Small groups are encouraged to get out and clean up neighborhoods in a safe way

​Borough President James Oddo and District Attorney Michael E. McMahon announced today they are continuing their partnership to encourage small, organized groups who are interested in hosting cleanups in their neighborhoods to do so.
 
“We continue to combat the war on litter and thank those Staten Islanders who have taken the extra step to clean up their neighborhoods,” said Borough President Oddo. “We are calling on constituents to help us in this fight, and are grateful to those doing their part to correct this self-inflicted problem.” 

The Borough President and District Attorney want to caution groups to hold clean ups only where it is safe to do so, exercise safety at all times, and only clean on good quality air days.
 
“I have lived on Staten Island all my life and unfortunately these are the absolute filthiest conditions as to litter and graffiti I have ever seen,” said DA McMahon. “All City agencies responsible and their leadership should be ashamed! People who litter and commit graffiti vandalism should also be ashamed, and wherever we can, will be prosecuted. Meanwhile, the citizens of Staten Island must come to the rescue. As the weather gets nicer and we begin spending more time outdoors, it’s important now more than ever that we ensure our communities are kept safe and clean. Building on the success of our anti-litter initiative, I am proud to announce my office is once again partnering with Borough President Oddo to take on this important issue. We have been greatly encouraged to see community groups have joined our call to action to help beautify our borough through regular community cleanups, and we look forward to many more clean-ups in the months ahead.”

Local groups who are interested in hosting a cleanup and need a site to clean or need support with supplies – including masks, garbage bags, and/or gloves – should email Irene Maiello at imaiello@statenislandusa.com or Lisa Thompson at Lisa.Thompson@rcda.nyc.gov. 
 
Groups are asked to organize themselves and take necessary safety precautions, including:
Keep groups to 10 people or less
Practice social distancing
Wear a mask and gloves
Stay hydrated
Do not handle illicit drug paraphernalia or potentially dangerous items, report them to 311

Those who participate are encouraged to post before and after photos on social media with the hashtag #SILitterHero to be re-posted by both office’s social media accounts.

BP, local artists to present "Musical March," music for the dark evenings of winter

Beginning February 25, Borough President James Oddo will present a virtual concert series on Thursday nights, through March 25. These concerts, performed by Staten Island artists, will give residents a musical respite during the winter, and offer an entertainment option for people who continue to look for things to do while staying home. 

"The long, dark days of winter are always a drag, but this year, more so with the challenges of COVID-19," noted Borough President Oddo. "As a music lover, I thought it would be uplifting for local musicians to have an opportunity to entertain and lighten our spirits - even if it does need to happen virtually."

Each Thursday - beginning Feb. 25 - tune into the Staten Island USA Facebook page for a virtual concert. Music will be performed mostly by solo acts from their homes or other safe spaces. Folk, rock, country and other genres will be covered during the series. All shows, which will be approximately 45 minutes, will begin at 7:00 PM. 

Here’s the schedule: 
2/25 Hughie Lynch
3/04 Mighty String Demons
3/11 Vinnie Medugno 
3/18 Karlus Trapp  
3/25 Joan Caddell & the Midnight Choir

Borough President James S. Oddo has announced that he is continuing the Patrick F. Daly Award after reviving it in 2017 in honor of the 26th anniversary of Mr. Daly’s death. Nominations are currently being accepted for the award which goes to two educators who exemplify the values of fallen principal Patrick Daly, who was gunned down in Red Hook, Brooklyn while searching for a student who had left the school building 27 years ago. 

“I’m grateful to be able to continue this award in honor of fallen principal, Mr. Patrick Daly,” said BP Oddo. “This award gives us a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to his sacrifice and legacy, while also recognizing outstanding educators who have made an impact in our community. This year, we have seen many educators go beyond the call of duty and I look forward to recognizing two of them.”

Anyone who wishes to nominate a teacher, guidance counselor, assistant principal, or principal may do so. The award will be given in Mr. Daly’s memory, honoring his legacy of service to the community, his steadfast commitment to his students, and his leadership. This time, the award will be given to educators who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic. 

"My family and I would like to thank the Borough President for continuing to honor my father's legacy, as well Staten Island's many excellent educators, with this award. We look forward to this year's ceremony and meeting the new honorees,” said Pat Daly, son of the fallen educator.

Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2020 calendar year award and will be accepted until Friday, February 12th. For full details, please visit www.statenislandusa.com/dalyawardnominations.

Borough President James Oddo will host his annual Menorah Lighting ceremony via a virtual celebration on Wednesday, December 16 at 7pm. The ceremony can be viewed on Borough Hall’s webpage, here: www.statenislandusa.com/hanukkah2020.  
 
"While the holidays are different this year, we are grateful to still offer a way for all of us to come together and celebrate the spirit of the season in a safe way. We invite all Staten Islanders to join us this year for our virtual Menorah Lighting,” stated Borough President Oddo. 
 
Following a message from the Borough President, the ceremony will feature photos from past Borough Hall Menorah lightings and musical performances from songs from the Young Israel Day school students. The event, which celebrates the Festival of Lights, is sponsored by the Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island.

​Borough President James Oddo will host his annual Christmas Tree Lighting via a virtual ceremony on Thursday, December 10th at 7pm. The ceremony can be viewed on Borough Hall’s webpage, here: www.statenislandusa.com/Christmas2020.  
 
"Obviously, the holidays are one more thing that will look very different this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While this is unfortunate, I'm happy to be able to present a virtual Christmas Tree Lighting and spread a little joy from the steps of Borough Hall,” noted Borough President Oddo.
 
Following a welcome message from Borough President Oddo, the ceremony will feature Borough Hall’s Christmas Tree as it was put up and lit as well as a glimpse of holiday lights from around the island – including those at local BIDs and Merchants Associations. Be sure to stick around for musical numbers from the St. George Theatre’s Christmas Show and a special message from Santa himself.
 
We invite all to our virtual Menorah Lighting next week – details to come shortly.

​Mannix Shop Rite Stores and Borough President James Oddo have partnered to bring Thanksgiving turkeys to needy families via local food pantries once again this year. The distribution took place on Tuesday, November 24th at 10am in the parking lot of Christian Pentecostal Church, located at 900 Richmond Road.
 
In total, Shop Rite has donated 800 turkeys to food banks on Staten Island. The 13 organizations participating were selected by Shop Rite and the Borough President and are certified as food banks.

Chapter 2 New York to accept award for community service in virtual ceremony on 
November 30th
 
Borough President James S. Oddo will award Rolling Thunder Chapter 2 New York with the 2019 Maniscalco Award via a virtual ceremony on Monday, November 30th. Those wishing to join in the virtual ceremony can do so on Borough Hall’s website here: www.statenislandusa.com/Maniscalco2020.  
 
The Albert V. Maniscalco Community Service Award was established in 1986 in honor of the ninth borough president. Maniscalco's tenure from 1955 to 1965 saw the creation of the Greenbelt and the construction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. The award celebrates the civic-mindedness and tireless energy of individuals or organizations that work to help community members in need and to make Staten Island a better place. 
 
“Lots of folks talk a good game. Sadly, too few of them actually follow up the rhetoric with action. Rolling Thunder walks the walk. Rolling Thunder advocates on behalf of Veterans every day. They are good people. We don’t want to compliment you, we want to honor you and we want Staten Island to know what you do,” said Borough President Oddo. 
 
Incorporated in 1995, Rolling Thunder, Inc. is a class 501(c)(4) non-profit organization with over 90 chartered chapters throughout the United States and members abroad. While many members of Rolling Thunder are veterans and many ride motorcycles, neither qualification is a prerequisite. Rolling Thunder members are old and young, men and women, veterans and non-veterans. All are united in the cause to bring full accountability for Prisoners Of War (POW) and Missing In Action (MIA) of all wars, reminding the government, the media and the public by their watchwords: “We Will Not Forget.”
 
Rolling Thunder, Inc.'s major function is to publicize the POW-MIA issue by educating the public of the fact that many American Prisoners Of War were left behind after all past wars. They are dedicated to helping correct the past and to protect the future Veterans from being left behind should they become Prisoners Of War/Missing In Action. The group is committed to helping American Veterans from all wars.  
 
On Monday, November 4, 2019, Borough President Oddo joined with Rolling Thunder and Congressman Max Rose to unveil a POW/MIA Chair of Honor at Staten Island Borough Hall. The chair, provided by Rolling Thunder, will remain perpetually empty to symbolize there will always be a place at its location awaiting the POW/MIA soldiers’ return.
 
“We are tremendously grateful to the Borough President to be recognized with this award. We want to thank our community because we couldn’t be successful without the community and Veterans,” said Vinny Perno, President, Rolling Thunder Chapter 2 New York.
 
Here are the past winners of the Maniscalco Award:
 
Richard E. Diamond, John L.F. Sipp, Norma D’Arrigo, Allan Weissglass, Martin Stallone, Roger E. Acker, Reverend Robert I. Gannon, Michael F. Manzulli, Michael J. Petrides, Marie G. Martino, Francis H. Powers, Susie-Hyun Sook Beidel, Brian Laline, Reverend Hattie Smith-Davis, Joseph V. Madory, Lou Caravone, Joe Valentin, Nancy Passeri, retired Borough Commander Anthony Marra, Reverend Terry Troia, Senator John J. Marchi, Wendy Pellegrino, Fred Ariemma, Joanne E. Gerenser, Ph.D., Dr. Chitoor S. Govindaraj, Kathryn Krause Rooney, the Siller Family, George and Maria Esposito, the Mannix Family, the Dr. Theodore Atlas Foundation, William A. Morris Jr., Lois and Richard Nicotra, Dee Vandenburg and Monsignor Peter G. Finn.

​As part of his office’s effort to acknowledge and thank Veterans for their service and sacrifice, Borough President James S. Oddo is pleased to announce his office will be recognizing local Veterans with a ‘Thank A Veteran’ live-streamed video on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11.
 
BP Oddo is inviting Veterans and family members of Veterans to participate in this initiative where their submissions will be recognized in a live-streamed video on Veterans Day 2020, as well as on Staten Island USA’s webpage. Those who wish to participate can send the following information to the Borough President’s office: a photo of the Veteran in uniform, their name, rank, branch of service and/or any other info relevant to awards and wars they may have served in.
 
This initiative builds on the successful ‘Thank A Veteran’ social media campaign, which called on Staten Islanders in previous years to make submissions that were posted on Borough Hall’s social media throughout the month of November to acknowledge and thank local Veterans. Any submissions provided to Borough Hall in previous years for this initiative will be included in this years’ project. Family members can check for their submissions at www.statenislandusa.com/thankaveteran.
 
“I want to encourage the community to participate to ensure the service and memories of those who served are not forgotten. I am extremely thankful to all those who have dedicated their lives in service to protecting this country,” said Borough President Oddo.
 
Entries may include both living and deceased Veterans.
 
Any information that the public wishes to share can be sent to Renee Sarno at RSarno@statenislandusa.com. Submissions will be accepted through October 23rd.