Steve Glosser of Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association and Bill Gumbel, secretary of Bronx Lions Club
Photo courtesy of Steven Glosser
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N BTR OVEMBER 20-26 51
BY STEVEN GLOSSER
Donate Your Old Glasses
To The PPNA and Bronx Lions
Club
Yes, there is sight at the
end of the tunnel. The Pelham
Parkway Neighborhood Association
has made another delivery
last week to the Bronx
Lions Club of used eyeglasses
collected from the generous
community to be donated to
adults and underprivileged
children in third world countries
throughout the world.
The amount collected for this
delivery was an astonishing
322 pairs of glasses. There is
a tremendous need for recycled
eyeglasses throughout
the world.
The Lions Club International
will have them cleaned,
sterilized, designate the prescription
and then package
and ship them for distribution
to needy groups and adults and
children throughout the world.
The Lions Club is an organization
throughout the world that
empowers volunteers to serve
their communities, meet humanitarian
needs, encourage
peace and promote international
understanding through
Lions clubs. Further information
may be available through
their website at www.bronxlionsclub.
org.
“When I fi rst met Bill Gumbel,
secretary of the Bronx Lions
Club, he was very welcoming
to the idea of donating the
eyeglass collection boxes to
my association,” said Steven
Glosser, vice president of the
Pelham Parkway Neighborhood
Association. “Its great
that the PPNA is branching
out into more humanitarian
projects such as this. We look
forward to partnering more
on additional projects with
the Bronx Lions Club in the
future. I check the collection
boxes every two weeks and am
fi nding a surprisingly large
amount every time.”
For this year’s insightful
project, Gumbel, Bronx Lions
Club secretary, provided
Glosser with 10 eyeglass collection
boxes which he strategically
placed throughout the
Pelham Parkway neighborhood.
He confi rmed that the
humanitarian project remains
ongoing with no end date
in sight.
Help make a difference and
improve people’s lives. Please
check for any used eyeglasses
you may have. The following
local businesses have graciously
donated space for our
collection boxes: Bronx House,
Apple Bank, Pelham Parkway
Vision, Sterling Optical, Creston
Optical, NY Eye Surgery
Center, Eye Care Unlimited.
Of course during the height
of the pandemic in the spring,
the donations and collecting
by Steve slowed down but
“business” has picked up once
again and Steve is out and
about doing his collections.
Steve is always searching the
community for more sights to
place his boxes.
“The response was fantastic,”
he expressed. “This
is further proof of the big
hearts the giving people of
Pelham Parkway and Morris
Park have.” He further credited
its tremendous success
to the collection sites’ staff
promoting the cause to their
many customers.
“We thank them and deeply
appreciate what they have
done for their community,”
said Glosser. “It’s wonderful
to have so many businesses
and centers who put their
community fi rst.”
Local Groups and Leaders
Support Efforts to Prevent
Underage Gambling
In March of this year, the
Archdiocese Drug Abuse Prevention
Program (ADAPP),
along with our coalition
partners, the Throggs Neck
Community Action Partnership
(TNCAP) and Forward
South Bronx Community Coalition (FSBC) partnered
with the New York Council on Problem
Gambling to participate in the YOU(th) Decide
project to work to prevent underage gambling in
the Bronx. Agency staff have been raising awareness
among youth, parents and community leaders
through face-to-face presentations, outreach
and media.
YOU(th) Decide is designed to be a multi-dimensional
prevention effort aimed at reducing
underage gambling. Local schools and organizations
participated in the YOU(th) Decide Project
to educate youth about problem gambling and to
work with local community leaders to decrease
youth availability to gambling activities.
The most recent research indicates that among
New York State youth between the ages of 12 and
17, 39.5% have gambled in the past year. Nearly
30% of those stated that they began at age 10 or
younger. NYS youth who gamble reported past
30-day rates of alcohol use, marijuana use, consumption
of energy drinks and incidents of being
drunk than non-gamblers. The top three pastyear
gambling behaviors among 7-12th graders in
NYS were playing lottery, lotto and scratch offs;
betting money on raffl es or charity games; and
betting money on sports (OASAS, 2014-15).
Underage gambling brings with it
a number of negative consequences,
many of which are serious, and can be
devastating to the youth as well as his/
her family and friends. The younger
an adolescent begins gambling, the
more likely he/she is to develop a
gambling addiction.
There is not just one person, nor just
one group of people, affected by underage
gambling. There is not just one risk factor
or protective factor that plays a role in underage
gambling. There is not just one strategy that will,
alone, prevent underage gambling. A variety of
strategies targeted at all levels of impact is the
only effective way to prevent and de-normalize
underage gambling.
ADAPP would like to recognize the following
schools and organizations for signing a resolution
of support for the YOU(th) Decide project in
our community:
• BX Healthy Start at Einstein
• Emma L. Bowen Community Service Center
• NYC Problem Gambling Resource Center
• FSBC
• TNCAP
We would also like to recognize the following
schools and organizations for allowing us to provide
education about underage gambling and to
encourage youth to discuss what they learn with
peers, parents and community leaders:
• Cardinal Hayes High School
• Mount Saint Michael Academy
• P&J Beacon Phipps NYC
And a special thank you to the The Throggs
Neck Food Outreach Collaborative, a joint venture
between the Throggs Neck Community Alliance,
the Northeast Bronx Community Farmers
Market and Fort Schuyler Presbyterian Church
for allowing us to provide education for parents
about underage gambling.
Lastly, we are pleased to announce that
ADAPP, TNCAP and FSBC have enacted gambling
free policies to help prevent underage gambling
this year.
Thank you to everyone who supported the
YOU(th) Decide project and helped ADAPP,
TNCAP and FSBC to bring awareness to the dangers
associated with underage gambling and to
decrease youth access to gambling.
ADAPP is a school and community-based prevention
program funded by NYS OASAS that
strives to provide innovative, comprehensive services
to the children, adults, and families within
the schools, parishes and communities of the
Archdiocese of New York. ADAPP is committed
to developing resilient individuals by fostering
positive life skills and creating the conditions
where protective bonds between individuals
and their families and communities can fl ourish
and grow. For more information about our
programs visit:
• www.adapp.org
• www.forwardsouthbronxcoalition.org
The New York Council on Problem Gambling
is a not-for-profi t independent corporation dedicated
to increasing public awareness about problem
and compulsive gambling and advocating for
support services and treatment for persons adversely
affected by gambling. The Council maintains
a neutral stance on gambling and is governed
by a Board of Directors. Find out more at
www.YOUthDecideNY.org.
CIVIC CENTER
Pelham Parkway
Neighborhood
Association
CIVIC CENTER
Throggs Neck
Community Action
Partnership
/www.bronx-lionsclub.org
/www.bronx-lionsclub.org
/www.bronx-lionsclub.org
/www.adapp.org
/www.forwardsouthbronxcoalition.org
/www.YOUthDecideNY.org
/www.adapp.org
/www.forwardsouthbronxcoalition.org
/www.YOUthDecideNY.org
/www.bronx-lionsclub.org
/www.bronx-lionsclub.org
/www.bronx-lionsclub.org
/www.adapp.org
/www.forwardsouthbronxcoalition.org
/www.YOUthDecideNY.org
/www.adapp.org
/www.forwardsouthbronxcoalition.org
/www.YOUthDecideNY.org