The Sunset Park BID continues to work together with other organizations to enhance the quality of life for the Sunset Park community. We support the efforts of other organizations in different and varied ways. Sometimes it is through letters of support, like for Center for Family Life, Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation, Brooklyn Business Development Center at NYC Technical College, and Lutheran Medical Center. Other times, we put ads in dinner journals, (ie: for Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, Young Dancers in Repertory, Lutheran Medical Center, Center for Family Life, Sunset Park Lion’s Club, Engine 201 Memorial Fund and Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Center. Each year we support the Sunset Park Lion’s Club Education Awards night. This year we also worked with the Center for Family Life Shadowing program and Summer Youth Employment Program to identify businesses which may be willing to take part. On occasion, we allow other organizations to use our office for their meetings, such as SPEAC, who is looking to create a community-based, new, and much-needed, 6-8 or 6-12 school in our community.
The BID is currently working with the Visiting Nurse Services of NY and community-based organizations to enlist businesses in their Time Bank program. When the program started here, four of our businesses signed on. Now even more businesses are taking part. The Time Bank program is one in which volunteer hours are recorded and then for each hour donated, a volunteer can request a service from another volunteer. The businesses who are part of the program have agreed to give a discount to anyone showing a membership card from the Visiting Nurse Services. These businesses have been added to their website listings allowing them to be highlighted to shoppers from other communities who are part of this project.
This year saw Amalgamated Bank open on 5th Avenue at 45th Street. In order to bring more support and services to our community, New York State allowed the bank to create a Banking Development District. This meant that the State and City governments each deposited money in accounts at lower interest. There was a special ribbon cutting and check depositing ceremony in September because the deposits in the Sunset Park Branch helped the city reach the $2 million milestone of donations in districts similar to ours. Amalgamated Bank is working closely with the community, offering special rates for accounts and loans and supporting events. The Bank immediately took part in our Street Festival and donated $1,000 towards it. The Sunset Park BID has moved most of its finances to Amalgamated Bank.
For several years the Sunset Park BID has lent its space to the Brooklyn District Attorney so that our community can have access to free help from his office without having to travel to downtown Brooklyn. His representatives in our office continue to meet with local residents on Fridays each week. The phone number for this neighborhood office is (718) 439-7902
The Sunset Park BID often speaks to groups who are interested in our services, our goals and our role in Sunset Park. Every year, we meet with the latest class of Brooklyn Law students who will eventually be assigned to our community through the Red Hook community court. Discussions of the problems the BID faces with vandals and graffiti give them a better insight into the needs of the business community.