May 2012
Hello from the Fourth Floor
Dear Stein Senior Center Members:
Aside from riding the elevator a lot, I miss seeing our members each day at Stein. Please don't think I'm up here eating bon-bons! It's been a busy time here meeting with our funders, our politicians and various others. I have to thank our elected representatives for the wonderful support they have given us for the past year and going forward. We were in a scary situation with the Dept. for the Aging threatening to take our funding for renovation away by April 1st. Due to no fault of our own, we got caught in a "catch 22" situation. We are required by our new landlord to use union labor for our renovation but the Dept. for the Aging is required to choose the lowest bidder who was not union. The Dept. for the Aging allocated scarce funds for our project and when it was not moving forward, they were going to re-allocate it elsewhere. Politicians such as Carolyn Maloney, Tom Duane, Rosie Mendez, Dan Garodnick, Brian Kavanagh and even Christine Quinn stepped in to save those funds for us. We are now putting out the bid to union contractors to do our renovation. Work should start in June and be finished by the end of the summer.
Costs will be higher and we will need to do some quick fundraising to help us (your donations are very much welcomed and needed). This has been a difficult year for Stein since our expenses have been extraordinary due to months of double rent, the move, etc. As a center known for its excellent activities, I know it has been hard having to put some on hold and now, at the leanest time of our fiscal year, to put more activities on hold is even harder. I apologize for these temporary changes.
I want to thank our members, Herta Weiss and Erika Zahler, for their invaluable participation in an intergenerational program with the children of The East End Temple. Both Herta and Erika shared their experiences in the Holocaust with the youngsters and answered questions posed to them. It was an afternoon no one will soon forget.
We are asking our ballroom dancing couple, Jerry and Celia, to return in May and June to resume lessons and will hopefully have our haircuts return with Jenny. Thanks for your loyalty and patience during this difficult time.
Jane Barry, Executive Director