FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com JUly 9, 2015 • THE COURIER SUN 3 New anti-gun violence initiative launched in Rockaways BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected]/@AngelaMatua Councilman Donovan Richards announced on Wednesday a number of initiatives to combat gun violence in the Rockaways. Several programs were funded by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Gun Violence Crisis Management Systems, a citywide effort to reduce gun violence. The programs will act as preventative measures, engaging individuals most likely to be involved in gun violence and deploying interventions to curb violence before it occurs. According to NYPD’s CompStat for the 101st Precinct, which covers the Rockaways, there have been two fatalities as a result of gun violence in the month of June. “The expansion of New York City’s anti-gun violence initiative is instrumental in reducing crime in Far Rockaway,” Richards said. “With these partnerships, we can work together with the residents of the Rockaways to improve their quality of life and ensure that our communities are safer and more secure by getting at the root of these violent crimes.” Safe Space, a nonprofit organization in Jamaica, received funding for its violence prevention and mental health programs. According to its website, the nonprofit helped more than 1,200 young adults avoid street violence during after-school hours in 2014, and provided mental health services to 752 community members in crisis. The Rockaway Development Revitalization Corporation, which was founded in 1978, will use its Justice Plus Program to provide youth with job readiness skills. “The funding of the Justice Plus Program will provide a range of work readiness activities with vital Councilman Donovan Richards announced an anti-gun violence initiative. wraparound services,” said Nick Master, program director of Rockaway Development Revitalization Corporation. “The goal is the integration and advancement of participants into the world of competitive employment. The approach synergizes personal and professional development whose aim is to produce life-long career paths for participants in our community.” ENACT, the last program to receive funding, will provide school conflict mediation in P.S./M.S. 183 in Rockaway Beach and P.S./M.S. 42 in Arverne and a violence interrupters program. Photo courtesy of Office of Donovan Richards “ENACT, a community based organization and a longtime partner for many years with the Department of Education and the City Council, is honored to do this important work on anti-gun violence through Donovan Richards’ office,” said Diana Feldman, president and CEO of ENACT. “This sad reality of violence seeps into the hearts and souls of our children who need a sense of protection to grow. ENACT has been going into classrooms every day using our signature method of conflict resolution to help kids address difficult issues.” Riley’s Yacht Club holding raffle for repairs BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected] @AngelaMatua Riley’s Yacht Club, which has been a staple in the Hamilton Beach community since 1965, is asking residents for a helping hand. The club is looking to raise money through a raffle for damage sustained by Hurricane Sandy, since the club delayed fixing the damage in an effort to provide relief to storm victims. The yacht club was closed for three days following the storm but re-opened as a pop-up relief center that served food and hosted events like a Christmas party for children in the neighborhood. The relief center ran through January 2013. “We kept the place going and we neglected our damages and eventually we thought like everybody else did, we thought we were going to get insurance, we thought we would be covered by FEMA,” said Richard Brew, the commodore for the yacht club. “We were covered by nothing.” Brew said the club has repaired a few damages with money from their pockets but is looking for help from the community to replace the rotting floorboards, the damaged kitchen and to push their deck back into place. The plumbing and wiring for the building also needs to be replaced. Each raffle ticket costs $100 and only 200 tickets will be available for purchase. The first-, second- and third-place winners will go home with $7,500, $2,000 and $500 respectively. The deadline to buy tickets is Sept. 8 and everyone who purchases a raffle ticket is invited to Riley’s Yacht Club on Sept. 12 for a party to announce the winners. State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo worked with Riley’s Yacht Club to host pop-up relief centers and said the club has always been crucial in providing a space and support for the community, long before and after Hurricane Sandy. “Riley’s being a slightly higher elevation, Riley’s became a very integral part of the recovery for Hamilton Beach,” Addabbo said. “It became that site where people can get information, food, clothing and now it’s essential for the recovery effort. We’re forever grateful for that and to get financial assistance for Riley’s is the right thing to do.” In addition to being a cheaper alternative for boat owners to park their vehicles, Riley’s Yacht Club is the host of Hamilton Beach Civic meetings and a site for city officials from FEMA and other Sandy relief agencies to share crucial information with residents. “The offered us hot food, warm clothes and sometimes a shoulder to cry on but no matter what, they were here for us,” Roger Gendron, Hamilton Beach Civic Association president, said in a Facebook post. “Now is our time to be there for one of them. Let’s give back to those who gave so much to us.” THE COURIER/Photo by Angela Matua Riley’s Yacht Club is hosting a raffle to raise money for repairs to its infrastructure.
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