernedbrooklynites
to sign up.
Building Unity in
Our Community
Borough President Adams helped load vehicles with packages of food at the Brooklyn Navy Yard as part
of his distribution of over 1,500 turkeys and 7,000 pounds of trimmings to more than 100 churches and
community-based organizations that served Brooklynites in need last Thanksgiving.
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