Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, two community leaders concurrently played vital roles in delivering necessary supplies and vital health care services to the residents of Southern Brooklyn.
The Office of Council Member Ari Kagan honored NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island’s Bridgette Ingraham-Roberts and JCCGCI’s Operation H.O.O.D.’s Shivan Balgobin at two ceremonial events with the official NYC Council Proclamation. “There is no better way to celebrate Black History Month than to honor two amazing community leaders and frontline heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Bridgette Ingraham-Roberts, and Mr. Shivan Balgobin,” said Council Member Ari Kagan’ “They literally saved countless lives.”
Mr. Shivan Balgobin was honored at the Operation HOOD office where he is the Co-Founder and Program Coordinator of the Anti-Violence Operation H.O.O.D. an initiative of JCCGCI in Coney Island. In attendance were Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Executive Director of JCCGCI, Mr. Derick Latif Scott, Deputy Director of Operation H.O.O.D., and South Brooklyn Community Leader, Ms. Dionne Brown. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Balgobin delivered food, masks, hand sanitizers, warm clothing, and other necessities to residents. “I feel amazing, I feel appreciated and feel super blessed.” said Mr. Balgobin, “I’m thankful for everyone at the Office of Council Member Ari Kagan, former Council Member Mark Treyger, my team at Operation H.O.O.D., JCCGCI, and everyone in Coney Island. I just want to see gun violence slow down. I know it can’t stop but it can be slowed down. Young men, have to think about their actions before they do things.”
The honoring ceremony for Ms. Bridgette Ingraham-Roberts took place at Coney Island Hospital where she is the Director for Strategic Initiatives & Public Affairs. Joining her in the celebration were her colleagues from the hospital and the CEO of NYC Health + Hospital/Coney Island, Svetlana Lipyanskaya. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Ingraham-Roberts promoted and secured appointments for the community at large. She acquired third-party partnerships with neighborhood organizations to deliver much-needed COVID-19 booster shots, vaccines, and testing during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude to have been selected to receive an NYC Council Proclamation from Council Member Ari Kagan,” she said, “I am so honored to have my work recognized in this way. Helping the residents of South Brooklyn receive vital health care services, including their COVID-19 tests and vaccination was an important step in ensuring that Coney Island Hospital delivered the health care they so richly deserve.”
It was the Council Member’s first time honoring anyone with an official Council Proclamation since he was sworn into office.
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