CUNY BIG APPLE JOB FAIR - FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2009

11:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. River Pavilion and Galleria Jacob Javits Center, Manhattan 11th Avenue at 35th Street Developed by CUNY , this is a fair for CUNY students and alumni. Meet over 90 employers and apply for - Full- and part-time positions - Internships - Seasonal Jobs Attend - A workshop on how to present yourself to employers in this job market - A CUNY Graduate & Professional Program Fair Research what you need to know to prepare for the fair, and what you must bring to be admitted - Go to www.cuny.edu/bigapple - and visit the site regularly as we are adding new employers daily.

Crown Heights CSA

Below is an email we received about a new Crown Heights CSA which is an interesting alternative to going to the super market for food that can be bought from local farmers. contact: CrownHeightsCSA@gmail.com OR (347)-715-5777 Hi Everyone, Sorry for the long delay -- we were waiting to hear back from Just Food so we would have more info to share with you. We are very excited to report that we officially have a farmer and will be meeting with him in a couple of weeks! We will be working with Sang Lee Farms, a certified organic farm in North Fork Long Island, www.sangleefarms.com. They are already working with the CSA in Dumbo and provide partial AND full shares. It will be 26 weeks long and a full share will be about $585 and a partial share $375 (these numbers are not yet set in stone). A partial share means that you basically get the same number of items as the full share, but just less of each. (Go to http://www.sangleefarms.com/resources/2006CSA_2.htm to get more details on what you'll get each week.) The drop off will be on Tuesday evenings. The majority of folks voted for the Ronald McNair park so we will have a drop off site either there, or at a nearby community garden on Franklin and Eastern Parkway, about a block from Ronald McNair. If we work with the community garden, we don't have to deal with the bureaucracy of the parks department, and the garden is near the entrance to the Franklin Ave. train, which is convenient. We are awaiting confirmation from the garden folks. There is also a possibility of having a 2nd drop off site at St. Marks Church (Union & Brooklyn Ave). If we can get enough people interested in that site the farmer would probably be willing to drive to both places. But the garden/Mcnair drop-off site is a definite go! We now have about 20 people who have expressed interest, so if each of you finds one person in the hood who would want to join we are good to go! That sounds feasible doesn't it? We still need to get enough people to buy up about 40 full shares (or the equivalent in partial shares), and we need to start collecting membership agreements and fees soon after we meet with the farmer (around March 10th or so). Also, if you are interested in helping us do other outreach (we were thinking of flyering, going to some of the larger apt. buildings in the area, etc.), please let us know! And please let us know if you want a partial share or a full share so we know what our numbers are looking like. We are so excited that this is really getting off the ground. Let us know if you have any other ?'s and please please please tell your neighbors about this!!! Thanks Daniella and Mary

Free Training Program In Film/TV/Video

Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI) –a nonprofit organization– and The New York City Mayor's office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting is now accepting applications for the fourteenth cycle of The "Made in NY" Production Assistant Training Program. This FREE skills training and job placement program aims to promote diversity in NYC’s production industry and create new career opportunities for young adults who are unemployed or low-income. For more information about this free program visit our website http://www.bwiny.org/pages/patraining.html The next cycle of the "Made in NY" PA Training Program is planned to begin in early April 2009! We offer: · 4 weeks of full-time hands-on skills training, taught by industry professionals · Two years of job placement assistance in entry-level commercial, music video, TV and film production jobs (e.g. 'production assistant' jobs) · Career counseling and support as you work your way up · Certification as a "Made in NY" Production Assistant through a partnership with the New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting. Learn more about the work of a Production Assistant http://www.bwiny.org/pages/programs/patraininga.html "Made in NY" PAs are now working throughout NYC's production sector, on everything from feature films to commercials to reality TV, episodic TV, music videos, film festivals, and more. Our participants come from every borough; most had never worked on set before joining the program.

Peter Young Facility

CB8 full board meeting
Thursday Feb. 12 7:00 pm at the Brooklyn Children's Museum
145 Brooklyn Ave. near St. Marks

On Monday evening CB 8's housing committee voted 9 to 1 to recommend the approval by the full board of the change of use of the Peter Young facility on Pacific St. (across from the Bed/Atlantic Armory.) The Peter Young facility is the homeless men's shelter that DHS is closing in conjunction with their plan to add an intake center to the assessment center at the Bed/Atlantic armory. The proposal the housing committee voted for is to now make the Peter Young facility a 28 day residential drug rehab. CB8 has a moratorium on new residential facilities. However, they approved this when the Peter Young group said that 90% of the people they will serve will be residents of this community. The full board will be voting on this on 2/12/09

Foreclosure Prevention

Attend a free foreclosure prevention workshop.
Learn what steps you can take to avoid losing your home.
February 25, 6-8pm
CAMBA: 884 Flatbush Avenue, 2nd FloorBrooklyn, NY.
For more information, please call 718-282-2500 or email keneshaw@camba.org

Free Tax Preparation

Free Tax Preparation Sites in Your Area Please check

http://www.citizensnyc.org/projects/cash_back.html to find free tax preparation sites in your area. Tax preparers at IRS' Free File only offer to file federal tax returns for free. State returns will cost extra for most NY residents.
CashBack will soon have a link so you can prepare your own federal and state returns for free if you meet some income guidelines.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please call Pinky Vincent at Citizens Committee for New York City at 212-822-9578.

Beautify Your Block

Mayor Bloomberg and Citizens Committee for New York City invite volunteer-led neighborhood groups to apply for a $1,000 award to transform the public spaces on their block.

Twelve groups from across the five boroughs will be selected as finalists, and each finalist will receive a $1,000 grant to beautify their block. The group that demonstrates the most impressive transformation will win an additional $3,000 to be used towards future block improvements.

Groups will also be supported by services from multiple city agencies, including the Mayor’s Office and its Community Affairs Unit, and the Departments of Transportation, Sanitation, and Parks.

Download an application online: http://www.citizensnyc.org/projects/love_your_nyc_block_contest.html
For more information, contact Arif Ullah at aullah@citizensnyc.org or call 212.822.9580.

Mrs Lincoln's Dressmaker

CHCA member: Lynda Jones has a new book out

The book was released last week and is now available on amazon.com (click to order) and at your local bookstores. Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker is a dual biography that chronicles the rise and fall of two very ambitious women--First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and her dressmaker and confidante, Elizabeth Keckley, who was born into slavery. The book is published by National Geographic and is for kids ages 9-12. Reading & Signing Events: Thursday, February 5, 7-8pm Bristen's Eatery, 751 Franklin Avenue (between St. Johns Place & Sterling Place) Saturday, February 7th @ 12pm Nairobi's Knapsack 744 Franklin Avenue Price: Free, space is limited, Please RSVP 347.295.2011

HOME MAINTENANCE & REPAIR COURSE
Winter/Spring 2009 SessionSponsored by
Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush
A not for profit organization serving the community since 1982.

Don’t rely on contractors.
Built it!Fix it!Do it yourself!
The Open House: Thursday Feb. 5th, 6:30pm
The ten-week course starts
Monday Feb. 9th & Wednesday Feb. 11th, 6pm-9pm.
For more info., please call: (718) 469-4679

Inauguration 2009

For more information call Mike: (347) 452-0044