City and state leaders hope that two green energy infrastructure projects
will help decarbonize New York City into a greener future that moves
them away from its reliance on fossil fuels, which fuels 85% of the citys
electricity. Photo Getty Images
Celebrating Grandparents and Kinship Caregivers
During challenging times, we all need someone
to turn to for love and support. And more often
than not, the people we seek most are family. Our
families are the first to step in when we need help
and guidance.
This month, we are celebrating two special
groups of family members – grandparents
and kinship caregivers, who show us that love
is without limits or boundaries. September is
Kinship Care Month and National Grandparents’
Day is celebrated the Sunday after Labor Day. And
there are many reasons to celebrate these family
members beyond September.
In many households, grandparents and kinship
caregivers keep families together by caring for
young children during times of hardship. These
caregivers are older adults who are grandparents,
aunts, and uncles. And although many of them
are retired, they step up to fill the full-time job
of parenting children and youth.
The New York City Department for the Aging’s
Grandparent Resource Center recognizes the
challenges and demands grandparents and
older kinship caregivers face and helps them
by providing a variety of support services and
resources. The pandemic has proved to be a
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,16 SEPT. 24-30, 2021 BTR
challenge for many, especially for grandparent
caregivers and older kinship caregivers who were
new to this role and found themselves with limited
information to guide them. At the start of the
pandemic, the Grandparent Resource Center
transitioned its in-person services to virtual
services to keep providing case assistance, support
groups, and other resources to older kinship
caregivers during the City’s shutdown.
During the early months of the pandemic, the
Grandparent Resource Center also distributed
free computer tablets equipped with Wi-
Fi to caregivers so they could access virtual
programing, navigate remote learning for
children, and stay in touch with others. The
initiative has been successful in bridging the
digital divide and connecting generations through
technology. To keep that momentum going, I am
happy to announce that the City will continue
to offer another year of free internet service for
caregivers who were provided free tablets.
This fall, the Grandparent Resource Center
has been helping kinship caregivers and children
prepare for the new school year. Starting
September 28th, the Center is offering a sevenweek
Virtual Empowerment Program series to
help grandparent caregivers strengthen their
parenting and communications skills with their
grandchildren and learn how to stay connected
to their community and support network during
COVID-19. Grandparents or kinship caregivers
can sign up for the course by calling (212) 442-
1094 or emailing GRC@aging.nyc.gov.
The Grandparent Resource Center also
partnered with the Butler Hodson Senior Center
in the Bronx and other organizations for “Vax to
School” events where youth ages 12 years and older
could get the COVID-19 vaccine, receive school
supplies, and learn health tips and safety measures
in protecting themselves from COVID-19.
For caregivers, getting children ready for
school is only a small part of their work. Raising
a child in a healthy and safe environment takes
a lot of time, dedication, and commitment. Our
grandparent caregivers, John Medina and Doris
Lewis, are great examples of that. They both
recently received the “2021 Outstanding Kinship
Care Award” from the NYS KinCare Coalition for
their exceptional caregiving role.
John, a veteran from Brooklyn, is the primary
caregiver of his two grandchildren, whom he
started taking care of a few years ago and they
are now at the age of three and six. As a devoted
grandfather, John works hard to make sure
both children, who have medical conditions,
have the proper health check-ups. While John
is relatively new to his role, Doris has been
the grandparent caregiver to her 16-year-old
grandson since birth. Her commitment as a
grandmother and primary caregiver has helped
her grandson excel academically in school. She
is also very proud to say that she has passed on
the respect and manners needed for him to be
a young gentleman.
During this month and throughout the year,
we are honored to celebrate all grandparents
and kinship caregivers who are preparing the
next generation
for success by
showing them
the love and care
of family.
For information
about the services
and suppo r t
offered by the
Gr a n dp a r e nt
Resource Center,
call 311 or visit
nyc.gov/aging.
The Department for the Aging’s Grandparent Resource Center provides resources and support to help grandparents
who are kinship caregivers.
NYC Department for the Aging
Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
BY ROBBIE SEQUEIRA
City and state leaders hope
that two green energy infrastructure
projects will help
decarbonize New York City
into a greener future that
moves them away from its reliance
on fossil fuels, which
fuels 85% of the city’s electricity.
The state will partner
with two companies, Clean-
Path NY and Hydro Quebec
CEO, to power the Empire
State through wind, solar
and hydropower energy and
also bring $8.2 million in
economic development and
10,000 jobs statewide.
The new power sources
could begin fl owing clean energy
in the city as early as
2025.
“New York’s communities
are repeatedly facing serious
consequences as a result
of the devastation caused
by the global climate crisis,
and the stakes have never
been higher as we deal with
the economic and environmental
destruction these extreme
weather events leave
behind,” Gov. Kathy Hochul
said. “These transformative
projects are a win-win — delivering
thousands of new
good-paying jobs throughout
the state and attracting billions
of dollars in private investment.
They also help us
turn the page on New York
City’s long-standing dependence
on fossil fuels and will
ensure millions of New Yorkers,
especially those living in
our most vulnerable communities,
can have the promise
of cleaner air and a healthier
future.”
The Empire State is looking
to accelerate its goal
of being 70% carbon-free
throughout the state by 2030,
a potential pathway to a zeroemissions
grid.
CleanPath NY, includes
the buildout of a 1,300-megawatt,
176-mile high voltage
direct-current power superhighway
from Delaware
County to New York City that
would run underneath the
Hudson and Harlem rivers,
but received pushback from
Bronx offi cials in the past.
When CleanPath NY was
fi rst pitched in early 2021, the
plan was to construct a highvoltage
DC to AC converter
station and a seven-story containment
structure on a oneacre
site at Bronx Terminal
Market at East 151st Street
and Exterior Street.
The project — which
boasts $12 billion in savings
to New Yorkers and would
create more than 10,000 jobs
while eliminating 39 million
tons of CO2 emissions over
the next 25 years — sparked
concerns from Bronx residents
that an installation of
a converter station would
be detrimental to the public
health of a district that is already
considered “asthma
valley.”
Hydro Quebec CEO’s plan,
Champlain Hudson Power
Express, seeks to deliver hydropower
into NYC through
a 1,250-megawatt line that
would supply roughly 1 million
homes.
Hydro-Quebec’s wind and
hydropower resources will go
from the Province of Quebec,
Canada, into the Astoria Energy
Center in Queens.
Both companies are also
expected to invest roughly
$460 million in community
benefi t funds to create pathways
to green energy jobs,
support public health and
provide support for disadvantaged
communities.
Democratic New York City
Mayor Bill de Blasio is hopeful
that the new renewable energy
project can lead to New
York City government operations
being fueled by 100% renewable
electricity by 2025.
“This is a transformative
moment for New York City’s
fi ght against climate change,”
said de Blasio. “Two new
transmission lines connecting
New York City to electricity
from water, the wind, and
solar will create thousands
of good union jobs, improve
the resilience and reliability
of our power supply, and dramatically
reduce our reliance
on oil and gas electricity that
dirties the air in our neighborhoods
and endangers our
planet.”
NYS selects 2 green energy projects
for massive NYC decarbonization plan
/aging
link
