BRONX TIMES REPORTER, FEBRUARY 1 BTR 18-24, 2022 23
Bronx-Based Company Steps
Up To Help Local Community
Members Rebuild Following
Deadly Twin Parks Blaze
Longtime Bronx native
Quianni Gonzalez has been
working as a housekeeper at
The Citadel Rehabilitation
and Nursing Center at Kingsbridge
since 2016. When she
was asked to attend a special
meeting being held in the facility
boardroom on Thursday,
Quianni didn’t know
what to expect. Having been
on paid leave since the infamous
Bronx fire gutted her
home this past month, Quianni
assumed this would be
an ordinary meeting to discuss
her eventual return to
the workplace. Much to her
surprise, the visit was anything
but ordinary.
Waiting in the room to
greet Quianni -- bearing wide
smiles and a $10,000 check
-- was a group of Citadel at
Kingsbridge executives and
fellow workmates. They presented
her with the impressive
monetary gift during
a surprise ceremony that
brought the mother of six to
tears.
“We at Citadel are always
busy caring for the wellbeing
of other people,” Facility
Administrator Kevin Schuck
told Quianni. “But sometimes,
we can find ourselves
in need of a little help. Our
team understands you went
through a difficult time and
we view you as a part of the
Citadel family. You take care
of our residents, and we want
to take care of you.”
After gifting Quianni
with the $10,000 check, everybody
broke out into spontaneous
applause. This thoughtful
gesture openly demonstrated
the commitment of Quianni’s
employer, Citadel at Kingsbridge,
which is well-known
throughout the area. It also
highlighted how the Bronxbased
company is stepping
forward to help the community
recover in the aftermath
of the horrific Bronx blaze.
Quianni lost her apartment
and belongings in the
tragic January inferno that
destroyed the 120-unit Twin
Parks North West complex
and left 17 people dead. She
was a Twin Parks resident for
over 40 years, and her family
proudly called the building
home, with three generations
of Gonzalez kin living inside
the large apartment.
“I lived in the building,
along with my sister, children,
and grandchildren,”
she said. “There were 12
people in our apartment
when the fire began, including
my 10-month-old baby. I
was already at work on that
day when I got the phone
call that our building was
on fire. I quickly ran to the
scene and it was absolutely
terrifying.”
The Gonzalez family was
trapped inside the apartment
and initially unable to
escape despite multiple efforts.
Although they were in
serious danger, the Gonzalez
adults heroically helped
other residents by pulling
people from the smoke-filled
hallway into the apartment,
before the FDNY was able
to rescue them all. Quianni
still feels anxious when she
reminisces about how she
stood outside Twin Parks on
that fateful day, not knowing
if her family would make it
out alive. While her personal
belongings were destroyed,
Quianni is grateful that the
family emerged physically
unscathed, and she has been
working diligently to help
them rebuild.
When her fellow workmates
at Citadel at Kingsbridge
-- along with Chief
Administrative Officer Igor
Kiprovski and Facility Administrator
Kevin Schuck
-- witnessed how the Gonzalez
family was desperately
trying to stabilize their lives
and get back on their feet,
they sprang into action.
“We’ve been an integral
part of the Bronx community
for years and we feel the
impact of this heartbreaking
event very strongly,” said
Igor Kiprovski. “So Citadel
has the obligation to be there
for our fellow Bronx neighbors
and help the community
rebuild. And that obligation
starts with the people
who we work with each and
every day.”
As she gratefully held the
$10,000 check from Citadel
at Kingsbridge made out to
her name, Quianni thanked
everybody in attendance for
their outpouring of love, empathy,
and kindness.
“I’m used to being behind
the scenes and giving, and I
am not used to being on the
receiving end. But I am so
appreciative and feel blessed
that you are all here for me,
“she added. “This is going
to help me start everything
over again. Citadel is a family
oriented company and
you’ve always been there for
the people of the Bronx. I enjoy
being around the employees
and residents, and am
proud to consider Citadel as
my home away from home.”
This past week, Quianni
signed the lease on a
new Bronx apartment and
intends to use her sudden
$10,000 windfall to help finance
the relocation expenses.
Quianni finally feels
a sense of peacefulness, after
all these trying weeks,
knowing the Gonzalez family
can enter the next chapter
of their lives with stability
and reassurance.
“My message to the Bronx
community is simple,” she
concluded. “We need to keep
spreading love and unity. So
let’s stay strong and be there
for each other. It’ll make the
Bronx of the future a better
place for us all.”
ADVERTO R I A L
Citadel At Kingsbridge Surprises Employee Who Lost Everything In Bronx Fire With $10,000 Check
(l-r) Igor Kiprovski - Chief Administrative Officer, Patricia Constantine - Director of Nursing, Judith Wallace - CNA at Citadel and Union delegate, Quianni Gonzalez- Citadel Employee
presented with check, Kevin Schuck - Facility Administrator.