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A community member protests cuts to senior centers in New York City at a Washington Heights rally on June 17, 2010. Photo: Stephen Steim

Reported on: June 19, 2010

Milton Pellot loves his senior center. The longtime Washington Heights resident relies on the STAR Senior Center for affordable and healthy food, companionship with fellow seniors, and friendly games of dominoes and billiards.

Pellot, 68, says his wife is also a fan of STAR. “She doesn’t want me at home, so she sends me to the center,” he joked.

Many Washington Heights seniors like Pellot breathed a sigh of relief when none of their community’s senior centers made the city’s list of 50 to be shut down on June 30. Local senior center directors, on the other hand, foresee major issues on the horizon if the New York City Department for the Aging moves forward with its plan.

Harlem, Washington Heights’ immediate neighbor to the south, will be one of the communities hardest hit by the closures. Of the 15 senior centers slated to close in Manhattan, 11 are in Harlem. That will leave more than 600 Harlem seniors looking for services at other centers in Harlem and, for many, in Washington Heights.

Fern Hertzberg, 54, is executive director of ARC XVI Fort Washington, a senior center in Washington Heights. Her center is already serving seniors traveling from other communities since the city’s May 10 announcement of planned closures.

“Closing 50 centers puts pressure not only on the communities where the centers close but on the entire system,” said Hertzberg. “People have started coming from the Bronx since they know their centers are closing.” Hertzberg noted that while her food budget covers 140 meals to be served each day, ARC Fort Washington is already serving 150.

The Department for the Aging said in a statement that while it hoped to avoid cuts, Gov. David A. Paterson’s proposed budget left the agency few options. “We embarked on this painful process because the state’s budget cut left us no other option. We are committed to doing what we can for the seniors and center staff whose lives will be affected, and will be providing all possible assistance through this difficult time.”

In prioritizing which centers to close, the department used three criteria: centers that serve fewer than 30 meals per day, part-time and satellite centers, and centers with poor records of service and management. Geography and considerations of how many centers would be closed in one neighborhood were not taken into account.

The department has promised that it will provide transportation to seniors who cannot access other centers in their communities due to physical limitations and proximity. For many Harlem seniors, that will mean bus trips to centers in Washington Heights.

“There are many issues with busing people to other communities,” said Timothy Hunt, executive director of Citizens Care Senior Center in Harlem. “Issues of cultural sensitivity have to be considered when you bus seniors to another area.” Hunt’s Citizen Care headquarters and six satellite senior centers, which serve more than 400 seniors, are all set to be shuttered at the end of the month.

At a June 17 rally on West 175 Street and Wadsworth Avenue, more than 50 seniors from Washington Heights and Harlem, local politicians and community leaders called on the city and state governments to reverse the proposed cuts.

Ralph Little, 55, joined his 78-year-old mother at the rally. Little’s mother and aunt rely on Wilson Major Morris Community Center at 459 W. 152nd St. in Harlem, only three blocks from Washington Heights. “I hope and pray it doesn’t get shut down,” said Little.

Little and his mother will have to wait and see how the budget process plays out.

Viau, 45, is a former investment banker turned math teacher, who has a knack for explaining bone-dry concepts like price ceilings by turning them into something worthy of the Facebook generation’s attention.

For the last eight years Viau has been making math easy for her students to understand, and the proof is in the percentages. Last year her advanced placement statistics class had a 91 percent passing rate, compared with the national rate of 59 percent. But the disparity in numbers is consistent with the school’s reputation.

Jane Viau explains advanced microeconomics to senior students at Frederick Douglass Academy. Photo: Stephanie Marcus

The school, located at 148th Street and Seventh Avenue, is a bright spot for the New York City public school system; a predominantly African-American student population, that boasts a 90 percent 4-year graduation rate. Compared with the 60.8 percent citywide graduation rate, Frederick Douglass seems to be doing something different with its emphasis on structure and discipline, mandated uniforms, and intense focus on college preparation.

The other part of its success comes from one of its 91 teachers like Viau, who has been raising money through grant writing to get her classes the materials they need. In the past year Viau has raised nearly $25,000 to buy textbooks and fund field trips for her classes.

This year, Viau is teaching advanced microeconomics, a new course for both her and the school. The students wanted to be able to understand what was going on in the economy and get college credit at the same time. With an M.B.A. from the Leonard N. Stern School at New York University, and a 16-year career in real estate management and investment banking, Viau was a perfect candidate to teach the class.

In the spring before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the glamour of finance had faded. Viau did what very few ever do; she left Wall Street. Leaving Merrill Lynch to fundraise for AIDS research was her first attempt at a meaningful professional life. The terrorist attacks, she said, only helped her realize that she made the right decision.

But for Viau, fundraising felt more like writing a check. Eager to feel like she was doing more, she allowed fate to intervene. That meant seeing a subway ad for the NYC Teaching Fellows, which was seeking candidates for math positions.

“I thought, oh my god, I could teach math, because I love math,” she said. “So then my goal was to go and teach where they really have a dearth of good teachers.”

Jane Viau’s Microeconomics class from Stephanie Marcus on Vimeo.

She told herself that if she were going to take an even further pay cut, then she would really make it worth it. A fitting decision since the program is aimed at training teachers to place in hard-to-staff schools. Through the program she was certified to teach high school mathematics and received her Master of Education from City University of New York.

Viau’s first placement embodied the reality of what a hard-to-staff school really meant. She requested a transfer, citing safety concerns when a student threw a desk at her, and the administration asked her what she had done to provoke the student.

“I literally didn’t know what to do. Learning was not happening there. It was complete chaos. It was babysitting and it was a bad situation.”

Initially, her request was rejected, but through sheer luck and timing a position quickly opened up at her current school.

Frederick Douglass Academy’s demographics, she said, are the same as her previous school; predominantly African-American and from low-income families. “It’s not like the kids are any different than the kids at the other school. But the difference is that they know there is a ladder of command, and they know there are consequences if they don’t behave.”

Dr. Gregory Hodge is at the top of that ladder, as the school’s principal, where he’s been for the last 14 of his 33-year long career as an educator. Hodge seems to know how to make his school function. With budget cutbacks that means he’s acting as secretary; answering his own phone calls, e-mails, and letters that are piling high in his office. This saves the school $25,000 a year. This is also the first year he is teaching two senior classes where he is focusing on how to properly write college research papers.

“We are short on funds, what can I tell you?” he said. “It has been a very interesting economic year, but this is Frederick Douglass and without struggle there is no progress, so we keep stepping.”

Hodge sees no reason why his 1600 students shouldn’t have the same education as those who attend a private school. That means the school offers students the opportunities to study Japanese, Latin, music and dance. It also means hiring dedicated teachers, 76 percent of which have a Master’s degree or doctorate, and fostering their potential.

When Viau approached him last year with requests to teach advanced placement economics, he initially refused; the school didn’t have the funding. Hodge said that she was “borderline obsessive,” in trying to get the course up and running.

“She’s like a guard dog, very tenacious, very persistent, and you are not going to get past her,” he said, adding that he has faith the class will be a success.

Viau’s grant writing achievements fits very well with Hodge’s model for funding: donations. “We are basically an inner city school but we do tremendous things with getting like-minded people; hustling, borrowing, begging, pleading. But you got to believe in what you are doing,” he said.

Viau raised nearly $5,000 for textbooks for her economics class through the online charity Donors Choose. Her background in fundraising alerted her to the wealth of donors available and she isn’t shy about asking companies to pitch in. Viau said she is also quick to acknowledge them in writing; her class is constantly writing thank you notes, since a little gratitude can go a long way.

Viau, like the school, is an anomaly; she isn’t concerned with making money and she really cares about her students. Longtime friend Matt Blank, who worked with Viau for nine years at the start of her career at MetLife Inc., classified Viau as one of the hardest working people he has ever known, and said the amount of time she spends with her students shows her dedication.

While she makes maybe a tenth of her old salary, Viau still logs late hours, staying after school until 7 p.m. so students can have a quiet place to do their homework or ask for help; something that has not gone unnoticed.

Dalifet Hernandez, 17, is one of the school’s top students, but is struggling to understand economic concepts like elasticity. Hernandez said she really appreciates how available Viau makes herself to students.

“Most other teachers aren’t willing to help as much. It’s either you come right after class or before school, and some people have things they have to do before school so they don’t get the chance to get the help they need,” she said.

Come February, Viau will be spending even more time in the classroom; leading tutorials during spring break, and every Saturday to get her advanced placement students ready to ace their exams.

“Most of this extra time is voluntary,” said Jennifer Hodge, head of the school’s math department, who stressed that Viau isn’t compensated for her long hours doing whatever is necessary to help her students.

This level of commitment seems to be Viau’s trademark according to her former boss at Fitch IBCA. Janet Price worked with Viau for five years and funded several class field trips last year. Price said that Viau’s work ethic translates into her many levels of success.

“I have a lot of respect for her. If you could find a school and fill it with her as the staff, you would have a school that works,” she said.

Price isn’t the only one who thinks that. Students, like 17-year-old Thay Brown, who spends most days after school in her classroom, also recognize Viau’s dedication.

Brown said that he has adjusted to Viau’s heavy workload, and thinks her methods like the organ transplants example, seem to be working.

“She really cares about us. You can sense it. She’s not just doing it for the money. I mean she has a business degree; she can go and do whatever. Not a lot of teachers around here are like that,” Brown said.

And Brown’s sentiments towards Viau have been recognized by a number of organizations. Last June she won the 2009 NYC Teaching Fellows Award for Classroom Excellence, where she accepted the award accompanied by her students.

Viau may have left Wall Street, but like many bankers she still takes her work home. Recently she and her husband became certified foster parents so they can legally house a former student, who is a ward of the state. Over the winter break Viau will take on this new challenge by having the student, now an 18-year-old college freshman, living in her house. An extraordinary measure, but for Viau it’s just the right thing to do.

Produced by Sonia Dasgupta and Stephanie Marcus

Reported on Oct. 1, 2009

It has been three quarters of a century and still, every Wednesday night the lights turn on and amateur artists have the opportunity to perform on the same stage that Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Michael Jackson did.

The Sphinx Laureates Harlem Quartet performing during the Open House on Oct. 3, 2009. Photo by Nikolia Apostolou

The Apollo Theater has always been a source of inspiration for new artists, according to long-time neighborhood residents and performers.

“It is where stars are born and legends are made”, said Jerry Suh, a Harlem composer. “I remember a story where the great James Brown had to borrow money from a nearby record store to buy a guitar in order to perform in the theater.”

It was 75 years ago, when Frank Schiffman and Leo Brecher took over the theater with the goal of presenting black entertainment to black audiences. This year, the Apollo Theater is celebrating its diamond anniversary: a fate that seemed uncertain just 10 years ago when financial mismanagement threatened to shut it down.

The neo-classical theater was constructed in 1914 and was originally called the “Hurtig and Seamon’s New Burlesque Theatre.” People of color were not allowed in the audience for the first 20 years, even though the theater has always been considered a symbol for black music.

The theater gained prominence, in part, through the amateur nights it hosted. On one such night, the Jackson Five performed.

“I was a Jackson insider during those years,” said Antoinette Holmes, who founded the first Jackson Five Fan Club in Harlem in 1967. “Now I am finishing a book about my childhood friendship with Michael Jackson called ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star: The Michael Jackson I Knew.’”

The theater, which has been recognized as a national landmark, has always held special memories for the people who worked there.Nana-Oye Addo-Yobo was the special events manager for three years.

“Working at the Apollo Theater was a great opportunity to serve as a preservationist of U.S. history while helping to extend a treasured legacy for the next generation to benefit,” she said.

The Apollo Theater is still a landmark in the neighborhood, and on Oct. 10 and 11, it will participate in America’s largest architecture and design exhibition called Open House New York. The weekend will include a lecture on the Apollo Theater renovation, a discussion of other historic entertainment venues in Harlem and a tour of the theater

Years later, the Apollo remains a magnet for aspiring artists. Composer Suh, who just released his first album, works at a soul food restaurant as his day job. He said he still dreams of making it onto the stage where Ella Fitzgerald and Michael Jackson once stood.

“I haven’t performed at the Apollo. Not yet!” he said.

]]> http://neighborhoodbeatbox.org/2009/11/01/harlem-landmark-hosts-open-house-for-community/feed/ 0 http://neighborhoodbeatbox.org/2009/10/26/harlem-weddings-help-brides-on-a-budget/ http://neighborhoodbeatbox.org/2009/10/26/harlem-weddings-help-brides-on-a-budget/#comments Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:44:31 +0000 Stephanie Marcus http://neighborhoodbeatbox.org/?p=2019 Reported on Sept. 26, 2009

At the River Room Restaurant, overlooking the Hudson River in West Harlem, the wine is flowing, cupcakes are aplenty, and  close to 100 mothers, bridesmaids and brides-to-be, are making sure their wedding-day dreams won’t break the bank.

Tiffany Daniels signs up for some beauty tips and tricks for her upcoming wedding at the Harlem Wedding Show, Sept. 26, 2009. Photo: Stephanie Marcus

Nicky Mayers, 41, is responsible for The Harlem Wedding Show; a biannual showcase where New York brides can find everything under one roof. For the last two years Mayers, and her company Harlem Weddings have organized the event; attracting more than 20 vendors from all five boroughs and beyond. And at Saturday’s event, wedding expenses in the midst of a recession was on everyone’s minds.

“There has been a drastic change,” said Mayers. “Brides are spending the same amount of money, however they are extending their planning period so they can save the money.”

Mayers said that instead of planning a wedding in 12 months she is seeing couples postponing their engagements to 24 months.

The Knot Inc.’s survey of 18,000 couples married in 2008, released last week, found that the average national cost of a wedding was $29,334. In today’s economy Mayers said for her clients she’s seen that average cost drop to a low of $25,000.

That’s precisely the budget Therese Trapp has. The 33-year-old mother of one who works for the New York City Department of Transportation has been engaged for the past three years, and her wedding is set for July 2011.

“I’m trying to lock in the prices at this time. Plus they say it’s better to plan early, so when I get close to the time I have nothing to do,” she said.

Trapp is expecting 300 guests and is doing what she can to cut costs. ”I’m going to do my own flowers, and I may do my own centerpieces,” she said.

Mayers said more brides are getting creative to save money. ”They are creating a lot of their own invitations, a lot of their own programs to save costs.”

But planning a wedding can be a job in itself, and the role of the wedding planner has changed with the economy. Mayers said that couples are less frequently hiring planners to hold the bride’s hand throughout the entire process, and instead only hiring someone to make sure the day itself goes smoothly.

Melissa Marks,  29, a public school teacher from Harlem, has her wedding set for next September. She isn’t sure whether she’ll use a wedding planner.

“If working with a planner is cost effective then I will, but if not and I can get things done on my own then I will,” she said.

But Colette Brantley, owner of Friend To The Bride, a New Jersey-based wedding planning company, urges brides-to-be to at least hire someone to take care of the wedding day.

“People are trying to save money, the reality is that we all have to be a little more conservative,” she said. “But you need a consultant for the day of.”

Brantley, who charges between $65 and $70 an hour for day-of-planning services, or $2,600 for complete planning from start to finish, said she is all for helping couples keep some of their cash for marital life.

Bernadette Saunders agreed that couples needed to realistically spend within their means. As the owner of the Queens-based Kairos Moment Wedding and Event Planners, her services start at $2,000. She was one of the  highlight of the show offering spend-thrift advice during her workshop.

The Harlem Wedding Show from Stephanie Marcus on Vimeo.

“I don’t want anyone going home and eating peanut butter and jelly for a year,” she said. “A lot of the time we forget that you aren’t just planning for the day, you planning for the rest of your life.”