The following blog post was written by Allison Cohen, Director of Communications and External Affairs. 

When I first started working at Borough Hall, I was told that one of my responsibilities was to help run the Sunset Summer Concert Series. In addition to helping with pre-show planning, I’d have to attend them as well, which meant giving up nearly all of my summer Thursday nights.

Even though I love live music, I was not super excited about this prospect. I had visions of the local shows I had gone to in high school, where the bands were, at best, really loud. (Apologies to my friends who played in those bands.) 

“Musicians who will play for free?” I scoffed. “How good could they be?”

I’m happy to admit that I was 100% wrong. From the very first concert I attended, I realized that these bands and singers were actually good—in some cases even terrific. 

I stopped dreading Thursdays nights and started looking forward to them. Every Thursday after we’ve set up the show, I unfurl my picnic blanket, lie down in the grass, and relax to some great tunes. It’s the perfect outlet for me to unwind from the stresses of work and life in general.

The music itself ranges from classic rock to jazz to big band to punk. And of course, we have our special doo wop show featuring Vito Picone and the Elegants, so there’s truly something for every music lover.

I’ve become a big fan of some of our recurring acts and have gone out of my way to see several of them perform at other venues. I recently paid a lot of money to see Charlie Romo and the Barry Levitt Trio perform at Lorenzo’s (you can catch them for free on June 29th at Fort Wadsworth). Whenever Cause and the Effects plays a local bar, you can usually find me dancing right up front (they are closing our series at Wolfe’s Pond Park on August 24th).

We are lucky to have so much talent on Staten Island—and even luckier that these artists are willing to donate their talents to entertain us. So this summer, grab a blanket or chair, join us at the park, and enjoy great music performed by some of your talented neighbors. And if you’re really nice and friendly, I might even consider letting you share my blanket! 

Check out the full schedule here: statenislandusa.com/sunset 

The following blog post was written by Allison Cohen, Deputy Director of Communications.
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We’ve had a couple events with high school seniors in the past few weeks, and at every single one, the students have expressed their anxiety about the entire college process. This has led me to relive my own traumatic memories of getting into college. 

Ten years ago, I was a bright-eyed high school senior with my mind set on one thing—Columbia University. I had fallen in love with the school early on in my high school career and done several summer programs on the campus. Columbia was my dream, and everything I did was in pursuit of getting there.

I applied early decision, but was deferred, which means that my application got thrown in with everyone who had applied regular decision, making it even more difficult to get in. Every day, my parents and I would stalk the mailman, hoping that he would deliver a thick envelope telling me that my spot had been secured. Envelope after envelope came from the other schools I applied to—some containing glowing acceptance letters offering me scholarships and others brutally rejecting me. I brushed them off and waited patiently for the most important envelope.

Columbia was the last school I heard back from. Ironically, after all the time I had spent chasing the mailman, my final notification came in an email. It was short and to the point—they didn’t want me.

Up until this point in my life, I felt like I had done everything right and been properly rewarded for it. I was the textbook definition of an overachiever: a straight-A student who always did her homework and raised her hand in class. I had never failed a test. In my spare time, I edited the school newspaper, did volunteer work, managed a volleyball team and took drama classes. I never partied, and my parents didn't impose a curfew because they knew I didn't need one. Teachers loved me, and with the exception of several classmates who found me unbearably nerdy, I was pretty popular.
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So why had this happened to me? I started to beat myself up over what I could have done differently. Should I have taken a few more AP classes? Learned a fourth language? Built houses for Habitat for Humanity?

Eventually, I came to accept my fate and learn from it. It taught me that you can do everything right and still fail. The best way to deal with this kind of situation is to take your failure and use it to your advantage. Schoolwork had always come easily to me, and it hadn’t been that difficult for me to be the top of my class. Now I realized that there was fierce competition out there, and I was going to have to up my game in order to compete. And as a bonus, I found that once you’ve felt the pain of losing something you really wanted, your next success becomes even sweeter.

Failure taught me to be flexible and have a backup plan. Life does not always go according to your plan, and this is a good lesson to learn early. Sometimes you get thrown a curveball, but the best thing you can do is what I did: pick yourself up, dust yourself off and figure out the alternate route to where you want to end up. 

So to any senior out there who didn't get into your first choice school, don't worry. You may end up at your second or third or even fourth choice, but ultimately, it doesn’t matter. It’s not where you go, but what you do when you get there that will define you. You will have so many opportunities to prove yourself once you get to college that soon you will stop being upset about the past and start figuring out your future. As a kid, you often get so bogged down with getting into college that you forget that it’s just a stepping stone to the rest of your life. Trust me—college is not the end goal, it’s just the beginning.

I ended up at my third choice school (Vassar), which led me down the path to where I am now—in a really good place personally and professionally. There were more bumps and failures along the way, but they only make my current situation seem that much better. And I know that despite not getting into Columbia, 17-year-old me would be damn proud of where 27-year-old me ended up.

The following blog post was written by Allison Cohen, Deputy Director of Communications.
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Many Staten Islanders may not know that we have our own piece of the Underground Railroad right here on the South Shore. Sandy Ground, which is located in Woodrow, is the oldest continuously inhabited free black settlement in the United States. Founded in the early 1800s, the community arose from a settlement of free Blacks from New York, Maryland and Delaware. By harvesting oysters and farming, this fledgling community was able to thrive and became a safe haven on the Underground Railroad. 

Today, Sandy Ground is home to 10 families that are descendants of the property’s original settlers. The Sandy Ground Historical Society Library Museum is the largest collection of African-American culture and history on the Island. Members of the historical society preserve material related to the historic town, as well as letters, photographs, film, art, rare books and other archaeological artifacts. The museum educates the public about black history through lecture series, school programs and festivals. 

The idea for the museum’s most recent exhibit actually originated at Borough Hall! In 2015, we hosted a traveling exhibit of quilts made by descendants of the original Sandy Ground settlers that depicted their history. Each quilt tells a unique story of a local family and is rooted in the African-American tradition of quilt-making. Due to space constraints, we could only display four quilts at Borough Hall. After receiving an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the exhibit, the Sandy Ground Historical Society decided to continue the idea and put many more quilts on display in their museum. 

For more information on the museum, visit sandygroundmuseum.org or call (718) 317-5796

The following blog post was written by Allison Cohen, Deputy Director of Communications.

People often ask me, “What do you guys do over there at Borough Hall?”

My answer is usually, “How much time do you have?”

I say that as a joke, but the truth is that we work on a breadth of issues, ranging from small quality-of-life problems to larger borough-wide issues. For example, over the past year some of the big topics we’ve worked on include transportation, education, health, substance abuse and economic development.  We also have an entire department devoted to dealing with constituent issues like potholes and litter.

Every day, it feels like we’re tackling a new and important issue, and with people’s increasingly busy schedules, following our office’s progress on different issues might get lost in the shuffle. You can keep up with us all year round through our very active Twitter and Facebook pages, but even the most social media-savvy people are likely to miss a few things. That’s why we’ve put together Direct Connect Sunday, an annual open house to showcase all the projects we’re working on at Borough Hall. Direct Connect is a great way for you to meet the Borough President, talk to our staff and learn about everything our office is doing to improve life on Staten Island.

This year, we’ve decided to take Direct Connect Sunday on the road to Mt. Loretto. We hope you’ll join us on January 29th from 1:00PM - 4:00PM at the CYO Center at Mt. Loretto, 6451 Hylan Boulevard.

Here are a few of the many things you can look forward to at the event:

1. You will get a chance to learn about all the things we’re working on at Borough Hall. We’ll have displays on all the issues that we’re tackling, big and small, as well as the BP’s plans for the future.
2. Since we’re hosting the event in a larger space, we were able to invite more community organizations and agencies this year. Visitors will be able to meet with over 30 government agencies, nonprofit groups and local attractions to learn about what they are doing on the Island. Sports lovers can visit the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame, located inside the CYO Center, which will also be open during the event.
3. We’re here to take your questions! Our staff will be on hand to discuss specific issues that you need help solving as well as any borough-wide issues you are concerned about.
4. Staten Island University Hospital will sponsor a free naloxone training session at 2pm. Naloxone kits will be distributed to all who participate.
5. There will be other interactive presentations and trainings, including a demonstration of our app, BP Assist, which you can use to submit quality-of-life complaints directly to us.
6. If you’re looking for a quick bite during the event, refreshments will be sold by John’s Catering and Cheech-a-Cini’s food trucks in the parking lot outside the CYO Center.

Need a ride from the North Shore or Mid-Island? We’ll give you a lift! 

The shuttle schedule is as follows:

Leaving Borough Hall – 12:00PM                        Arrive Mount Loretto – 1:00PM
Leave Mount Loretto – 4:00PM                           Arrive Borough Hall – 5:00PM

Leaving Historic Richmondtown – 12:30PM        Arrive Mount Loretto – 1:00PM
Leave Mount Loretto – 4:00PM                           Arrive Historic Richmondtown – 4:30PM

Pick-ups at Richmond Valley Train Station – Intermittently
Drop Off at Train Station – 4:00PM

Please call to reserve your place. Additional shuttle runs will be added as needed, 
courtesy of NY Wheel/Empire Outlets and Historic Richmond Town. 
To reserve a seat, call Diane Marciuliano at 718-816-2246.

We hope to see you there!
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The following blog post was written by Allison Cohen, Deputy Director of Communications for our office.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and unfortunately this is an issue that many families continue to deal with. One in three women and one in four men are survivors of domestic violence. Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior that occurs between family members and/or intimate partners to gain power and control. Many people think domestic violence is only physical abuse, but it can take the form of psychological, sexual or economic abuse as well. 

Recently, the numbers of reported domestic violence incidents have been on the rise in our borough. While more and more people are reporting these issues, others are still afraid to seek help due to a myriad of circumstances. There is no shame in being in this situation, and help is always available if you need it.

A healthy relationship is one where both partners treat each other equally, respectfully and supportively. It is important to be aware of indicators that your relationship is becoming unhealthy and abusive. Some common signs of this type of relationship are when your intimate partner:

• Accuses you of cheating and being disloyal
• Makes you feel worthless
• Hurts you by hitting, choking or kicking you
• Intimidates and threatens to hurt you or someone you love
• Threatens to hurt themselves if they don’t get what they want
• Tries to control what you do and who you see
• Isolates you from your family and friends
• Pressures or forces you into unwanted sex
• Controls your access to money
• Stalks you, including calling you constantly or following you

If you are in an abusive relationship or suspect that someone you know is in one, you should know that you are not alone and that there are resources on Staten Island to help you. 

One of these resources is the Staten Island Family Justice Center, located at 126 Stuyvesant Place, which opened earlier this year. The Family Justice Center provides free criminal justice, civil legal and social services all in one central location. Victims can meet with a prosecutor, speak with a trained counselor and apply for housing and financial assistance in one place. Children age three and up can play in a children’s room while their parents receive services. 

The center is open Monday to Friday from 9am-5pm. No appointment is necessary; if you prefer to call, the center can be reached at 718-697-4300.

In addition, anyone can call the Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7 at 1-800-621-HOPE. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For more information about services available to domestic violence victims, visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/ocdv/html/home/home.shtml