For Lujira Cooper—author, retiree, and graduate student—Capitol Hall is both a refuge and a launchpad. Cooper moved to our 87th Street supportive housing residence in 2015, after spending nearly a year homeless. Now, instead of spending her days trying to keep a roof over her head, she can pursue her dreams. “I’m hardly ever here,” […]
Blog & News
Homeless Outreach Intensifies as Temperatures Drop
The sky is still black at 5:45 AM when homeless outreach specialists Eugene Lewis and Maribeth Gayle climb into a small SUV parked around the corner from their Chinatown office. With the temperature hovering below freezing, they’re bundled up in hats, boots and heavy jackets. The city has declared a Code Blue, meaning people staying […]
Options Shines on the National Stage
It’s been a big year for the Options Center, which has been recognized as a national leader in breaking down barriers to collegeÑand the year ahead is set to be even bigger. This fall, Options was honored as the 2018 College Access Organization of Excellence by the National College Access Network. In its announcement, NCAN […]
Gala and Book Fair Celebrate Power of Community
Goddard Riverside’s two major fall events, the Annual Gala and the Book Fair, once again brought supporters, participants and staff together to celebrate the year behind and power the year ahead. “Our work is far greater than merely dispensing charity,” said Executive Director Roderick L. Jones at the Annual Gala, attended by more than 300 […]
Meet Our Gala Honoree, Phil Ollila
Phil Ollila has a knack for listening. When he visited Goddard Riverside, our 2018 gala honoree gave each person he spoke with his full attention, from our executive director to the kitchen staff. Ollila spent so long chatting with Senior Center members over lunch that we had to rush him off to the next visit. […]
The Book Fair is Back with Bucket List Books
Our beloved Book Fair moves to new location this year at the Bernie Wohl Center, 647 Columbus Ave (at 91st). The Bernie Wohl Center is the home of our Community Arts program, so it’s a natural place to hold the Fair — as well as a great place to highlight the amazing plays, music and discussions staged […]
Susan Burton Offers a Harsh Critique of Mass Incarceration from the Inside Out
America’s prisons are overflowing, and the mass incarceration machine benefits neither prisoners nor society as a whole, argued Susan Burton in a recent appearance at the Bernie Wohl Center. The nearly half-million Americans imprisoned on drug charges “aren’t broken,” the author and activist said; instead they’re using the few tools at their disposal to cope […]
Nurturing a Love of Books
On a Friday afternoon at our 91st Street Early Childhood Education center, the children in Zalma Arzu’s classroom celebrated with hand-lettered paper crowns that proclaimed “One Week Smarter.” When Arzu told them they could have free reading time, they took books enthusiastically from the shelf in the corner and settled down on the nearby rug and […]
Rooted in Community, Beacon Offers Programs for All
“Here we go!” said Amber Batchelor of Ladies Who Hoop, climbing a stepladder at at Sol Bloom Park on a hot sunny morning. With a big smile, she tore the protective plastic from the first of two new backboards at the 91st Street park. Minutes later, youth from Goddard Riverside’s Beacon Program were playing basketball […]
Summer Fun – and Learning, Too
SPLASH! A counselor pours a tub of water over children’s heads as they huddle together screaming and laughing. SPLAT! A water balloon bursts against the wall. SWOOSH! Children line up to dive head-first down slip-and-slides while hoses spray over them. On a sunny July day, campers at our Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center were beating the […]