CommunityWire

Flatiron Partnership Launches Sixth Annual “23 Days of Flatiron Cheer” Season, Unveils Dynamic Holiday Installation Flatiron Reflection

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Last night, the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District kicked off the sixth annual “23 Days of Flatiron Cheer” season featuring free performances, fitness sessions, prizes, hot beverage giveaways, and much more. The centerpiece of the festivities, Flatiron Reflection, selected through the fourth-annual Flatiron Plaza Holiday Design Competition in partnership with Van Alen Institute and NYC DOT Art, also was unveiled on the North Public Plaza in the shadow of the famed Flatiron Building. “23 Days of Flatiron Cheer,” which runs from Friday, December 1st through Saturday, December 23rd, includes free, holiday-themed events showcasing the intersection of shopping, dining, and culture in the neighborhood. The launch event featured a performance by The Jazz Gallery, small bites from ilili BOX, hot chocolate from Shake Shack, and opportunities to win gifts from local businesses by spinning the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership’s Prize Wheel. “You can brighten your holidays with a visit to Flatiron this season,” said Jennifer Brown, Executive Director of the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership.

News

Flatiron Partnership and Van Alen Institute Unveil Winner of Flatiron Public Plaza Holiday Design Competition: Flatiron Reflection by Future Expansion

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 On November 20, the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District (BID) and Van Alen Institute unveiled Flatiron Reflection, winner of the fourth-annual Flatiron Plaza Holiday Design Competition in partnership with New York City DOT Art. The reveal kicked off the BID’s sixth-annual 23 Days of Flatiron Cheer season, with the installation as a highly visible centerpiece for the Partnership’s holiday programming. Flatiron Reflection was selected by a jury with expertise across the worlds of design and public art, including representatives from the Flatiron Partnership, New York City DOT Art, and Van Alen Institute’s board of trustees. The installation—situated on the Flatiron North Public Plaza at the intersection of 23rd Street, Broadway and Fifth Avenue—will be up through January 1st. Flatiron Reflection, designed by Brooklyn-based architecture-and-design firm Future Expansion, is a public-spirited space that encourages new experiences of the city, new modes of dwelling in the plaza, and new views of its context.

World AIDS Day at the Alliance for Positive Change – “Getting to Zero: Zero New HIV Infections”

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For this World AIDS Day, the Alliance for Positive Change, an organization that for 27 years has transformed the lives of New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses, is hosting several activities at its midtown office. World AIDS Day is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. Where: The Alliance for Positive Change, 64 W. 35th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, N.Y. (between 5th and 6th Aves.)
When:  Friday, December 1, 2017 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Schedule of activities:

9:30 to 10:00 a.m. AIDS in our Community: Reading of Names

10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Healthy Eating with HIV

11:00 a.m. to noon HIV/AIDS & Diabetes Presentation

11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Poets Café: Reading by Members of the Alliance’s Creative Writing Workshop

1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Community Lunch

2:00 to 3:30 p.m. HIV/AIDS Jeopardy

Throughout the day: free and confidential HIV testing

For more information, please email questions@alliance.nyc or call 212-645-0875http://alliance.nyc/events/2017/12/1/world-aids-day-2017

Federal, State, and City Officials Join Project Renewal to Break Ground on Bronx Supportive and Affordable Housing Development Featuring Rooftop Fish and Produce Garden and Living Green Façade

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Bedford Green House will house more than 160 residents and include an aquaponics greenhouse, along with other innovative features

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, and TD Bank today joined Project Renewal at a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on Bedford Green House in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx. The $58.8 million, 118-unit development will provide supportive and affordable housing for more than 160 residents, including families, singles, and seniors. The project will feature a number of unique and innovative elements including a rooftop aquaponics greenhouse, a living green façade, a community playground, and custom artwork from the Bronx community. Located at 2865 Creston Avenue, the 13-story, block-and-plank building will meet or exceed LEED Gold standards for energy efficiency and environmentally friendly design. We are thrilled to break ground on Bedford Green House, a development that will provide high-quality affordable and supportive housing for hundreds of individuals and families.

CommunityWire

New York City Mission Society Serves 300 at 14th Annual Thanksgiving Harvest Community Dinner

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-Board Members Jean Shafiroff and Jay Moorhead underwrite the event-

(New York, N.Y.) – Striving to help its program participants and community members start the holiday season with a hot meal, the New York City Mission Society provided more than 300 meals at its 14th Annual Thanksgiving Harvest Community Dinner at Minisink Townhouse on Thursday, November 16. New York City Mission Society alumni and staff, Board Members, community members, and volunteers served the meals, while students in the nonprofit’s afterschool free music education program, GRIOT, performed onstage in the auditorium. This event has been underwritten by Board Members Jean Shafiroff and Jay Moorhead. Sponsors and volunteer groups included Chase, Nike, Kohl’s and Whole Foods. “The families we serve face numerous challenges each day, and the holidays can be especially tough,” said New York City Mission Society President Elsie McCabe Thompson.

CommunityWire

The Workmen’s Circle to Honor American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten at Annual Winter Benefit on November 30

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The Workmen’s Circle will honor its historic partnership with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and its President, Randi Weingarten, at its Annual Winter Benefit on Thursday, November 30. “The American Federation of Teachers and the Workmen’s Circle have been partners and allies for many decades. Under Randi Weingarten’s leadership, the AFT has stood alongside us on many issues of social and economic justice—most recently, supporting immigrant rights, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and condemning acts of violence and bias in Charlottesville,” said Ann Toback, Executive Director of the Workmen’s Circle. “The Workmen’s Circle’s mission is to build a shenere un besere velt far ale – a better and more beautiful world for all. We echo the ideals that the AFT espouses— our collective strength.

Women’s City Club of New York Urges New Yorkers to Vote NO on Constitutional Convention on November 7

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The Women’s City Club of New York (WCC) opposes the holding of a New York State Constitutional Convention, a measure that will be put to voters in the New York State General Election on November 7, 2017. Every two decades, New Yorkers have the chance to decide whether to hold a Constitutional Convention to consider amendments to the State’s Constitution. If voters approve the measure this November, then a process is launched to appoint delegates across the state who then convene to adopt amendments, which are then put to voters in 2019. “A New York State Constitutional Convention poses an overwhelming threat to current protections and other provisions in the State, as every provision in the Constitution is available for change,” a Board resolution stated. “Well-funded special-interest groups in New York and nationally are poised to use the Constitutional Convention process to roll back provisions the WCC has long supported.

art

Flatiron Partnership and Van Alen Institute Unveil Winner of Flatiron Public Plaza Holiday Design Competition: Flatiron Reflection by Future Expansion

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On Thursday, October 26, the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership Business Improvement District (BID) and Van Alen Institute unveiled the winner of the fourth annual Flatiron Public Plaza Holiday Design Competition—Flatiron Reflection by Future Expansion—a temporary installation in the heart of the Flatiron District. Flatiron Reflection will be the centerpiece of the Partnership’s sixth annual holiday program and a highly visible landmark in this thriving New York City neighborhood. Flatiron Reflection is a publicly spirited space that encourages new experiences of the city, new modes of dwelling in the plaza, and new views of its context. A bundle of shimmering tubes creates a fragmented column at the scale of the public plaza. The fluted perimeter offers niches that can be occupied, while a panoramic central space opens out like a stage into the plaza.

Asphalt Green Installs New Eco-Friendly Filters in Olympic-Size Pool, With Support From City Council Member Ben Kallos

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(New York, N.Y.) – New York City sports and fitness nonprofit Asphalt Green reopened its Upper East Side Olympic-size swimming pool earlier this month, after a three-week shutdown to install new pool filters for the first time since it opened in 1993. The eco-friendly, energy-efficient Neptune Benson Defender filters require less maintenance, and keep the water cleaner, filtering 2.6 million gallons per day. New York City Council Member Ben Kallos led the effort to secure City funding for the project, which cost $698,000. “Council Member Kallos continues to be a valued supporter of Asphalt Green’s mission to help New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds live active, healthy lifestyles through sports and fitness,” said Maggy Siegel, Executive Director of Asphalt Green. “We are tremendously grateful for the Council’s funding for our new eco-friendly pool filters, which will make our water cleaner for the thousands of children and adults who use our pool each month.”

“Asphalt Green is one of my favorite places on the Upper East Side to exercise, and now it has likely the cleanest pool in all of New York City thanks to the new, state-of-the-art filters and renovation,” said Council Member Ben Kallos, who provided $100,000 and advocated for an additional $513,000 from Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito in discretionary funding for the improvements.