Message from the Borough President BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Borough President Adams gave out books and clothing to children in need at the 267 Rogers Ave. shelter in Crown Heights.
The Season of Giving
A message from Borough President Eric L. Adams
ONE BROOKLYN | WINTER 2018–2019 3
The holiday season is treasured as a time to
come together with loved ones to refl ect on
the year that went by and dream of the endless
possibilities for the future. In homes across
Brooklyn, families will gather in celebration
of the spirit of giving — that’s why we celebrate
Thanksgiving and not Thanks-receiving.
We must ask ourselves, what are we giving of
ourselves to make a difference, in building a better,
stronger borough where everyone can share
in the spirit of the season year-round?
During this festive time of year, too many of
our fellow Brooklynites are faced with economic
hardship. Tens of thousands of families lack a
truly safe and secure place to sleep at night, from
our homeless neighbors to our residents in substandard
NYCHA conditions. Others do not have
a warm meal that they can rely on, depending on
soup kitchens and other community resources.
Just as I continue to push government and the private
sector to step up its commitment to closing
our inequality divide, I see the potential within
our communities to help build that bridge.
By volunteering spare time at your local civic
association, library, or soup kitchen, you can give
back to others and help build a stronger borough.
You can donate gently used clothes, canned goods,
or personal hygiene products to your local charitable
organization, house of worship, or homeless
shelter. There will always be someone in need of
these items, and it will make a world of difference.
That spirit of giving is exactly what Thanksgiving
and the holiday season is all about. One hour,
one donation, one act can make a deep impact.
Consider the impact if you’re able to convince two
friends to join you, and what happens if those two
can convince two more of their own. In no time at
all, we’ll have built One Brooklyn that embraces
everyone.
The smallest gesture can have the biggest impact,
especially when it comes to making our presence
felt in combating acts of hate and division.
We cannot and will not allow hate to triumph over
love and unity. Participating in public displays of
cultural exchange and diversity is such a meaningful
gift to give this holiday season, especially
amid recent hate-fi lled events in Brooklyn and beyond.
The job is ours to personally pursue volunteerism
and grass-roots communal mobilization.
Maybe no one has asked you to volunteer yet. It’s
possible that no one ever will. I’m asking you to
do that now. There are too many people hurting
in our borough to wait until we have the time to
help. We need to make the time now.
This is a time to extend a helping hand, when
so many have so little. More than 2.6 million
people call this borough home, making it the
fourth-largest (and soon to be third-largest!) city
in America. We cannot forget the collective potential
that we possess, as One Brooklyn, if we
put our hearts and minds together to make a
lasting difference.
Borough President’s Offi ce / Erica Sherman