Felix Y. Manalo Foundation, Inc. honors 10 local organizations in New York

NEW YORK — Less than two weeks since a deadly shooting in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation, Inc. and the local community came together for an Aid to Humanity event on August 11 to celebrate Brownsville’s resiliency in the face of hardship, to serve the residents with basic needs, and to honor ten local organizations who are making strides in their respective fields.

Each organization honored at the event each received a $10,000 donation from the FYM Foundation. Included among them are: Elite Learners, Brownsville Think Tank Matters, Victory Music and Dance, NIA Theatrical Production Company, Pitkin Avenue Business Improvement District, Isabahlia Ladies of Excellence Foundation, Little Bro NY, Men Elevating Leadership and the 73rd Precinct Council.

Shutting down Hegeman St. from Powell St. to Christopher Ave., the street adjacent to the Brownsville Recreation Center was turned into an open-air 600-seater gathering place. Over 850 residents registered for the event (on-site attendance is estimated to have been over 2,000 persons) and were welcomed to goodwill bags containing basic hygiene items and canned goods. Their faces lit up with a hope that had been rare in Brownsville recently.

Barry Cooper of Little Bro NY, an organization dedicated to mentoring boys and young men of color in the Brooklyn area, expressed his thanks to “the great people of FYM Foundation for seeing my hard work and dedication, what a blessed day!” Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel acknowledged that it has been such a short time since the mass shooting, but that there are still “beautiful human beings” in her district.

Among the notable guests were Brooklyn’s 41st District Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, 19th Senatorial District’s Community Liaison Jennifer Viechweg-Horsford, Representative of New York City Mayor’s Office Jamila Fynes, and the Philippine Consulate’s Consul General Claro Cristobal.

On the path to recovery, Brownsville has found comfort in the overwhelming support of the FYM Foundation, a socio-civic platform of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) - which has a congregation in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn. The Aid to Humanity event series recently toured Canada, serving thousands and assisting 36 local organizations. Other current projects include eco-farming in Africa and the distribution of basic supplies to residents of favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Volunteers of the foundation have also offered relief aid in the aftermath of natural calamities, such as hurricanes and earthquakes in the Philippines and other disaster stricken areas.

This is the first location of a series of eight across the United States during the month of August for the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation. The next event will be in Seattle, Washington on August 14th.

As a result of this event in Brownsville, the FYM Foundation and the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) look forward to working together with Brownsville in future socio-civic endeavors.

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For more about the Church and its activities, please visit www.iglesianicristo.net.

Contact

Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) Public Information Office

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(650) 550-0629