On Tuesday night, February 27th, SCAN-Harbor hosted a Board and Staff Dinner at Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem. The dinner is an annual tradition at SCAN-Harbor, which is meant to bring staff and board members together so they may learn from each other and share a deeper understanding of what SCAN-Harbor does for its community. The unique relationship-building idea also gives SCAN-Harbor a chance to invite local officials who were engaged, stayed the entire dinner, and also listened to staff to hear the challenges and success they see every day.
SCAN-Harbor deemed the event a great success, and the organization is pleased that so many attendees were able to speak publicly about the gratitude they felt for each other.
SCAN-Harbor Board President, Jamel Oeser-Sweat began the evening with some opening remarks, and made sure to let everyone know how pleased he was that everyone was there. “I’m so happy to see everyone here,” Oeser-Sweat said, “The Board members are here because they know how important it is to learn from the staff what the work is like. Our staff is amazing, and I am here to say thank you on behalf of the board for being so amazing!”
SCAN-Harbor board member Craig Overlander took a couple of minutes to speak about the moment he realized Boys and Girls Harbor had found a great partner in SCAN New York, and the fruitful results that have come from the extremely successful merger. “The merging of these two entities, with the great leadership of SCAN, and the leveraging of what the Harbor does, has allowed us to reach more people, and for that we are all eternally grateful that this merger occurred.” Overlander continued, “The most important thing, is the benefit to the kids, and I am so awed by all of the SCAN-Harbor staff, who are giving back and I cannot be more thankful to you, because you are doing the work.”
This sentiment was echoed by Board Member Steve Dannhauser, who added “I want to say, that from the bottom of my heart, that I respect all of you in this room- the work that you do, the difference that you make, has profound consequences long term.” Dannhauser added, “When I think about the dialogue we had with Lew and Jamel regarding the merger, the conversation was never about us, or them, but always about the children we serve, and can we do a better job together, and you see the results: clearly we are better together.” Dannhauser added some thoughts as well about the long-lasting impact of the organization saying, “We will honor the memory of Mr. Tony Duke and his legacy forever, and the impact that he had on so many people with the Harbor, but again, it’s about us just serving. Servant leadership is what this is all about, and I must tell you, for me it has been a blessing to get to work with all of you.”
SCAN-Harbor Executive Director then invited several city officials to speak. He began by inviting City Council member and deputy speaker, Diana Ayala. About Ayala, Zuchman said, “One thing I wanted to say, we have a new program at our Wagner Cornerstone Community Center that is very important for keeping our youth safe, and it is because of Diana that we were able to have this program, which has reduced violence around Wagner to nearly zero.”
Deputy Speaker, Diana Ayala spoke about how for well over 20 years, she has known SCAN-Harbor and the good work the organization has done. “SCAN-Harbor’s work is really meaningful to me,” Ayala said, “I know that many of us here in this room are part of the same community that we serve every single day, and it’s important that young people see in us a reflection of who they are… I also want to acknowledge this board for acknowledging the staff for the work they do day in and day out.”
Zuchman then took a moment to introduce an important guest- Captain Rebecca C. Bukofzer-Tavarez who is the new Captain of Police Service Area 5 in East Harlem. Captain Bukofzer-Tavarez started only a few months ago, but was quickly called to respond to a challenging situation, and Zuchman thanked her for her incredibly positive and helpful response. Captain Bukofzer-Tavarez lauded SCAN-Harbor’s efforts in crime prevention. “From a policing standpoint, it is not just about us finding people who are committing crime, but also focusing on crime prevention, and SCAN-Harbor is absolutely helping with crime prevention. I was so pleased to know that the officers I work with already knew very well what great work SCAN-Harbor was doing for its community.”
Chief of Staff for Council Member Diana Ayala, Elsie Encarnacion, was invited to say a few words as well, as she has been working closely with SCAN-Harbor for over 20 years. Encarnacion used the opportunity to praise SCAN-Harbor Executive Director Lew Zuchman, saying, “One thing I know about Lew is that he just has so much heart, he really leads with that passion he has for young people and their growth. I have seen in my work with schools that kids get jobs with SCAN-Harbor, and I see generations of folks who have been touched by SCAN-Harbor. I am always working with Diana (Ayala) on how we can support this great work done by SCAN-Harbor.” Encarnacion also thanked the SCAN-Harbor board, as she noticed that she has never been to a Board and Staff dinner, and she said she would like to take this fantastic idea to the boards for which she is a member.
SCAN-Harbor Deputy Executive Director, Renee Avery, closed out the speeches commenting on how special a night this was, saying, “This is a special night for our Board Members, our Staff, and our community supporters, as we all work hard for each other, and for the families and children that come to our centers every day.” Avery continued, “I have been around for many years, with many board members, and none of them compare to what we have here. We have something special, and indeed, we are better together.”
The event was a joyful way to celebrate a community of people who are coming together in various capacities to serve others.
Additional Photos from the event courtesy of SCAN-Harbor:
