Two Community Giants Come Together to ENVISION THE IDEAL BRONX
By Oyiza Adaba
Africa-Related New York
“What does your ideal Bronx look like?” The Bronx Community Foundation is asking. Photo by Africa-Related
CHANGE is what happens when you put two community giants together in a room.
The Word of Life International is a 20-year old Bronx-based non-profit which aims to sustain lives and empower communities by providing short and long term services to foster stable and independent living. Founded in 2017 by long-time Bronxites twin brothers Derrick and Desmon Lewis, as the first and only Community Foundation dedicated to The Bronx, The Bronx Community Foundation is focused on building an equitable and inclusive community.
The two parties recently came together to host a lunch meeting for community members, small business owners, faith-based organizations, and individuals representing various fields in the borough. The agenda was a first hand account of the root causes of the challenges; and to create an envisioned image of the ideal Bronx that is achievable within the near-future.
Stakeholders expressed various concerns and agreed in general that more needs to be done in the areas of food insecurity, housing, environmental justice, safety and security, small business support, communication breakdown, immigration etc. Participants took part in exercises that involved creating vision boards from colorful paper cuts, photos, ideas etc.
The Word of Life International is run by Rev. (Dr.) John Udo-Okon along with his wife Rev. Felicia Udo-Okon and for the past 20 years, they both have devotedly worked with their community to fight hunger and poverty in New York City. Its weekly feeding program supports an average of 8,000 household members monthly, and it envisions strong communities and individuals without the immediate threat of hunger, homelessness, and unemployment .
The Bronx Community Foundation is under the leadership of its inaugural President and CEO, Dr. Meisha Porter who is a former NYC Department of Education Chancellor. With her wealth of experience from managing the largest school system in the nation, it may be safe to assume that The Bronx is in good hands.