Youth who participated in the National Kick Butts Day in the Bronx.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, MARCH 2 BTR 9-APRIL 4, 2019 71
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
Last week I stated: “The number
of occupied seats at our upcoming
meetings could ultimately infl uence
our neighborhoods’ future.” The
large turnout at our initial Spencer
Estate Civic Association meeting
of 2019 suggests our neighborhoods’
future is bright. President
Al Carena and I smiled from ear to
ear as a crowd of near eighty people
fi lled the seats at the Knights Of Columbus.
More importantly, this fi ne
display of community unifi cation
left an indelible impression on our
guest speakers. Maryanne Joyce,
Constituent service representative
for Senator Alessandra Biaggi, Ted
Prior, lead counsel for Councilman
Mark Gjonaj and the councilman
himself seemed thrilled to address
our members.
Ms. Joyce enthralled our association
as she spoke of Senator Biaggi’s
plans to restore or expand funding
in areas such as skilled nursing
homes, health care, social programs
and education. Our association congratulates
Senator Biaggi on her
appointment as Committee Chair
on Ethics and Internal Governance
and sincerely thanks Ms. Joyce for
an educative presentation.
Ted Prior informed the audience
of various services including free
mammograms and tax preparations
being hosted by Councilman Gjonaj.
In addition, Mr. Prior discussed the
importance of civic engagements
and community services. Our association
thanks Ted Prior for his past
counsel in our association’s administrative
affairs.
Councilman Gjonaj captivated
the crowd while presenting messages
of community awareness and
unity. The councilman covered an
array of topics including the illegal
parking of tractor-trailers, traffi c
safety measures, area zoning, and
quality of life in the
neighborhood. These
community relevant
topics sparked a spirited
Q and A session
between association
members and the councilman.
After the dust settled, Councilman
Gjonaj pledged to support
our community in future endeavors
and remains a valued friend of the
Spencer Estate community.
COMMUNITY FOOTNOTES:
Mark your calendar! Please join,
Bronx Community Board #10, Zoodohos
Peghe Church/Greek American
Institute, and the Department of Environmental
Protection for a Free
Shredding/Rain Barrel Event on
Saturday, March 30, 2019, 10 AM - 2
PM, at 3573 Bruckner Boulevard,
the parking lot of Zoodohos Peghe
Church/Greek American Institute.
Registration is required at Bronx
Community Board #10, 3165 East
Tremont Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461,
or call 718 -892-1161
The Bronx, SPRING into Health
Fair will be held Saturday, April
13th 10am -4:30pm @ IS 192 Bronx,
650 Hollywood Avenue. Call Edwin
Scott 718-319-2440 ext1231 for additional
information.
URGENT: In addition to having
an open door policy to address community
needs, Councilman Mark
Gjonaj is hosting multiple events in
early April:
“The Mammogram Bus”,
Wednesday April 3, 9am-4: 30pm @
1478 Williamsbridge Road (Councilman
Gjonaj’s Bronx Offi ce). Woman
age 40-79 that are NYC residents and
have not had a mammogram in the
past 12 months are eligible for this
extremely important service. Early
detection is crucial to winning the
battle against Breast Cancer. Please,
be proactive with your health.
On Friday, April 5th 9am-5pm
there will be Free
Tax Preparations for
NYC residents with
incomes of $66,000 or
less @ the councilman’s
Bronx offi ce.
Call 718-931-1721
for registration / more information
about these important events or to
contact Councilman Gjonaj.
Each month, Senator Alessandra
Biaggi will host First Fridays’ from
5pm -7pm @ 1250 Waters Place, suite
1250. Upcoming dates are April
5th,May 3rd and June 7th. This is an
opportunity for community members
to come and connect with our
Senator. For more details or to address
other concerns with the Senator’s
offi ce please call 718-822-2049.
Assemblyman Mike Benedetto
and his friendly staff are readily
available to address community
needs. Call 718-892-2235 or drop by
his offi ce at 3602 E. Tremont Avenue.
Reminder: The assemblyman
is Chairman to the State Assembly
Education Committee and is especially
well prepared to address any
questions in the area of education.
Our association looks forward to
seeing, a long time friend, Assemblyman
Benedetto at our May 15th
meeting.
Political leaders to gauge a community’s
interest and fortitude use
the attendances at local civic association
meetings. The large turnout
by our community showed our
elected offi cials that we have the
fortitude and resolve needed to confront
adversity. It is very important
for our community to build on this
this momentum. The next meeting
of the Spencer Estate Civic Association
is Wednesday, April 17th @
7:30pm. Our scheduled guest speakers
are representatives from the
NYPD’s 45th precinct. Their appearance
presents an opportunity
for our members to address community
related police matters and common
nuisance issues that arise during
the summer season.
Any area homeowner or renter
interested in membership to the all
inclusive Spencer Estate Civic Association
in box George Havranek
on Facebook or send-email with
subject matter Spencer Estate to
gghh55@aol.com. If we want to
“keep and reap the blessings” of our
fi ne quality of life “we must undergo
the fatigue of supporting it”.
Remember: “Inclusion Brings Solutions”
BY GUILLERMO FLORES
On Wednesday, March 20 we celebrated
National Kick Butts Day in
the Bronx. Kick Butts Day is a national
day of activism that empowers
youth to stand out, speak up and seize
control against Big Tobacco. In the
Bronx, NYC Smoke-Free celebrated
this day with a youth led event at AMS
II (part of the New Visions Charter
High Schools network). This year, we
paid closer attention to menthol cigarettes
and the threat it poses in our
communities.
For decades we’ve seen the tobacco
industry target the African-
American community using menthol
cigarettes as the lure to a lifetime of
addiction. We know that over half
of all youth who smoke cigarettes
start with (and then keep using) menthol
cigarettes. Among our African-
American youth the numbers are
far worse. Over 70 percent of African
American youth smokers smoke
menthol cigarettes.
Overall smoking rates in NYC have
declined over the last 15 years; however,
the use of menthol cigarettes has
remained signifi cantly disproportionate
among smokers. The cooling effect
of menthol fl avoring masks the
harsh taste and strength of tobacco,
triggering deeper and longer inhalation
and increased addiction. Even
more so than other fl avors, menthol is
especially appealing for young smokers,
making initiation easier and cementing
addiction quicker. Years of
use of menthol cigarettes also makes
it harder for those who are trying to
quit. This must stop and on Kick Butts
Day we stood up, spoke up and seized
control against Big Tobacco and menthol
cigarettes in the Bronx.
(Guillermo Flores is community engagement
manager for Public Health
Solutions’ NYC Smoke-Free Program.
Comprehensive tobacco control programs
like NYC Smoke-Free saves
lives and money by working to end the
tobacco epidemic and protecting the
health of all New Yorkers through advocacy
and education.)
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