Dozens of Richmond Hill residents celebrated the grand opening of a new Family Enrichment Center (FEC) last month.
Celebrants spent the day on on Saturday, July 26, enjoying a block party, located between 112 Street and Jamaica Avenue to 91st Avenue, where they enjoyed free food, bounced in bouncy castles, received henna, participated in arts and crafts and face painting.
The U.N.I.T.Y Family Enrichment Center, which officially opened to the public on Monday, July 28, serves as a resource hub for families in Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, Howard Beach and Woodhaven. It is located at 111-20 Jamaica Ave. The Martin De Porres Youth and Family Services is the host organization for the UNITY Family Enrichment Organization, and the facility is funded by the ACS.
The center is a large multi-room building with boldly painted walls, featuring kid-friendly designs, including a reading nook, workstations and a private room for therapy sessions.
Hernan Cortes, program director of U.N.I.T.Y FEC, said the space was built from the ground up with community input throughout. Cortes said the center offers vital resources for residents, including therapy services in partnership with New York Presbyterian Hosptial and other nonprofits, ESL classes, afterschool programs, computer carts and homework help. Additionally, Cortes said the New York Presbyterian “baby bus” will be stationed outside the center bi-weekly, providing prenatal services for community members.
“Our mission is to make life easier for the community and give them resources that are really needed for them. As soon as we told the community that we were going to have afterschool programming, the parents were very happy,” he said.
For over a year, as the space was being designed, built and outfitted, Cortez said FEC staff would constantly receive feedback from community members on what services they wanted the center to provide, down to the colors of paint on the walls.
Throughout the building’s renovation process, the FEC would run pilot programs for families, including a free breakfast-time bread giveaway from local bakeries, sponsored by the Gaton Foundation, and DOT-led pedestrian safety workshops. Cortez said these pilot programs will be a continued initiative at the now fully opened FEC, and the center will have other continued partnerships with local nonprofit organizations to provide a variety of services. The center also has a community closet called Le Boutique, where residents can come in and “shop” from a closet filled with donated clothing items.
Cortes said that as a longtime Ozone Park resident, it’s meaningful for him to lead a center dedicated to his community. A graduate of John Jay College, Cortes said he has always wanted to help people.
“I came to this country at the age of seven [from Mexico]. We didn’t have resources, we had to go to the churches for free food… obviously, as kids, we don’t know[the reality], you see it as a game. They used to help us so much; our local church would give us bread, juice, and eggs. I grew up like that, so I graduated with that sense of me helping people out,” he said.
Cortes said the center’s opening has been a long time coming after construction setbacks.
“We’re finally here. We built everything from the floor up, and I’m really proud of the work that was done,” he said.
Eon Parks, executive director of Martin De Porres Youth and Family Services, said the U.N.I.T.Y FEC represents a solution to the lack of resources for communities surrounding the center.
“We know that since the pandemic, food prices are up, there’s an issue with housing… we know that there’s a whole host of issues. We felt that writing a grant for this, bringing everybody together, making sure that these neighborhoods were served, is necessary,” he said.
Parks said an FEC is unique from a traditional community center in that it offers services based on extensive community outreach and input.
Joelle Jean, a Richmond Hill resident and family nurse practitioner, said she was looking forward to volunteering with UNITY FEC. Jean will run a yearlong diabetes prevention workshop as part of her business, Clear Pillar Health, for people ages 18 and up and anyone with prediabetes.
Jean came with her family to Saturday’s block party event to celebrate the launch of the community-based resources.
“We came out here not only for me to promote the program, I wanted my kids to play in the neighborhood and be with the children here,” she said.
Jean said she was inspired to volunteer at the UNITY FEC during a Mother’s Day luncheon the organization held before the opening.
“There are 90 million people who have pre-diabetes, and a lot of them don’t know. I just wanted to be able to provide that for the community and also have a great space for my kids,” she said.
As a local parent, Jean said that the UNITY FEC is a mission-driven and family-focused space for her kids and other neighborhood kids to socialize safely.
“It’s definitely something very positive for the neighborhood,” she said.
During the event, Sen. Joseph Addabbo expressed his support for the grand opening ceremony.
“We look to support families and children, and that’s what U.N.I.T.Y. is going to be doing. It’s going to bring families together with services that this neighborhood needed and really hasn’t seen in quite some time,” he said.
