I hope this email finds you well, in good health and in good spirit. It’s been such an eye opening and anxious few months for many. For others it may be still and peaceful. And still for some, we are living in the duality and irony of stillness and major transitions, in light of the global pandemic COVID19. One of the hardest parts of this pandemic for me has been not being able to physically spend time and casually check in on friends, loved ones, and my community. Though many physical connections and events have been cancelled and postponed, I am witnessing people be creative, encouraging and inspiring about how we come together and the significance of our ties. I am witnessing people and organizations not miss a beat in their expressions and their important work they do for others. I would just like to say I’m grateful for bearing witness to such a fluid and intentional community. 

Art for Carver!

We are planning to add some life to our beloved Carver Community Center this Spring by painting over the façade of the building, landscaping the front, and cleaning up the park! We’ve received a donation from the Seymour Fox Foundation in the amount of $3000.00 to go towards the project! We are now looking to secure another $2000 to complete the project! Rae Frasier, Schenectady native, Schenectady City School District Engagement Specialist and Girl’s Assistant Varsity Coach, artist, and community activist will be creating the art! Please help us reach our fundraising goal and beautify our sacred space! You can donate here. If you cannot donate, please consider sharing with others who you think might be able to. 

New Board Members

We would like to welcome one of our newest board members Raysheea Turner. Raysheea Turner is a Senior Assistant Public Defender for Schenectady and a mother of a beautiful baby boy. Raysheea and her family a passion for service to the Schenectady community! She is one of our newest additions to the Miracle Crew! We are so delighted to have her serve on our board. Please help us welcome them to our team!

Pave The Way Sponsors : Helping us Reclaim our Safe Space!

We launched our Pave the Way Campaign last summer! As you may know our Pave The Way Campaign supports our capital project to renovate the Carver Community Center. Each sponsor receives a brick with their name or business name that will be paved in a path leading to the center. We’re extremely thankful for these folks’ generosity and support of our mission. We would like to give a special Thank You to our current Pave The Way Sponsors: 

• Angela & Elroy Tatem
  
• Bernice Rivera
  
• Betsy Henry
  
• Soul Fire Farm
  
• Umansky Law Firm
  
• Kat Wolfram
  
• Hometown Health Centers
  
• Quality Property Solutions LLC
  
• Audrey A. & Mohamad W. Gadwah
  
• The Hampton Foundation 
  
• The Excelsior Fellowships Class of 2016
  
• Create Studios : Heather Hutchinson
  
• Absolute Tile Company
  
• Eleanor & Dean Pepper
  
• City Mission of Schenectady 
  
• Mary Jane & Richard Shave
  
• Seat Center
  
• Amvets Post #35
  
• Depaul Housing (Joe Allen Apartments)
  
• Sheila Rivera
  

If you are interested in becoming a Pave The Way Sponsor Please Visit our online donor site HERE!

Clearing out Space 

Our partners Bluelight Development Group Inc. have been hard at work clearing out the site and preparing it for renovations. They have been able to continue routine maintenance on the site during this pandemic. We get to experience small victories and reclamations through their cleaning and maintenance endeavors. We are grateful for their involvement and expertise they bring to this project and the work they do in this community. Due to the COVID19 Pandemic our project has extended our invitation to bid to May 31st. If you or someone you know would like to conduct a walkthrough of the space in order to submit a bid, please contact Travon Jackson at tjackson@bluelightdevelopment.org.

Online Offerings – Doula Services and more!

As we transition to become responsive and accessible to the COVID19 Pandemic we anticipate offering more of our resources online. Currently I am offering private sessions for yoga and doula services via video conferencing. If you or someone you know would like to access these offerings or schedule a new session please visit my site HERE. 

We are working on moving our grant writing seminar to be offered completely online as we were just gaining some really great momentum and opening up a platform for community engaged folks to connect. We promise to keep you in the loop as further advancements are made with our offerings. 

Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any further questions or inquiries on our capital project or community offerings. We wish you security, safety, and wellness. Until next month!

In Gratitude, 

Rosa Rivera