BY BRONX TIMES
Business Outreach Center
Network (BOC Network),
a small business development
organization, announced this
week the launch of Ascend
NYC with a focus on the Bronx
through an investment of $1
million from JPMorgan Chase.
This will connect a cohort of
13 diverse Bronx -based small
business entrepreneurs to management
education, market opportunities
and capital through
a network of partners including
BOC Network, the Bronx Cooperative
Development Initiative
(BCDI) BronXchange, the City
University of New York’s Bronx
Community College and BOC
Capital Corp.
The Collaborative chose the
Bronx to launch Ascend NYC
given its economic challenges
as the poorest urban county in
the United States. Despite these
challenges, the borough is also
home to some of the region’s
top hospitals and universities,
which collectively purchase $9
billion in goods and services annually.
The Bronx also boasts
many successful commercial
corridors including the Hunts
Point Terminal Market, the
largest food distribution center
in the world.
Recognizing motivated
small business owners, particularly
women, minority and
immigrant entrepreneurs, often
lack access to capital and
business advice, the University
of Washington Foster School
of Business created Ascend to
enable minority businesses to
grow and thrive by focusing on
management and markets.
“BOC joins businesses on
their entrepreneurial journey,
helping to pave their way with
fi nancing and practical business
counseling and training,”
said Nancy Carin, executive director,
BOC Network. “This collaboration
with BCDI, CUNY
Parochial Vicar Rev. Joseph Akunaeziri, St. Barnabas Church Pastor Very Rev. Fr. Brendan Fitzgerald, His Excellency,
The Most Reverend Peter Byrne, Auxiliary Bishop of New York, and Fr. John Smart, Priest In Residence.
2nd Row: Michelle Torres, Ceili Chapter, Ciara Leo 3rd Row: Emma Brannigan, Arriana Rijfkogel, Shania Cueto,
Sarah Brannigan, SBHS Campus Ministry Coordinator Ms. Sharon Traditi.
Bronx Community College and
local anchor institutions marks
an important step in our collective
Older adults at the E. Roberts Moore Neighborhood Senior Center in the Bronx in 2018. This month,
some senior centers began offering grab-and-go meals as a low-risk, outdoor activity.
BRONX TIMES R 30 EPORTER, MAY 21-27, 2021 BTR
efforts to increase the
wealth and ownership for diverse
small business owners in
the Bronx.”
Ascend NYC will provide
Bronx small business owners
like KOJO Pest Control with access
to larger contract opportunities
at community staples
such as Hunts Point Produce
Market.
“Ascend NYC has shown
me from the beginning how
dedicated they are to improving
our quality of life, our fi -
nancial situation, and our
ability to improve the community,
hire more people, and
just be good role models,” said
Damian Cord, owner of KOJO
Pest Control.
Saint Barnabas
Students Receive
Confi rmation
Older Americans Month: Communities of Strength
May is Older Americans Month and this year’s theme,
“Communities of Strength”, is fitting since we had to rely
on community more than ever during this pandemic.
In the early stage of this unprecedented pandemic,
we relied on our community of first responders to
provide safety and comfort and we were united in
our celebration of their efforts every day at 7pm — the
true essence of community. And in a year in which
strength and resilience were required, older adults
led the charge. They maintained community ties by
quickly adapting to this “new normal” and learning new
technology that kept them connected to friends and
family. They were also among the first populations to
roll-up their sleeves and get vaccinated, protecting
themselves and those around them.
It is important to recognize and honor older adults’
contributions by keeping communities strong and
vibrant. And as such, we need to ensure they can thrive
and live in the same communities they built in a safe,
supported and dignified manner. The Department
for the Aging (DFTA) and the Mayor are working to do just that by creating and investing in a
breakthrough five-year Community Care Plan that will help older adults age-in-place with their
family, neighbors, and friends while receiving an array of vital community support.
New Yorkers prefer to live in their home rather than go to institutions or nursing homes. Those
who do remain in their community experience better health and mental outcomes than those who
live in nursing homes. Equally important, they shop, worship, volunteer and continue contributing
to the community. In this first year of the five-year Community Care Plan, the Mayor provided $49
million to increase the number of Older Adults Centers (OAC) and Naturally Occurring Retirement
Communities (NORC) and meet the needs of the city’s growing multicultural older adult population.
There will be 25 additional centers. This is the first expansion and largest investment in 20 years.
We are very excited about this plan because it adds more adults centers and NORCs, which are
the hubs of all community services. It addresses today’s needs, looks into the future, and lays a
pathway for future community care investments.
In years two to five, it will increase case assistance services, home delivered meals and home
care assistance that provide a safety net for those older adults who remain in their homes.
It also increases caregiver services, such as respite,
counseling and transportation for the family and friend
caregivers of older adults.
New York is the leading age friendly city in the nation,
it now is the leading age-inclusive city where older
adults can age-in-place.
One recurring question during this past month
has been when will senior centers open? I am very
pleased to report that in close partnership with Dr.
Dave Chokshi, the City’s doctor, DFTA received the green
light to resume grab-and-go meal service at senior
centers as the first low-risk, outdoor activity. This is an
important first step towards fully reopening.
Resuming grab-and-go meal service will provide a
gradual safe approach to reopening senior centers.
To successfully reopen, we need to ensure that most
senior center staff and older adults are vaccinated.
With grab-and-go service, we are launching a new
vaccination effort to provide vaccines for center staff
and participants that have not been vaccinated. Grab-and-go service will provide us with the
opportunity to help even more older adults get vaccinated, such as by having mobile vaccination
sites or on-demand transportation services available at centers where
vaccination rates are lower and require more direct outreach and support.
We are working with the Health Department and the Vaccine Command
Center in a drive to get senior center staff vaccinated. This effort, along
with our partnership with FDNY to provide in-home vaccinations to
homebound elders and our continued work with the Vaccine Command
Center, ensures that we can reach all older New Yorkers.
As we all know, vaccination remains critical in our fight against
COVID-19. We implore that you, your family, and especially your elders
to get vaccinated.
We are resilient. We are a community. Together, we will defeat this and
reopen strongly and safely.