Office Depot Helps Students Get Ready for School in Brownsville
August, 2006
| On August 25th, New York City Parks Department’s Brownsville Recreation Center was the site of a great deal of high energy and excitement as Office Depot distributed 400 backpacks to help K-12 students from the community prepare for their return to school. BRC enriched the Office Depot gift with school supplies of all kinds including notebooks and pencils. The Center’s staff, led by Director Greg Jackson and joined by many volunteers from the community made sure everyone understood the importance of education to their future; their presentations were greeted with cheers from parents and students alike. Vince Verga, the Office Depot District Manager was amazed to see the size of the crowd that had gathered and their enthusiasm, “I don’t remember going back to school as this much fun when I was a kid” he said. Alan Dubrow, attending for CISNY talked with Vince about other projects CISNY has developed, including a new high tech one in the planning stage. |  BRC enriched the occasion by filling the backpacks with notebooks and pencils |
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A Caring Cause for All Office Depot has made support for education a corporate priority. The company worked with Communities in Schools’ National Office to arrange for the distribution of thousands of backpacks for students at sites around the country. Vince Verga, The local District Sales Manager for Office Depot remarked, “I have to tell you that this was a first for me, and it was an experience I wouldn’t have missed for the world. The children were so pleased with the backpacks, as well as with the school supplies and hotdogs that were provided by Brownsville Recreation Center. My associates Akida Philip, Faith Allen, and I were very honored to represent Office Depot. We look forward to further community efforts in Brooklyn, Staten island, and Queens as we continue to expand our presence here.” Thanks for the success of the occasion belonged equally to Brownsville Recreation Center’s Greg Jackson and Jerry Childs, the staff and volunteers, and the parents and grandparents who attended - all were participants and contributors of time to organizing the event, packing the school supplies into the backpacks, and getting hundred’s of elementary, middle, and high school students to the site.
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A Tribute to Major Owens
 Alan Dubrow, Chair of Brooklyn Community Planning Board # 12 and CISNY Consultant with Congressman Major Owens at the NYC Parks Brownsville Recreation Center on the August 25th Back-to-School Event |
Education has always been a priority for Congressman Major Owens who came to Brownsville Recreation Center to join CISNY and BRC for the Back-to-School Event. The good work of the Center has long had the Congressman’s interest. It was Ronnie Lowenstein, a member of his staff, and a CISNY consultant, who worked with Communities in Schools, NY, to get two Power-Up Computer Labs into the Center. Dr. Lowenstein also worked with BRC students to engage them in The NetGeneration of Youth Cyber-Journalism Program. CISNY anticipates that some of these same young people will participate in a new high tech program it is working on with the Center. |
A Collage of Memories
Photos by Tom Martin, CISNY consultant