Lehman receives Robin Hood grant to target on-time graduation
Finding the right formula
to increase on-time graduation
rates has long been a quest for
colleges, which is why the Robin
Hood Foundation’s renewable
$1.1 million grant to Lehman
College for a promising
new program is a big deal for
the college and the 250 students
that will benefit.
The foundation awarded
the money to expand CUNY’s
Accelerate, Complete and Engage
program at Lehman. The
program helps baccalaureate
students complete their degrees
in four years.
The new program at Lehman
also marks the first time
transfer students with associate
degrees have been allowed
to participate in the ACE program.
Students that take longer
than four years to earn their
degree are at a disadvantage.
They spend more money in
school costs, lose those years
of earning potential, and many
don’t ever finish school at all.
The program will work
with 125 full-time first-time
students entering college and
125 full-time students transferring
from a two-year college
in fall 2019 for all four years of
their education, with a goal of
doubling four-year baccalaureate
graduation rates. The grant
money will cover the oftenoverlooked
costs that make it
more difficult for some students
to attend school full time: textbooks,
lab fees, MetroCards to
get to and from class, and gaps
between financial aid and the
cost of tuition.
Additionally, the ACE program
will offer extra personalized
support for the selected
students. Students will have
access to resources such as
embedded career development,
targeted academic advising,
counseling, and help with finding
internships and applying
for research opportunities and
scholarships.
* * *
Wild Aces MC is hosting
a coat drive to collect clean,
gently worn, warm coats on
January 12, 2019 between 12PM
and 9PM at CorkScrew Bar and
Grill in jersey City. Area residents
are invited to make a difference
in our local community
by donating to the coat drive
and helping Wild Aces MC Nation
reach their goal of collecting
200 coats and $1,000 dollars
for the cause.
Each year, hundreds of
thousands of gently worn coats
are distributed across North
America to children, women
and men in need through One
Warm Coat’s Coat Drive program.
One Warm Coat is a national
non-profit organization
that works to provide a free,
warm coat to any person in
need and raises awareness of
the vital need for warm coats.
One Warm Coat supports individuals,
groups, companies and
organizations across the country
by providing the tools and
resources needed to hold a successful
coat drive. Coats are
distributed in the communities
where they were collected, to
any person in need, without
charge, discrimination or obligation.
Over the past 26 years,
One Warm Coat has worked
with its volunteers to give away
more than 5 million coats.
For more information visit
www.onewarmcoat.org.
* * *
The New York City Emergency
Management Department
and the Department for the Aging
presented the sixth annual
Ready New York Senior Center
of the Year Award to Julie
Dalton, executive director for
Riverdale Senior Services, for
her ongoing commitment to
preparing seniors for emergencies.
The center provides daily
services and programs to about
300 older adults, including exercise,
art, gardening classes,
on-site health counseling and
benefit review services, and
support groups. The center also
provides a hands-on adult day
program for people with early
memory loss, and hosts a knitting
club, which donates caps,
mittens, and other clothing
items to the maternal unit on
Rikers Island.
As part of the emergency
preparedness program, members
received regular preparedness
presentations and
are reminded to pack a Go Bag
with basic supplies, medical information,
and contact names
and numbers. Ms. Dalton has
shown dedication to emergency
preparedness by coordinating
numerous multilingual, interactive,
and educational workshops
for seniors. Additionally,
the center has developed
a strong relationship with the
local fire department and with
the NYPD 50th Precinct, both
of which conduct regular safety
presentations for seniors.
During heat emergencies, the
senior center serves as one of
the city’s more than 500 cooling
centers activated to help New
Yorkers beat the heat.
* * *
NYS Department of Transportation
announced that reconstruction
is complete on the
Randall Avenue Bridge over
the Throgs Neck Expressway,
Completed reconstruction on the Randall Avenue Bridge over the Throgs Neck Expressway.
part of a $49 million investment
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, D 38 ECEMBER 21-27, 2018 BTR
that is rehabilitating
three bridges in the city. Construction
on the bridge began
in January 2018.
The bridge rehabilitation
replaced the bridge deck and
made steel and sub-structural
repairs on the bridge. The new
bridge deck was constructed
using precast concrete deck
panels, which accelerated the
construction schedule.
The project also resurfaced
pavement on the bridge
approaches and upgraded
bridge lighting above and below
the decks with LED lighting.
In addition, the sidewalk on
the bridge and at each end was
replaced, and new curb ramps
compliant with the Americans
with Disabilities Act were installed
at each corner.
* * *
The National Puerto Rican
Day Parade is now accepting
applications for its 2019 National
Scholarship Program.
For the third consecutive
year, the NPRDP will award 100
scholarships valued at $2,000
each, for a total $200,000, to
exceptional students of Puerto
Rican descent that are making
a difference in their communities.
Applicants must be
high school seniors or full-time
college/university students in
their freshman through junior
years in college.
To be eligible, applicants
must meet the following criteria:
• Be of Puerto Rican descent;
• Have a grade point average
(GPA) of 3.0 or better, or equivalent
high school grade;
• Be a high school senior or
freshman through junior in
college, ages of 17 through 25;
• Be enrolled in an accredited
two or four-year college/university,
for college students;
• Have a track record of doing
volunteer work or community
service;
• Participate in an interview
with a member(s) of the
scholarship selection committee.
Scholarship winners from
prior years are eligible to re-apply,
given that they comply with
all other eligibility criteria.
Applications are available
for download at www.nprdpinc.
org. Candidates must electronically
submit completed applicationand
academic transcriptsby
Friday, February 22, 2019.
Transcripts should be emailed
to scholarships@nprdpinc.orgor
mailed to National Puerto
Rican Day Parade, P.O Box 975,
New York, NY 10272 by Friday,
February 22, 2019. Materials
received after this date will result
in disqualification.
NPRDP Scholarship application
packages must include:
a completed application form;
an essay; a written biography;
two letters of recommendation,
of which one letter of recommendation
must be from the
site where the student performs
his/her volunteer work;
official academic transcripts
and a head shot photo. Letters
of recommendation should be
requested from teachers, professors,
counselors, mentors,
clergy, community leaders, etc.
Letters should speak to the applicant’s
community service,
length of the relationship with
the candidate, and any specific
contributions the applicant has
made to the community.
NPRDP established the
Scholarship Program to promote
the pursuit of higher
education in the Puerto Rican
community. In 2017, the organization
broke its all-time record
for total number and dollar
amount of scholarships to
be awarded (100 scholarships
valued at $2,000 each, for a total
$200,000), which the organization
has maintained since.
For more information
about other NPRDP programs
and updates on the upcoming
annual parade on Sunday June
9, 2019, the public can visit
www.nprdpinc.org. Facebook:
@nationalpuertoricandayparade.
Twitter and Instagram: @
PRParadeNYC.
* * *
Stop by City Island and enjoy
the exciting programs offered
at the PSS City Island
Center, which is located at 116
City Island Avenue, Monday
Through Friday From 9 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Experience The Exercise
Classes From Gentle
Yoga Stretch, Balance Class,
Arthritis Workshop and Tai
Chi as well, as the Fit For Life
and Cardio Fit. They also offer
acrylic painting, calligraphy,
canasta, health presentations,
nutritional information, and
parties. Lunch is served from
noon to 1pm. Suggested donation
is $2. They go on shopping
trips every day; i.e. Shop Rite,
Dollar Tree, Target, Kmart,
as well as theatre excursions,
boat trips, special luncheons
and more.
Upcoming special events
will be held Monday, December
24, closing early at 1 p.m.,
lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 12:30
p.m..; Tuesday, December 25,
closed for Christmas Day.
It’s free to become a member,
but you must be 60 years or
above. For more information
contact Patty at (718) 885-0727
or email pattis@pssusa.org.
/www.nprdpinc.org
/www.nprdpinc
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