FONT SIZE: S M L

HCCI:About Us

News

2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008

 

2007 HCCI News    

JULY 2008 FEATURE

OPRAH WINFREY'S O at HOME MAGAZINE GIVES HARLEM  SENIORS A MAKEOVER!

        

Elaine Griffin, Interior Designer

    

Dressed in a snazzy multi-colored dress, Eleanora “Ella” Garrett, 79, sang “Take the A Train,” and improvised the lyrics adding “we thank Oprah for this wonderful gift.”

The room exploded into applause and laughter as the group celebrated O at Home magazine’s recent gift to Harlem.

What did O at Home give them? With direction from interior designer Elaine Griffin, Oprah Winfrey’s O at Home magazine renovated the once drab recreation space at Harlem’s Victory One Senior Housing complex. Developed by Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. (HCCI), this site is home to 110 low-income senior citizens. 

HCCI is the ninth not-for-profit to receive an O at Home “Good Works Makeover”. However, this is the magazine’s first renovation for the senior population. This site resonates deeply with Griffin because she is a Harlem resident who enjoys giving back to her community.

“They were so appreciative. Some of the seniors told me that this is the nicest living space they’d ever had. Oprah says that ‘beautiful things lift you up’.  And, it makes me feel good to have made their golden years, truly golden.”

 

The upgrade transformed the institutional space into a modern living room. “Nothing says “hospital” like a vinyl tile floor,” quipped Griffin. “To address that we brought in wood flooring. And, the space is windowless! So we brought in sunshiny-bright colors to lift the space.”

They also added color flooring, new furniture, modern lamps, fixtures and appliances, brand new exercise equipment, a wheel-chair accessible pool table, a 42” flat screen TV, a new sound system, a digital baby grand piano and a Nintendo Wii! The effect is miraculous. This room is now an extremely colorful and hip living space that provides an exercise section, a lounge area, a dining room and an entertainment space. 

Developed in 1999, Victory One provides senior citizens with low-income one-bedroom apartments.  Some residents pay as little as $118 per month (30% of a limited income).  For many, Victory one provides affordable housing and shelter, where there was none.

Robert Ralston, 72, a former jazz musician who traveled the world and jammed with greats including Art Blakey and Max Roach, lived in the shelter system for six months before he was accepted into Victory One in 1999.  Ralston said that Victory One provides him with a community where he can socialize with his peers and benefit from useful information that is shared among the seniors. He is impressed with the renovation.

“I exercise five or six days a week, so I really appreciate the new machines.” he said. “I’m inspired to use the space even more now.” Ralston smiled and added, “I’d like to rent this room as my apartment.”

Ester McNair, 72, looks forward to using the new technology. “We have a Wii!” she exclaimed. “I’m still learning. But, I like the bowling and want to I’ll learn to play the tennis, baseball and golf.”

Victory One social worker Saundra Druitt-Price, plans to use the Wii to have a bowling tournament and the new pool table will be used for a pool tournament. Druitt-Price monitors all 101 tenants and provides them with case management services and workshops related to nutrition, health and exercise. 

She said the makeover brought her closer to realizing her vision for the place. “I’d love to expand the social programs to include ongoing jazz lessons, dance lessons and computer classes. We could do those things with another social worker and just a bit of additional funding.”

According to Lucille McEwen, President & CEO of HCCI, “We provide safe affordable living for our elders. However, this beautiful makeover is above and beyond anything we could do with the current budget for federally subsidized housing. This is a true blessing.”

Victory One has benefited greatly from the vision of Harlemite Elaine Griffin and the generosity of O at Home magazine.  Other contributors include HCCI partner Lettire Construction Corp. which installed the hardwood floors, ABC Carpet, Frank and Camille’s Fine Piano and many others.

The seniors at Victory One now have a splendid recreation room. However, they are still in need of your time and donations. If you would like to volunteer or make a contribution, call Sandra Druitt at 212-348-9303. 

###
 
2006 HCCI News    
 
  • HCCI CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY AT THE RAINBOW ROOM
  • HOSTED BY CATHLEEN TRIGG OF MY 9 NEWS
  • On Thursday, April 27, 2006 Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. (HCCI) celebrated its 20th Anniversary with the 4th Annual “Let Us Break Bread Together” Awards Dinner at The Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center in New York City.   Hosted by Cathleen Trigg of My 9 News (formerly UPN 9 News), this awards ceremony was presented by a stellar committee of celebrities, activists and community builders including Honorary Chair, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Honorary Committee members: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Vernon E. Jordan, Joyce and David Dinkins, Susan L. Taylor and Lloyd A. Williams.
  • Click here for full press release.
  BLACK CHURCHES and MOSQUES UNITE TO FIGHT AIDS
                                                                                                                              Back to top
     

2005 HCCI News

 

    
 

Nobel Prize Winner Wangari Maathai and Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc.
 Canon Frederick Boyd Williams of Church of the Intercession; and 2005 WeAct honoree Lucille L. McEwen (seated) of Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc.; joined Ms. Peggy Shephard of WeAct; Ms. Rita Henley Jensen, Editor of Women’s enews (standing) to celebrate at the Women’s enews Gala dinner honoring Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai and other dynamic leaders at the Tavern on the Green on Tuesday, May 17, 2005.  Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Prize for starting the Green Belt movement in Kenya where women are recruited to plan trees to earn money and needed gain needed wood for fuel.
 

DIRECTOR JONATHAN DEMME AT HCCI AWARDS DINNER HOSTED BY LYNDA BAQUERO, CO-ANCHOR, NEWS CHANNEL 4
On Wednesday, April 27, 2005 more than 300 people crowded into Rockefeller Center ’s Rainbow Room to celebrate at the Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. (HCCI) third annual “Let Us Break Bread Together” awards dinner in New York City . Hosted by Lynda Baquero,Co-Anchor, News Channel 4, this event was presented by a stellar committee of celebrities, activists and community builders.
Click here for full press release.

 

PRAYER VIGIL BRINGS A HEALING IN HARLEM
HCCI Addresses HIV/AIDS in the Black Community
On Friday, March 11 th tambourines shook, hands clapped and tears flowed as more than 1000 New York City residents joined forces to wage battle against HIV/AIDS and the devastation caused by the pandemic disease. Held in Harlem ’s Salvation & Deliverance Church , “A Healing in Harlem ” was created to shed light on the HIV/AIDS crisis in the Harlem community, de-stigmatize the virus, and pray for deliverance from this destructive illness.
Click here for full press release.

 

HCCI ADDRESSES HIV/AIDS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY Observes the Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS
On Friday, March 4, 2005 hundreds of clergy, community activists, policy makers and politicians crowded into the basement of St. Charles Borromeo Church to kick-off the Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS. Presented by Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, the Annual Kick-off breakfast was created to highlight the Balm in Gilead ’s national effort to stop the transmission of HIV/AIDS and provide compassion for people affected by the disease.
Click here for full press release.

 

HARLEM REMEMBERED SHIRLEY CHISHOLM
With a Screening of Chisholm ’72 Unbought & Unbossed and Discussion w/ Guests C. Virginia Fields and Percy Sutton. On Monday, January 31 st Harlem residents and representatives sat in a jam-packed theater at the City College of New York to remember Shirley Chisholm.
Click here for full press release.

 

COLLABORATING WITH HARLEM CONGREGATIONS FOR COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT, INC. PATHMARK OPENS 2 nd STORE IN HARLEM Bradhurst Location Fills Void for Area
New York, NY – In line with plans to develop 145 th Street as a key commercial corridor, Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. helped to usher in the newest addition to 145 th Street, a 42,000 square foot Pathmark Supermarket on the corner of 145 th Street and Frederick Douglass Blvd. The store will officially open on January 21, 2005, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 11:00 am. It is part of a mixed-use development, which includes the construction of 125 hi-rise apartments above the supermarket.
Click here for full press release.

   
     

2004 HCCI News

 

    
 

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, NYC Housing Development Corporation President Emily Youssouf, Bank of America & Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement Announce New City Program to Spur Affordable Homeownership Private and Public Partnership of $100 Million Will Create Affordable Cooperatives
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) President Emily Youssouf and Banc of America Securities’ Phil Smith announced today a low cost, innovative venture to increase the construction of affordable cooperative developments as a result of a Bank of America revolving loan fund of $100 million and loan financing provided by HDC. This collaborative lending program, which will increase affordable homeownership in the City, is expected to create 3,000 apartments over the next five years and allow HDC reserves to finance a greater number of homeownership units. Mayor Bloomberg, also joined by Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Shaun Donovan and President and CEO for Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement Incorporated (HCCI) Lucille McEwen, announced the construction of affordable cooperative developments at a press conference at Madison Plaza, an HDC financed cooperative, located at 1825 Madison Avenue, between East 118th and East 119th Streets.
Click here for full press release.

  Grand Opening of Rachel Robinson Lending Library at Harlem’s Lights of Hope Tree Lighting Ceremony with Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott

On Thursday, December 9, 2004, from 4 P.M. to 6 P.M. the Jackie Robinson Park Conservancy, Inc. (JRPC) in partnership with Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. (HCCI) and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, will celebrate the Seventh Annual Lights of Hope Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Jackie Robinson Park and Recreation Center located at 146th Street and Bradhurst Avenue in Harlem, New York. We invite the community to join us for the tree lighting ceremony, reception, and Grand Opening of the Rachel Robinson Lending Library.
Click here to download release.

The Jackie Robinson Park Conservancy, Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc.,  Jackie Robinson Park Recreation Center staff and Harlem community residents celebrate the Seventh Annual “Lights of Hope” Tree Lighting Ceremony at Jackie Robinson Park.

 

Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. Joins Congressman Charles B. Rangel and the NY Giants’ Amani Toomer to Feed The Children for Thanksgiving
 On Tuesday, November 23, 2004, hundreds of Harlem residents lined up alongside the Jackie Robinson Park Recreation Center yesterday to collect free food. In celebration of Thanksgiving, Congressmen Charles B. Rangel, Lucille McEwen, President & CEO of Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. (HCCI) and other community representatives distributed milk, toiletries and food provided by Feed the Children.
Click here for full press release.

 

HCCI’s First Gospel-Themed Boat Ride a Huge Success
There was no party like the HCCI party this past weekend. Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. (HCCI) held its first annual Jamboree! A Gospel Extravaganza on the Hudson on Saturday, August 7 th. Held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. , the yacht cruise around the Hudson River in Manhattan was three fun filled hours of contemporary gospel music, soul food cuisine, and joyful praise and celebration. Over 350 people came to enjoy the festivities that took place at Pier 83 on W. 42 nd Street and 12 th Avenue .
Click here for full press release.

 

C-SPAN’s Book TV to film HCCI’s panel discussion, “The Spirituality of Our Nation,” during the 2004 Harlem Book Fair
 On Saturday, July 24, Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. (HCCI) will be on hand at the 2004 Harlem Book Fair to co-present the “The Spirituality of Our Nation,” panel discussion. Held at the Schomburg Center for Research & Black Culture, this event will be taped live for C-SPAN’s Book TV, from 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Click here for full press release.

 

HCCI’s First Youth Leadership Summit a Big Success, Thanks to Terrie Williams & Tiffany Schley
 On Saturday, July 17, 2004 , Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. (HCCI), held its first Free Your Mind! (FYM): Unlocking the Power Within Youth Leadership Summit . Set in Columbia University’s Lerner Hall, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., the summit served youths, ages 13-19, in the tri-state area , with a college and career fair, several educational workshops, wonderful performances and prominent speakers including public relations professional Terrie Williams, outspoken high school valedictorian Tiffany Schley and nationally recognized youth organizer Rev. Alfonso Wyatt.
Click here for full press release.

 

Dr. Bobby Jones of BET and Cissy Houston host
“A Healing in Harlem ”
 On Saturday, March 13 th Harlem residents, clergy and supporters from as far as North Carolina , crowded into Salvation and Deliverance Church to attend the 15 th Annual Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of Aids. Co-hosted by Dr. Bobby Jones of BET and Cissy Houston, this 12-hour prayer vigil, titled “A Healing in Harlem ” was an effort to stop the transmission of HIV/AIDS and provide compassion for people affected by the disease.
Click here for full press release.

 

HCCI and the Rockefeller Foundation Explore
the Faith Community’s Role in Community Development
On January 14, 2004, approximately 50 leaders from New York City’s most influential faith-based community development corporations gathered at Rockefeller Foundation to explore the emergence of faith institutions in civil rights, community development, education, social services and the environmental justice movement.  Recognizing that faith based programs are now a part of the mainstream of public policy in the U.S., the goal of the evening was to address next steps in furthering the successful adoption and implementation of faith-based programs.
Click here for full press release.
   
     

2003 HCCI News

 

    
 

HBA/HCCI Merchant Loan Fund Kick-off
Celebrates New Funding for Small Businesses in Upper Manhattan
 On Friday, December 12, 2003, Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. (HCCI) in partnership with the Harlem Business Alliance (HBA) launched a $300,000 Merchant Loan Fund to support local Harlem Businesses. Funded by Assemblyman Herman “Denny” Farrell, Jr., these monies will be used specifically for upgrading, modernizing and enhancing exterior and interiors of local businesses. Applications for business technology purchases will also be considered.
Click here for full press release.

 

LIGHTS OF HOPE FOR HARLEM
On Thursday, December 11, 2003 , the Jackie Robinson Park Conservancy, Inc. (JRPC) in partnership with Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. (HCCI) and the New York City Parks and Recreation, will celebrate the Sixth Annual Lights of Hope Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Jackie Robinson Park and Recreation Center located at 146 th Street and Bradhurst Avenue in Harlem , New York . We invite the community to join us for the tree lighting ceremony and reception, as we continue to develop the Rachel Robinson Lending Library, established last year, and make our first donation to the Jackie Robinson Park & Recreation Center .
 Click here for full press release.

 

Harlem Congregations Collaborates to Revive Once Condemned Block With $42.7 Million Investment
Block Party Includes Building Dedication to Bishop Preston R. Washington.
 NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, NYC Housing Development Corporation, BFC Partners, L&M, Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc., Roslyn Savings Bank and JPMorgan Chase host a block party for families coming home to West 148 th Street between Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Frederick Douglass Boulevards in Harlem after $42.7 public private investment transformed once derelict abandoned properties into 290 rental and cooperative apartments. The three separate developments created by rehabilitating 19 turn-of-the century tenements and constructing one new building with ground floor retail space on city-owned vacant land, offer ownership and rental opportunities to households with a range of incomes. A highlight of the day’s festivities will be the naming of the 104 unit cooperative apartment building The Washington for the late Bishop Preston R. Washington, founding member and first president of Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc.
Click here for full press release.

 

HCCI Collaborates with New York City Police Department to Solve Crime  
Through the unrelenting, exemplary detective work of Detective Donald J. Whelan of New York City ’s 32 nd Police Precinct a laptop computer, stolen from the offices of Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI), was recovered last week.
Click here for full press release.