#ConeyRecovers Collaborative Receives $250,000 Grant from Brooklyn Recovery Fund
#ConeyRecovers announces additional funding to support physical rebuilding efforts and programming affected by Super Storm Sandy.
CONEY ISLAND, October 9, 2013 – Brooklyn Recovery Fund awarded the #ConeyRecovers collaborative $250,000 for continued relief efforts in Coney Island. These funds will support faith-based organizations, address mental health needs within the community, as well as provide funding for capacity building initiatives, and support staffing coordination through Coney Corps for rebuilding efforts.
With support from the American Red Cross, the Brooklyn Recovery Fund made the grants available to community collaboratives which were capable of demonstrating an ability to implement long-term recovery projects to address the civic and physical infrastructure needs still present in communities impacted by Super Storm Sandy.
“As Chair of the Alliance for Coney Island, I am proud of the relief work and significant progress we have made within our community through our #ConeyRecovers initiative. With recovery work still left to do, we continue to collaborate with our partner organizations, and together work tirelessly to ensure that we continue to assist in addressing unmet needs,” said Dennis Vourderis, Alliance for Coney Island, Chair and Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, Co-Owner.
The #ConeyRecovers community collaborative members include a wide range of nonprofits, tenant associations, service organizations, and individual residents and business owners involved in Coney Island’s ongoing recovery. Participating groups include Alliance for Coney Island, Amethyst Women’s Project, Astella Development Corporation, Coney Island Community Council, Coney Island Generation Gap, Coney Island Gospel Assembly, Coney Island Hospital, C.I. Youth Alive, HeartShare Surfside Gardens Cornerstone Program, Iglesia Pentacostal de Jesucristo “Cristo Viene”, Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island, New Church International, and Project Hope. For a full list of partner organizations, visit www.coneyrecovers.org/partners.
“I’m so happy that #ConeyRecovers is receiving this well-deserved Grant,” said Councilman Domenic M. Recchia Jr., whose district includes Coney Island. “The community collaborative has made a real difference on the ground; this new funding will let them do even more to make Coney Island a better place for residents and visitors alike.”
“We would like to congratulate the #ConeyRecovers collaborative for receiving $250,000 from the Brooklyn Recovery Fund as they continue to help Coney Island recover from Superstorm Sandy,” said Carlo A. Scissura, President & CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. “We partnered with the Brooklyn Community Foundation and the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office to create the Brooklyn Recovery Fund because we knew the money would stay in Brooklyn and go directly to the organizations on the ground that could help the affected residents and businesses. Nearly a year after Sandy, Brooklyn has come a long way in its recovery efforts. However, there is more work that needs to be done. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce will continue to work with the #ConeyRecovers Collaborative to ensure that Coney Island – and other neighborhoods in the borough that suffered extensive damage – return bigger and better than ever.”
The #ConeyRecovers community collaborative recently nominated a locally-based oversight committee to review regrant applications and oversee the distribution of grant funds into the community. The selected committee members are meant to represent an all-inclusive cross-section of the many and varied community groups present in Coney Island. The committee members include: Pam Harris, Executive Director of Coney Island Generation Gap; Rocco Brescia, Executive Director of Friends of Kaiser Park; Julia Daniely, Coney Island resident; Maggie Lebron, Executive Director of Reaching Out Ministries; Charlene Davis, Coney Island resident; Pastor Debbe Santiago, Founder of Salt & Sea Mission; Eddie Mark, Chairman of Community Board 13; Shirley Aikens, President of the Carey Gardens Tenant Association; and Nino Russo, Alliance Director & Co-Owner of Gargiulo’s Restaurant.
“I am very pleased that we received the grant to continue rebuilding Coney Island. I have confidence that our committee will make the right decisions, and we will bounce back and make this community better,” said Eddie Mark, Community Board 13, Chair and #ConeyRecovers Collaborative Oversight Committee Member.
#ConeyRecovers is proud to be a third-time recipient of funds from the Brooklyn Recovery Fund. Previously, #ConeyRecovers received one of two Community-Wide Collaborative $100,000 grants with which #ConeyRecovers was able to establish its headquarters located at 1701 Surf Avenue and issue a first round of regrants to community- and faith-based not-for-profits in Coney Island impacted by Superstorm Sandy. With the second grant of $250,000, #ConeyRecovers directed funding towards recovery efforts targeting small businesses in the community, emergency cash assistance to individual families and a rebuild project.
“Brooklyn is committed to the long-term recovery and resilience of Coney Island. Not only does it hold a special place in our city as America’s Playground, it is home to thousands of hard-working families and small businesses that help keep Brooklyn strong,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. “The members of #ConeyRecovers are working hard to address their community’s civic and physical infrastructure needs, and this third Brooklyn Recovery Fund grant will help to fuel their efforts. An investment in Coney Island today is an investment in Brooklyn’s future.”
“As one of the largest communities in Super Storm Sandy’s path, Coney Island has faced immense challenges through the recovery—yet it has also built great strength through the #ConeyRecovers coalition. The breadth of its work has benefited thousands of residents and increased neighborhood resiliency and cohesion. Brooklyn Community Foundation is proud to support this long-term effort through the Brooklyn Recovery Fund, in partnership with the American Red Cross,” said Cecilia Clarke, Brooklyn Community Foundation, President & CEO.
The Alliance for Coney Island established #ConeyRecovers as a relief initiative in the immediate aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Since its formation, #ConeyRecovers has mobilized efforts to assist the Coney Island community affect by Superstorm Sandy. Since launching in November 2012, the #ConeyRecovers initiative, staffed by the Alliance for Coney Island, has raised over $700,000 from foundations and individual donors, and has regranted funds to over 30 local community-based organizations, delivered microgrants to approximately 50 local businesses, coordinated over 3,000 volunteers, and hosted countless meetings and information sessions to bring much-needed resources to the Coney Island community. For more information or to get involved, please visit www.coneyrecovers.org.
About Alliance for Coney Island
The not-for-profit Alliance for Coney Island, Inc. is a private-public partnership dedicated to continuing the year-round renaissance of Coney Island. The Alliance represents local businesses, nonprofits, and the community, with support from Community Board 13, the New York City Council and the Brooklyn Borough President. More info at www.AllianceforConeyIsland.org.
About the Brooklyn Recovery Fund
The Brooklyn Recovery Fund is a joint effort between the Brooklyn Community Foundation, the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce to create a pooled fund to provide support to Brooklyn’s nonprofit organizations working with the communities and individuals most affected by Hurricane Sandy. The Fund has raised more than $2.3 million, with support from a broad spectrum of donors – including founding contributions from the BarclaysCenter, Brooklyn Nets, and Forest City Ratner – as well as other corporations, foundations, and individual contributions via online and mobile giving. For more information and to donate, visit: www.brooklynrecoveryfund.org.
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