KEEPING AVENUE P BEAUTIFUL
ON SUNDAY, JULY 11, THE FBI NEW YORK CITIZENS ACADEMY AND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BROUGHT THE KINGS HIGHWAY BEAUTIFICATION ASSOCIATION, THE NYPD COMMUNITY OUTREACH EXPLORER PROGRAM, AND THE FBI’S COMMUNITY OUTREACH EXPLORER PROGRAM TOGETHER FOR A GRAFFITI REMOVAL PROJECT ALONG THE AVENUE P CORRIDOR OF MIDWOOD, BROOKLYN. THE EVENT PROVED MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN EVEN THOSE WHO PLANNED IT ANTICIPATED. IT’S A DAY EVERYONE WILL REMEMBER FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
Working together, volunteers from community organizations braved the heat to clean up graffiti on neighborhood buildings and then painting them to make sure none of the graffiti was visible. The street now looks so much better and brighter thanks to all of their hard work. Thanks to Matthew Pintchic’s more than generous donation of paint and supplies everyone in attendance stayed busy.
Community Activist Nemo Bussu stopped by to help out. He grabbed a brush and immediately joined the volunteers. Jack Kishk, President of the FBI New York Citizens Academy Alumni Association, Victor Mirontschuk, Second Vice-President, Gabriel Gingishvili, Treasurer, NYPD Officer Marciano, Officer Lauren Au, and FBI Community Outreach Specialists Evelyn Vera and Michael Dougherty also pitched in.
Calvin, from Ace Cleaning Services, joined the effort, declaring, “Avenue P is special and filled with love. We are so proud of the local shop owners and residents who shop locally, caring for our streets.” The area shopkeepers were so appreciative of the hard work, one of them asked if we could paint his store!
This is the first joint effort between the 61 Precinct’s Explorer’s Program and the FBI Explorer’s Program. Those who run the FBI Explorer’s Program know the importance of educating young people on the relevance of community effort, and asking for their active involvement in taking care of their neighborhoods.
Partnering with the NYPD, the FBI helps young people understand how the local NYPD programs interact with the FBI’s efforts on crime prevention. Community safety and crime prevention are always top priorities for both entities.
We hope the success of this joint effort will inspire local residents to come together to build a better community. Every project, no matter how big or small, brings neighborhood people from all walks of life together, working towards a common goal.
