 | PLEASE NOTE THAT BOOKS ARE NO LONGER BEING ACCEPTED FOR THIS PROGRAM. Our office is working with AMVETS Post 917 and 103 to collect and distribute books to wounded military personnel and Veterans at VA hospitals throughout the tri-state area and as far away as Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C. We are accepting donations of gently used books for this cause. Donations can be made during business hours at the following locations: Borough Hall 10 Richmond Terrace, Room 100 Council Member Matteo's District Office 900 South Avenue, Suite 403 Council Member Borelli's District Office 2955 Veterans Road West, Suite 2E Special thanks to local authors Eddie Joyce and Dolores Morris for their donations of their books. |
 Our office is launching the "Borough Hall Insider" blog as an opportunity for us to get a little more in depth on the issues on the minds of the BP and his staff. The first post is about the importance of mentors and the work done by the Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York.
Make sure to check back regularly to learn more about the issues we're working on at Borough Hall!  On Saturday, April 9th, Borough President Oddo joined The ROLE Call to host the NYC Fatherhood and Family Enrichment Conference at Port Richmond High School. BP Oddo opened up the event by talking about the positive impact his father had on his own life and the importance of a strong male influence in a child's development.
"There are a lot of challenges we face daily. The best ally you have in that fight is a good family structure,” noted BP Oddo. "These are the foundational blocks that our young folks need to build on. We need to be able to empower men and women be good parents." "Statistically, children, families and communities do better with the presence and involvement of strong fathers and strong men. Our communities can't improve until we get our men back into the community,” said Andre Harrison of The ROLE Call. The free conference featured seminars and workshops from experts in family and fatherhood services. Some of the topics covered in the workshops included financial planning, co-parenting and child support. Lunch was provided by the Commons Café, donated by The Nicotra Foundation and the Borough President’s Office.  On Wednesday, April 6th, Borough President James S. Oddo hosted “A Conversation with the Class of 2016” at P.S. 48. At the event, student reporters from Island high schools asked BP Oddo about quality-of-life issues affecting Staten Island, which opened up a back-and-forth dialogue between BP Oddo and the students.
Topics that students were interested in ranged from development on the North Shore to improving public transportation and traffic on the Island. Many asked about issues that were personal to them, such as combatting substance abuse and helping their fellow students who suffer from dyslexia. BP Oddo also asked the students for their impressions on Staten Island. Their responses were overwhelmingly positive, with several students noting the support community members gave each other after Hurricane Sandy. “What we need is informed Staten Islanders,” BP Oddo told the students. “This borough is dying for leadership, and if we’re going to have a vibrant community, we need to keep a lot of your talent in this borough.” In addition to the student reporters, several high school seniors who participated in the “Night of Mentors” attended the event. The “Conversation” concept was born last year and it has become an annual event. |
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Please contact the Department of Communications. Colleen Siuzdak Manager, Communications & External Affairs 718-816-2057 csiuzdak@statenislandusa.com |
