Scanlan’s track team take home medals
Monsignor Scanlan High School’s
Track Team closed out 2018 with
a bang this week on the track. On
Wednesday, December 26th, we competed
in the 18th Annual Grinch
Games at Fordham University Lombardi
Center. The meet was well organized,
and the competition consisted
of Catholic and Public High
Schoolers. Medals were awarded to
the top 6 athletes in each event. Monsignor
Scanlan’s student athletes
were able to bring home 8 medals at
this meet. Freshman Hannah Gadpaille
took 1st in the 200- and 800-meters
races. Her team mate Freshman
Jesna John took 3rd in the 200 meter
and 4th in the 800 meters. The Boys
4 x 400 relay team were also able to
add to the medal count. Eden Lawrence
(Senior), Joel John (Junior),
Joseph Webster (Junior) and Nana
Achampong (Junior) took 5th place
in the 4x400 meter race. Great job
to all who participate.
On Friday, December 28th, we
competed in the 45th Colgate Women’s
Games at Pratt Institute in
Brooklyn, New York. Medals were
awarded to the top 6 athletes in their
event. In the High School division,
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J 28 ANUARY 4-10, 2019 BTR
9th-12th graders compete against
each other as one division. Ninth
grader Hannah Gadpaille earned a
medal competing against the upper
class. In the 55 meters dash, Hannah
took 5th place finish. She also took
8th place in the 400 meters. She did
an awesome job!!
On Saturday, December 29th, our
Boys’ team competed in the CHSAA
(Catholic High School Athletic Association)
Jr. Weight & Novice Championship
at Ocean Breeze Recreation
Facility. Our Novice Boys ran the
300 meters, 55 meters and 4x200 relay.
Joseph Webster-Rutledge, Nana
Achampong, Joel John, and Eden
Lawrence may have missed the medaling,
but ran a good 4x200. Tyrese
Williams, Zachary Diaz, Fredrick
Escobar, Bernard Juncai whom also
ran a 4x200 relay finished strong in
their event.
Great job crusaders!!!
Our next meet will be Friday, January
4th, 2019. The Colgate Women’s
Games and 25th Cardinal Hayes Invitational
and Bronx Catholic High
Schools Track & Field Championship
to be held at Fordham University’s
Lombardi Center. Come out and see
your future Olympians!
BY GENE DEFRANCIS
We hope everyone had a
healthy and safe New Years,
that 2018 provided them with
all of their needs, and that
2019 brings more joy and
prosperity.
We are forever grateful to
those who supported us. 2018
was probably the most challenging
year for us. We experimented
with a few projects
and ideas and I think the
risks we took will pay dividends
in 2019.
We tried expanding responsibility
and leadership
roles within the organization
but it didn’t pan out as we
hoped. It was better that we
tried and grew than not try
and remain stagnant. Our
voice is growing and people
look to us for support and our
voice. We appreciate the trust
and will not take advantage
of this invaluable privilege.
Our name and reputation
is what we value more than
anything and we would not
attempt anything that would
tarnish that reputation. We
are more transparent then
other organizations and believe
communication is the
key to success. We also stand
by our allies when their name
and reputation is dragged
through the mud.
Last week this great community
newspaper let an individual
who leads a local
community association write
a letter to the editor. In it he
trashes our two medical facilities,
CenterLight and Centers
Healthcare. It concluded
with a vague attack calling
this organization a sellout for
accepting money from them
to pay for community events
and holiday lights.
We take that comment
very personally and will not
stand by while such accusations
are being said. Center-
Light is the spark that started
the rebuilding process in Allerton.
We see that comments
made on social media some
believe the community is
worse now then ever before.
This is not true. What you are
witnessing in Allerton is the
removal of a couch that has
not been touched in 20 years
and fi nding all the dirt and
grim underneath it so it can
be cleaned. You see reports
in the news now when in the
past it went unreported. Allerton
wasn’t even a recognized
neighborhood.
The Sanz Banquet Hall
and CenterLight Healthcare
are the reason for that. It
started in 2012 when we met
with James O’Neal and Neil
Glucken. Two honorable and
generous men who knew
what community service was
all about. They gave because
it was the right thing to do
and never asked for anything
in return. But they were targeted
by a local elected because
they didn’t play by his
rules. James and Neil, for all
their generosity, were ousted
and the organization was hit
with a Medicaid fraud lawsuit.
A practice I’ll add, that
kept jobs alive and is used
by many organizations today
that still operate in the
Bronx. It’s the practice of upselling
and charging Medicaid
for things the patient
didn’t really need. I’m not
questioning the charge but
the equity and the way of
which it was exposed.
CenterLight has not been
involved in community support
since and because of the
lawsuit had to sell off many
of their assets including Beth
Abraham. Enter Centers
Health. The books were upside
down and the budget was
not able to support the workers
they once employed (due
to the Medicaid practice of
CenterLight). Jobs had to get
cut in order to keep the jobs
union. Centers Health saved
union jobs. They couldn’t afford
the heavy staff Center-
Light held previously.
Healthcare across the
country is facing challenges.
Beth Abraham is not immune
to these challenges.
They are still a union operation
and hopefully one day
they can employ more union
workers. But to imply they
cut costs to increase profi t is
fl at out wrong and incorrect.
They cut costs to save the operation.
We stand with Centers
Health. We welcome them
into our community. And we
were not paid for these comments.
In fact we are going
against their wishes to write
this because they suggested
we just leave the negative remarks
alone. But this community
organizer should know
better and should be more responsible
when throwing accusations
around.
And trying to attack
Centers Health and telling
people “not to utilize their
facility” is dangerous and irresponsible.
Especially if you
claim to have the interest in
saving union jobs. The more
money Beth Abraham makes
the more they can hire. The
more residents they have the
more staff they will need.
Yes, Centers Health contributed
to the Food Festival,
all of which went to paying
for the Food Festival. None of
which is enough money for us
to ‘sellout’ our community.
What I have just stated I state
because they are the facts.
We have a great working
relationship with Beth Abraham.
We loved and supported
the previous CenterLight administration
and we miss
them terribly. The transition
could have gone smoother
but we are grateful for the
friendship and relationship
we have with the new management.
We trust them and
their decisions in keeping
Beth Abraham alive and well
in addition to keeping Beth
Abraham union. We welcome
Centers Health into this community
and will continue to
build our relationship with
them.
I don’t like starting the
New Year like that but it
needed to be said. Community
leaders need to be more
responsible with their accusations
and their rhetoric.
Tuesday, January 8 is our
next meeting. The 2018 Holiday
Lights by then (weather
permitting) will be taken
down and stored. The garlands
we bought and used
will be utilized for the light
poles from now on and we
will discuss the design for
future holiday lighting. We
need your contributions and
your help in January and
February. The more we raise
the more we can do and the
more we can expand too. It
would be ideal to increase
the 15 strands to 30 strands
by next year. But we will be
satisfi ed with 15 new and
improved lights. One of my
personal disappointments
was that due to the weather
and cost we were not able to
extend the lights to Sal and
Dom. This will never happen
again and we thank everyone
for their understanding during
this transition.
In our January meeting
we will discuss design ideas
for the future Holiday Lights
and preparations for our anniversary
gala and annual
Food Festival. Among other
quality-of-life issues and a
Year-in-Review Report.
As always you can join
the conversation on Facebook
Allerton International
Merchants Association Inc.
and email us at AllertonMerchants@
gmail.com.
Stay aware. Stay involved.
And fact check all information.
May the new year bring
you clarity, strength and
peace. Don’t leave room for
negativity and don’t let hate
weigh you down. Stand your
ground and protect your
home.
Your community is your
business.
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