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Community Corner

UJIMA: Collective Work and Responsibility

Volunteers work together to help save lives

Some may pass the white trailer that sits on the corner lot of Greene Avenue and Marcus Garvey Boulevard and never know that this is where thousands of heroes have been made.

In 1988, military veteran and former EMS worker Captain James Robinson teamed with Specialist Joe Perez together to found the Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps (BSVAC), the nation's first minority-run volunteer ambulance corps.

Robinson felt his community was lacking the attention it needed when it came to emergency response. Collectively, they pooled their own money and leveraged their skills and passion to help the community create the Bedford-Stuyvesant Ambulance Corps.

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"We started responding to emergencies before we even had an ambulance vehicle and we used what we had. Sometimes we would beat the city there," said Robinson.

According to its website, BSVAC responds to over 100 emergency calls a month with an average response time of less than 4 minutes. In addition to saving countless lives, the corps has given thousands of young adults the opportunity to train as a volunteer emergency medical technician.

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"Some of them never take off the uniform. It gives them a sense of purpose," said Robinson, smiling.

Robinson said the greatest reward is watching its volunteer members grow, as many of the programs graduates get inspired enough to pursue careers as doctors, nurses, and physician assistants. 

Akila Thompson, 18, one of the recent graduates, volunteers there three times a week. She said she hopes to be an EMT one day.

"When I took office, I felt important. I wanted to join because I was interested in getting a good reputation and being positive," said Thompson.

The corps has not only been involved in aiding emergencies in Bed Stuy, but also national emergencies including the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, Hurricane Katrina, and the Haiti earthquake disaster.

"As soon as we found out about Haiti, our guys were motivated to go. While everyone was planning, our people were landing in Port-Au-Prince," said Robinson.

The Ambulance Corps sent 44 EMTs, made seven trips and returned everyone safely. While in Haiti, they set up a hospital, delivered babies, fed those starving and recovered victims from under the rubble.

As a non-profit organization, Robinson said God continues to bless them with donations from all over the country. On his desk are stacks of black folders holding hundreds of letters from people who were impacted by their story and donated money to the cause.

Although the ambulance corps is nationally known, Robinson feels the residents in the community are not always familiar with their work.

"When I first started, there was a lot of opposition. We had to prove ourselves everyday. People are a little skeptical until they see you in operation," said Robinson.

This does not stop Robinson from planning for the future. He hopes for a building one day that can provide more services such as GED programs.

"You don't just give up," said Robinson. "People will tell you what you can't do your whole life, but you just have to have the will power and the commitment to keep going."

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