A Community Leader's Reflections on Bed-Stuy

I’m delighted to have this exciting opportunity to reach all of you through Bed-Stuy’s latest online medium.  A great way to hear about news and events, Bed-Stuy Patch has taken the community by storm since its launch on November 30, 2010. Restoration will be utilizing this incredible resource to post a bi-weekly column in order to share information on exciting new initiatives, updates on renovations to Restoration Plaza, and our reflections on community issues.

Bedford-Stuyvesant is a community of riches marked by a strong legacy of community activism and artistic tradition which has spawned such cultural icons as Lena Horne, Jackie Robinson, and Shirley Chisholm. Known to architecture buffs for its pristine brownstones and to art patrons for such community assets as our Obie and Audelco award-winning Billie Holiday Theatre, Bedford-Stuyvesant is many things to many people. 

An anchor in the community for over 40 years and the nation’s first community development corporation, Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation is proud to be a part of this tradition, preserving our community’s  place as a dynamic and vibrant destination, while helping residents attain economic self sufficiency and empowering individuals to reach their full potential.

As we struggle amidst one of the worst recessions in our nation’s history, Restoration is on the front lines helping working families make ends meet.  From the work readiness and green sector training and placement services of our RITE Career Center, to the one-on-one financial counseling provided at our Financial Empowerment Center, from helping at risk youth enroll in college at our College Access Center, to helping families access benefits through our Single Stop program, Restoration is an incredible community resource working to improve the quality of life for residents of our beloved Bed Stuy,

We have a number of exciting things in store for the new year including the completion of renovations to Restoration Plaza which promise to transform this community landmark into a state-of-the-art destination for community events, family programming and commercial activity, complete with the latest in energy efficient upgrades and Wi-Fi technology.

We are also embarking on a number of strategic initiatives designed to promote green community development and eradicate the cycle of poverty and underachievement all too prevalent in inner city communities like ours. These include efforts such as Restoration’s partnership on the Retrofit Bed Stuy Block by Block Initiative which is creating model green blocks as well as plans to create a Bed Stuy Promise Zone. The Promise Zone which will provide a continuum of services to youth and their families in order to shepherd our youth from the cradle to college.

I urge you to check out our column on bi-weekly basis to see what’s new at Restoration and hear about what you can look forward to in your community! I also encourage you to share with us your feedback so we can better use this column.

God bless Bedford-Stuyvesant, God bless America, and Happy Birthday to our beloved Martin Luther King, Jr.