April 24, 2020 – We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during these unprecedented times. We wanted to take a minute to highlight a handful of our clients who have been working extraordinarily hard during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the entire community. We are grateful for the work they are doing and wanted to take the opportunity to share that work with you.
DHC Clients:
Big Bus Tours
After learning that many local health care providers lacked protective surgical gowns, Big Bus Tours – the largest operator of open top bus sightseeing tours – donated nine pallets of rain ponchos to New York City for their use as personal protective equipment (PPE). This was organized by NYC & Company.
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Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce has been an essential repository of information for Brooklyn businesses as they navigate the process of maintaining employment and weathering the crisis. The Chamber has been holding informational webinars and distributing updates to its member businesses to ensure no opportunities are missed and that businesses are ready to reopen when the time comes.DHC has coordinated with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce to provide real-time updates to the Brooklyn community on the federal resources available to assist organizations during this difficult time. DHC arranged for senior officials at the Small Business Administration (SBA) to participate in webinars for Brooklyn Chamber Members in an effort to educate businesses on the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan Assistance Program and the Paycheck Protection Program.
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BSE Global/ Brooklyn Nets
Joe Tsai, owner of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) donated 2.6 million masks, 170,000 goggles, and 2,000 ventilators to hospitals and nursing homes throughout New York. Tsai’s contributions were noted in CNN.
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Building Industry Electrical Contractors Association
Building Industry Electrical Contractors Association, which represents electricians, has donated $95,000 to New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Health Fund, to assist in purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE) for essential workers.
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Center for Educational Innovation – CEI
CEI’s commitment to supporting school communities, and leaders remains strong, and they have responded to the crisis by providing remote learning, support, mentoring and coaching to students across New York City and beyond. CEI continues to expand their reach and impact by collaborating with school principals to build more college and career opportunities for students by way of free tutoring, coding, esports, arts and cultural enrichment programs. The CEI team is also offering Professional Development options for educators, including Unit Planning, Lesson Planning, and Webinars on instructional strategies, compliance (SpEd/ELLs), and the Danielson Framework for teacher effectiveness.
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Cliff Cho
Cliff Cho, owner of restaurants Fat Buddha and OMOMO in New York City, is providing and delivering 100 meals this week for healthcare workers taking care of COVID-19 patients at NYU Langone Health and Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospitals. Cho’s restaurants will also provide and deliver meals to additional hospitals and first responders through donations from Cho’s GoFundMe account. To continue to support and help frontline nurses and staff, please visit Feed A Hero.
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Family Residences and Essential Enterprises – FREE
FREE has been working with limited staff to ensure that its houses are stocked with essentials and that their Direct Service Providers are able to continue working with FREE’s disabled residents. Many of these DSPs have opted to stay with residents through quarantines. They have given their time and risked their health to ensure that the most vulnerable are provided for through this crisis. FREE has also been a leader in advocacy for increased support for the DSP and Home Healthcare workforce.
DHC has been working with FREE to contact members of the New York congressional delegation and advocate for increased support for DSPs in each of the coronavirus stimulus bills.
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Friars Club
Larry King, longtime television personality and Dean of the Friars Club in New York City, has joined with Brooklyn eatery L&B Spumoni Gardens to deliver meals to healthcare workers, who have been providing hospital care for coronavirus patients at Maimonides Medical Center. The Friars Club donated 150 meals to thank the frontline workers for helping fellow New Yorkers fight the disease. The club’s contributions were noted in the Brooklyn Reporter and Kings County Politics.
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Hadley Pollet
Hadley Pollet, a prominent fashion designer, has connected with doctors and nurses who are on the front lines to provide them with 5,000 N95 masks and goggles for their colleagues. Pollet helped front line workers in need of personal protective equipment (PPE) in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Nevada. Pollet also donated masks to women’s shelters and assisted living facilities in Connecticut.
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Helen Keller National Center – HKNC
The Helen Keller National Center (HKNC) is providing regular updates to deaf-blind individuals and organizations around the country on resources and information regarding COVID-19. They are also in the process of establishing a new remote format to continue training on core areas that can be accomplished through a virtual learning format using adaptive technology. The center’s face-to-face training provided by their California and New York Community Services Program and Deaf-Blind Specialists has transitioned to remote learning for this period. HKNC is continuing to develop professional learning materials through on-line courses and webinars.DHC has been in contact with elected officials and has helped circulate updates on HKNC’s efforts to transition to virtual learning and online supports.
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The HOPE Program
Comprehensive job training, placement and career advancement remains a strong focus for The HOPE Program in these uncertain times. Since the shutdown, HOPE has responded to the changing needs of our city’s most vulnerable jobseekers with HOPEWorks – a free, 5-6 week remote training program offered remotely to individuals interested in various career pathways, including maintenance, administrative, animal care, retail, food industry, and customer service. In addition to job placement, HOPEWorks also provides participants with industry certifications, such as OSHA-10 General Industry and New York City Food Protection. See News12 clip, with NYC Council Member Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
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Hunts Point Produce Market
The Hunts Point Produce Market, the largest food distribution center of its kind in the world, continues to donate fruits and vegetables to communities impacted by COVID-19, delivering produce for 300 seniors at a YWCA development in Brooklyn and next week to 400 seniors in the Bronx.
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Junior Achievement of New York
Junior Achievement of New York (JA) is working hard to stay in touch with their students and to provide them with resources that keep them thinking about their future college and career goals. With schools closing, JA is providing free online resources to teachers and parents.DHC and Junior Achievement are in regular contact with city, state and federal government officials and are advocating for additional resources for students in New York’s most underserved communities.
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Key Food
Key Food, a family-owned supermarket located in Astoria, Queens, has been a tremendous resource to the community during the COVID crisis. Key Food is committed to helping the community by increasing its inventory of needed items during the COVID-19 outbreak. Key Food quickly gave its workforce raises during the outbreak and quickly enabled the generous leave policies to their loyal employees. Key Food employees’ are making sure the store is stocked, clean, and ready to serve the Astoria community including providing hours for seniors to shop. Key Food’s contributions were noted in QNS.
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Logan Bus Company, Inc.
Michael Tornabe, President and Chief Operating Officer of Logan Bus Company is lending 18 buses to shuttle military personnel throughout New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tornabe has a reputation of going beyond what contracts require and providing top service, by donating buses for fundraisers and finding ways to accommodate students’ needs.
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Madelaine Chocolate Company
Madelaine Chocolate Company supplied chocolates to essential workers helping to keep New York safe. The company wanted to show their appreciation and thank doctors, nurses, EMS, NYPD, FDNY, hospital workers, MTA, transit, sanitation, and all essential workers for their tireless efforts and sacrifices. |
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New York Building Congress
The New York Building Congress is working with elected officials at all levels of government to ensure that New York and the building industry continue to employ the maximum number of skilled and unskilled construction workers during this challenging time and come back from this crisis stronger than ever.The New York Building Congress and DHC are in ongoing discussions with Members of Congress and the White House on the creation of a substantial public works stimulus package to rebuild our nation and restart our economy.
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NYC & Company
NYC & Company is staying engaged with its government contacts and is acting as a resource to New Yorkers, distributing relevant COVID-19 related information. NYC & Co is advocating in this time of need for assistance to New York and visibility for its most crucial industries during this time of great stress for the travel and tourism economy.DHC helped NYC & Company with their outreach to Members of Congress and coordinated with national travel and tourism organizations in drafting legislation for inclusion in the recent federal stimulus packages.
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Rena Ismail
Rena Ismail, owner of Oregano restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn started a GoFundMe account to help support her staff and donated meals to first responders. Ismail was featured in Eat This! food blog about how the restaurant is managing during these difficult times.
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RH Design, Inc. and Lee Wertz, Inc.
Rob Herschenfeld and Jessica Wertz created and started producing face shields for Mount Sinai within a matter of weeks after the pandemic began. Within 48 hours of getting the prototype approved, they started production; three weeks later, the company is making more than 10,000 face shields each day. They are delivering to Mount Sinai in New York, and to Florida, South Carolina, Alabama and New Jersey to supply EMTs and first responders. If you’d like to help, please consider a donation to their GoFundMe account.
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SCO Family of Services
SCO is continuing to provide vital social services to the New York community. It is working hard to ensure that none of its programs lose capacity or the ability to serve at pre-crisis levels. These services are essential now at the height of the crisis and they will be just as essential in the aftermath as New Yorkers must be ready to care for each other and rebuild communities. SCO is committed to maintaining their high level of service and support to the community.Immediately following the COVID-19 outbreak, DHC coordinated an outreach campaign to Members of the New York Congressional Delegation to share stories from the ground and advocate for emergency funding for non-profit service organizations on the frontlines of treating patients with the coronavirus.
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