Beyoncé thumped out of the speakers. Staff and young people helped themselves to a full spread of barbecue, rice and beans and fried chicken. In the room next door, a lively pool game was underway. That’s how the Teen Expansion program at our Youth Center brought another summer of good times to a close. Teen Expansion is funded by the New York City Housing Authority to serve […]
News
Soup’s Up—and So is Fresh Produce
It was a steamy day in East Harlem, but the heat didn’t slow down our Soup’s Up staff. They were chopping up piles of perfectly diced tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers at their usual blinding speed. Each week, Soup’s Up creates a heathy plant-based dish—in this case, a summery chickpea salad—and distributes it to older adults […]
Isaacs Center Volunteer Among Good Neighbor Award Recipients
A longtime Isaacs Center volunteer and three other Upper East Siders are among the six people honored with Good Neighbor Awards this year. “This is a woman who constantly fights for her community. I want to say thank you for the constant work you do,” said Maribel Mejia, who runs one of the Isaacs Center Beacon […]
Arts Blossom at Older Adult Centers
From a quilt inspired by quantum mechanics to a triumphant musical about the power of community—older adults at the Isaacs Center and our partner, Goddard Riverside, created and enjoyed amazing art this spring. Isaacs Center members joined professional actors to perform the original show “Geezers: The Musical” in front of a packed house in the Isaacs Center dining room. The script […]
Join us for Summer Fun at the Isaacs Center Community Fair!
Our celebration of summer is back! The Community Fair will feature a giant slide, games, snow cones and other treats, and lots of opportunities to celebrate the season. “The last three years have been challenging for all of us,” said Isaacs Center President Roderick L. Jones. “This is a chance to gather as a community […]
Getting a GED—with Style
Our GED program is currently accepting new students—for more information please fill out this form! “Is that the same size? Is it slim or regular fit? Do they have other colors?” A young man in business slacks and a button-down shirt checked his look in a full-length mirror while Justin Melis, Business Developer at our Education and Workforce program, peppered him with […]
Ready to “Adult”
Getting a high school education isn’t just about reading, writing and arithmetic. It’s also about “adulting”: learning how to do things like handle your finances and cultivate professional networks. That’s what our Isaacs Center GED students and the Learning to Work students at our partner, Goddard Riverside, did at twin events one day in late […]
Nominate a Neighbor for the Good Neighbor Awards!
Goddard Riverside’s Good Neighbor Awards celebrate uncompensated community members’ outstanding efforts to help improve the community. The purpose of the Good Neighbor Award is to recognize people who voluntarily build a better community. Thank you for sending in your nominations for the 2022 Good Neighbor Awards. Congratulations to last year’s winners! Nominations for 2023 awards must be submitted by April 30, […]
Celebrating Social Workers
March is National Social Work Month—and we’re celebrating by profiling some of the amazing social workers at the Isaacs Center and our strategic partner, Goddard Riverside. Jeanne Lowe is the clinical director for our Education and Workforce Development program at the Isaacs Center. She grew up in Philadelphia and was inspired to get into social work […]
“I want kids to start thinking about their future now”
Author? Actor? Model? Beacon After School alum Aiden Taylor has done it all—and he’s still in middle school. Taylor attended our Beacon program for first- through fifth-graders at PS 198. “Me and my best friend, we were in Beacon since we were little kids,” he said during a recent interview at the Isaacs Center. “I did a lot of writing there. During homework […]