Happy New Year from the Elmezzi Foundation! This past December, Elmezzi Foundation’s President & Chair, Jose Rivero donned a Santa suit, and even grew out his beard to fill the role of the red-suited philanthropist! Jose, along with the Zone 126 team, Urban Upbound and the Astoria Tenants Association, helped spread good will and smiles to… Read more
We are excited to announce that Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Hour Children (and one of our grantees) became the winner of the faith-based humanitarian Opus Prize this fall. We are proud of the phenomenal work Sister Tesa has done since founding Hour Children over twenty years ago. Hour Children continues to provide strong… Read more
Originally posted in USA Today. Written by Greg Toppo. “Many young people still see the USA’s intractable problems as rooted in race. In a May 2012 report, Race Forward: the Center for Racial Justice Innovation found that “a large majority” of young people in the Los Angeles area believed race and racism still mattered significantly —… Read more
Original article appeared on Citylimits.org. Written by Kenneth Thorbourne. “The furthest along in implementing their Promise Neighborhoods are CAMBA in Flatbush, Elmezzi/Zone 126 in Astoria and Long Island City, and Lutheran Family Health Centers in Sunset Park. The Cypress Hills Development Corporation in Brooklyn hasn’t yet implemented any Promise Neighborhoods programs, while Abyssinian Development Corporation officials report… Read more
Originally posted in New York Nonprofit Press “Zone 126 has announced the continued support of the Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Foundation with a new five year $3M pledge. This support is aimed to provide interim backing of Zone 126 infrastructure needs while the organization advances fundraising outcomes from other sources. The Elmezzi Foundation has invested over… Read more
Queens Community House’s Beacon Director, Patrick Pinchinat details “New York City’s cyclical fights over funding for afterschool programs in the last few years” in this piece for Youth Today. Despite the challenges, he finds some silver linings in the “budget dance”, adding that his own advocacy and afterschool experience have been beneficial in the quest to save afterschool programs…. Read more
Article originally appeared in the New York Daily News on July 8, 2014. Written by Lisa L. Colangelo. “Two Queens Library branches in Woodhaven and Astoria will soon start offering free pre-K programs, which officials believe will be the first of its kind in the country. “The library has a history of providing lifelong learning,” said… Read more
In this New York Times piece, Sister Tesa Fitzgerald of Hour Children is profiled for her exemplary work with incarcerated mothers and their children in Queens. She called her organization Hour Children, for the critical hour of the mother’s arrest, the hour allowed for visits, the hour of her release. When some neighbors tried to… Read more