MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

In 2010, the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center celebrated its 35th Anniversary, and I became its new Executive Director. This is a new era for the Center with a new vision, energy, and excitement, as well as new challenges. The Great Recession has brought with it unprecedented struggles for the residents of the Bronx as well as new tests for our staff and administration. In response, we are finding new ways of defining ourselves and the services we provide each day. At times like these, we must renew our motivation to look critically at our role in the community and our purpose in society.

As we move forward with new leadership, emphasis will be placed on creating more opportunities for collaboration, both within our agency and with other organizations. We will pay close attention to data and the feedback we receive from programs and participants in order to evaluate our work and its impact on the neighborhood. This will help us to make decisions about how to help the community in the areas of education, economic and workforce development, and advocacy with local government.

Although experts predict a sluggish economy, they can say nothing of our hearts and minds. Indeed, it is during times like these that non-profits flourish with creativity. Taking the public good as our profit, we have always known how to survive on a shoestring. Now we must rely more than ever on an asset we’ve been cultivating for three and a half decades, our human capital—our staff, the families we serve, and supporters like you—to help our Center remain vital in the years to come.

With your support, the only place we go is onward and upward. Let’s do it together.

Warmly,

Giselle Melendez-Susca
Executive Director