Shawn Costner joins Bronx Children’s Museum Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of Bronx
Children’s Museum announced that it
has appointed Shawn ‘Pecas’ Costner,
vice president of Brand Development at
Roc Nation, to its board of directors effective
Shawn ‘Pecas’ Costner speaking at the Bronx Children’s Museum’s 3rd Annual Gala.
Photo: Joseph Martin, Keyz2Life Media
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J BTR UNE 21-27, 2019 69
June 11.
. Costner is the former vice president
of Player Development for Roc Nation
Sports (2014-2019), and former executive
vice president of Def Jam (2004-
2014). Raised in the Bronx, Mr. Costner
now manages the careers of a growing
list of superstar athletes and performing
artists such as Saquon Barkley, Jay-Z,
Meek Mill, CC Sabathia, Todd Gurley,
Rihanna, DJ Khaled, Victor Cruz, and
Skylar Diggins-Smith.
Hope Harley, president of the Board of
Directors, said “Shawn is such an admirable,
grounded family man who clearly
loves children and the Bronx. The addition
of Shawn complements our Board
of Directors’ skills and experiences, and
we are confi dent he will provide valuable
perspectives. We look forward to his
contributions and insights.”
Last month, Costner was honored
at Bronx Children’s Museum’s 3rd Annual
Gala which raised nearly $500,000.
There he said, “It’s important for me to
be a role model for other kids that grow
up in the Bronx. I’d do anything to help
the kids out. When someone gives you
an opportunity in life, you have an obligation
to return that opportunity to someone
else. You’ve got to pay it forward.”
Even though its building has yet to
open, on-going support from popular stars
and Bronx luminaries like Kerry Washington,
Sunny Hostin, Sonia Manzano, Rita
Moreno, and Swizz Beatz signal that the
Bronx Children’s Museum is a recognized
institution and is here to stay. The Museum
already serves more than 16,000
Bronx residents annually through innovative
mobile programming in schools,
community-based organizations, shelters,
and libraries and at festivals and
local parks throughout the Bronx. Once
the new 9,200 sq. ft. facility is open near
Yankee Stadium, the Museum expects to
increase its exposure to Bronx residents
and beyond to more than 75,000 children
and families annually.
* * *
Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA)
announces the 2019 winners of its Bronx
Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) Award program.
A signature program of the Council,
BRIO remains the only annual boroughspecifi
c award program for individual artists,
based solely on artistic excellence.
Founded in 1989, this year marks the
program’s 30thAnniversary – BRIO has
granted over $1.5 million in direct support
to 400+ artists over the past three
decades, making it a powerful symbol of
the borough’s dynamic arts ecosystem.
The program is made possible through
funding from the New York City Department
of Cultural Affairs (DCLA).
Known for recognizing the wealth
and diversity of Bronx artistic talent,
BRIO Awards shine a spotlight on local
artists working in literary, media, performing,
and visual arts. This year, BRIO
will award a total of $215,000 to 43 artists,
who will each receive $5,000 at an
Award Ceremony on June 11th. Beyond
the cash value of the grant, the Awards
provide a platform to raise visibility for
artists contributing to the vitality and
wellbeing of their communities. Each
BRIO winner commits to completing a
one-time public service activity of their
choosing, known as Artists for Community
Enrichment (ACE), an ancillary program
intended to nurture and sustain
strong connections between artists and
their local communities.
Every facet of the program refl ects
BCA’s core values of community, service,
and inclusivity. Decisions are
reached by discipline-specifi c peer panels
of arts professionals from outside
the Bronx, with submissions considered
anonymously and based solely on artistic
merit. The anonymity of the selection
process is part of what makes BRIO
special, allowing lesser-known artists to
stand side by side with renowned ones.
Below is BRIOs 30thAnniversary
Awards’ roster of recipients:
Literary Arts:Marcia Bradley (Fiction);
Derrick Charles (Illustrated Text); Helen
Dano (Poetry); Richard Frias (Fiction);
Sandra Garcia Rivera (Poetry); Carolyn
Harrison (Playwriting); Kiara Jones
(Screenwriting); William Lung (Fiction);
Vanessa Martir (Non-Fiction); Elaine
Musiwa (Non-Fiction); Juan Ramirez
(Playwriting); Renee Salandy (Poetry);
Sydney Valerio (Poetry)
Media Arts: Benedict Campbell (Narrative
Film/Video); Alba Garcia (Narrative
Film/Video); Pamela Sporn (Documentary
Film/Video)
Performing Arts: Aliesha Bryan
(Dance); Davalois Fearon (Choreography);
Stephanie Griffi n (Music Composition);
Justin Hicks (Vocal Music
Performance); Laura Kaminsky (Music
Composition); Erik Lundborg (Music
Composition); Jeremy McQueen (Choreography);
Alethea Pace (Choreography);
Kamala Sankaram (Music Composition);
Elio Villafranca (Music Composition);
Imani Wallace (Performance Poetry)
Visual Arts: Melissa Calderon (Mixed
Media 2D); Howard Cash (Photography);
Dennis Darkeem (Crafts); Carlos Encarnacion
Vazquez (Mixed Media 2D); Nicolas
Estevez (Performance Art); Jeannie
Friedman (Mixed Media 2D); Corinne
Grondahl (Mixed Media 3D); Daniel Hauben
(Painting); Heidi Johnson (Painting);
Jessica Kirkham (Photography);
Adeline Lulo (Photography); Agnes Murray
(Painting); Lisa Ross (Photography);
Jonathan Santiago (Photography); Jairo
Serna (Drawing); Jorge Valdes (Crafts)
For more information visit: www.
bronxarts.org.
* * *
Stop by the PSS City Island Center,
located at 116 City Island Avenue, Monday
through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Experience their exercise classes from
gentle yoga stretch, balance class, arthritis
workshop and tai chi as well as the
fi t for life and cardio fi t. They also offer
acrylic painting, mixed media art class,
health presentations, singing group and
parties. Lunch is served from noon to 1
p.m., suggested donation $2. The center
participants go on shopping trips
every day; i.e. Shop Rite, Dollar Tree,
Target, Kmart ,as well as theatre excursions,
boat trips, special luncheons and
more. It’s free to become a member
but you must be 60 years or above. For
more information contact Patty at (718)
885-0727 or email pattis@pssusa.org
for their monthly calendar.
Upcoming special events: Mondays
at 1 p.m., Gardening Exchange-exchange
ideas, information, cuttings, vegetables,
etc.
* * *
Do you need help getting to and from
your medical appointments? Transportation
services are available to seniors
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
in community districts 9, 10, 11 and 12.
The program provides door-to-door service
for all medical appointments. Their
drivers are courteous and professional;
and their vehicles are clean and handicap
accessible, including wheelchair
lifts. For further information, contact Mildred
Cardona, program director of the
R.A.I.N. Transportation Program, at
(718) 882-8513.
* * *
The Joint Apprenticeship and
Training Committee for the New York
City District Council of Carpenters
will conduct a recruitment from July 10,
through June 10, 2020 for 25 carpenter
(piledriver/dockbuilder) apprentices; 20
linoleum, resilient tile, and carpet layer
apprentices; 10 cabinet maker apprentices;
and 10 millwright apprentices, the
New York State Department of Labor announced
today.
Applications must be obtained in person
at the New York City District Council
of Carpenters Training Center, 395 Hudson
Street, 2nd fl oor (Clarkson Street
entrance), New York City, NY, on the
second Wednesday of each month, excluding
December 11, and January 8,
2020. Applications will be available on
the 2nd Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 7:30
a.m. only. There will be no admittance
after 7:30 a.m. Only the applicant will be
allowed to complete an application. In order
to receive an application, applicants
must provide government-issued picture
identifi cation.
All completed original applications
must be submitted by mail to the New
York City District Council of Carpenters,
395 Hudson Street, 2nd Floor, New York,
NY 10014. All applications must be completed
correctly and postmarked no later
than fi ve business days from the date
that the application was provided. Failure
to comply will disqualify the individual
from further consideration.
Applicants that comply with the previous
application steps will receive a confi
rmation letter and will remain on fi le until
demand for apprentices is anticipated.
Once apprentices are needed, selected
applicants will be notifi ed, by mail, to attend
a four-hour initial orientation. Applicants
that do not arrive on time to the
initial orientation will be disqualifi ed from
further consideration. At the end of orientation,
applicants will be scheduled for
an interview at a future date and will be
provided with an instruction sheet and a
list of original documents that will be required,
if they are accepted into the program.
Applicants that do not arrive on
time to their scheduled interview will be
disqualifi ed from further consideration.
As apprentices are requested by signatory
contractors, the top-ranking candidates
will be notifi ed to attend a fi nal
orientation. Applicants must arrive on
time to the fi nal orientation with proper
documentation. All applicants must bring
originals of all of the verifi cation documents.
Those that do not comply will be
disqualifi ed from further consideration. A
conditional offer of employment will be
made to all attendees of the fi nal orientation.
The committee requires that applicants:
• Must be at least 17 years old at the
time of application.
• Must have a high school diploma or
a high school equivalency diploma (such
as TASC or GED). Proof will be required
after selection and prior to indenture.
• Must be physically able to perform
the work of the trade, with or without a
reasonable accommodation, and without
posing a direct threat to the safety of
themselves or others.
• Must pass a substance abuse
screening, at the expense of the sponsor,
within 48 hours of selection and prior
to indenture, at a collection site designated
by the JATC. Applicants that do
not pass the substance abuse screening
will be notifi ed and disqualifi ed from further
consideration.
• Must provide proof of any trade-related
experience, certifi cation, or education,
after selection and prior to indenture.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or have the
legal right to work in the United States.
Proof will be required after selection and
prior to indenture.
• Must have reliable means of transportation
to and from various job sites
and related instruction classes.
• Must provide DD Form 214, Certifi -
cate of Release or Discharge from Active
Duty, if applicable, after selection
and prior to indenture.
For further information, applicants
should contact NYC District Council of
Carpenters at (212) 727-2224. Additional
job search assistance can be obtained at
your local New York State Department of
Labor Career Center.
Apprentice programs registered with
the Department of Labor must meet
standards established by the Commissioner.
Under state law, sponsors of programs
cannot discriminate against applicants
because of race, creed, color,
national origin, age, sex, disability, or
marital status. Women and minorities
are encouraged to submit applications
for apprenticeship programs. Sponsors
of programs are required to adopt affi rmative
action plans for the recruitment of
women and minorities.
* * *
For Summer’19, NYC youth will once
again have the opportunity to learn and
showcase their athletic abilities and team
work during City Parks Foundation
summer sports program. Free and open
to all children from ages 6 to 17, across
all boroughs, the programs include track
and fi eld, tennis and golf. All programs
begin on Monday, July 1 and continues
until August.
For more information visit https://
www.eventbr i te.com/e/cit yparkstrack
field-summer-2019-registration
60214661674.
/www.eventbr
/www.bronxarts.org
link
/www.eventbr
/www.bronxarts.org
/bronxarts.org
/www.eventbr
/cit
link