STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Months after repairing storm damage to both his home in Dongan Hills and the Staten Island Community Center he operates on Jefferson Avenue, SICC president Arkadiy Fridman decided to pay it forward to the same community that helped get him back on his feet.

To that end, the Staten Island Community Center teamed up with government agencies, nonprofits and businesses on Sunday for "Super Storm Sandy Recovery into the Future" -- an information session to help people become aware of programs and services available to them.

Some 1,500 Islanders crowded into New Dorp High School to participate in the free event, which included giveaways from local businesses, a short concert, and an opportunity for representatives from government agencies and elected officials to provide updates and answer questions.

"We achieved our goal of connecting hundreds of Staten Islanders with the government agencies and non-profit organizations that can provide the assistance they need," said Fridman. "This event truly brought the community together."

Folk congregated around all the available resources, but the busiest was FEMA. At the end of the day, there were still residents waiting in line to speak with a representative -- Fridman noted that everyone seeking help was assisted throughout the day.

Also available were representatives from the Mayor's Office of Housing Recovery Operations, Staten Island Legal Services and The Staten Island Community and Interfaith Long Term Recovery Organization.

The event was sponsored by the Staten Island Community Center-SICC and Davidzon Radio, along with a host of local organizations.

Also participating were the city Office of Housing Recovery, the state Department of Financial Services, the city Office of Emergency Management, the city Department of Small Business Services, the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, Rev. Erick Salgado's Iglesia Jovenes Cristianos Church Mobile Food Pantry, Project Hope at OHEL and Staten Island Mental Health Services and the World Cares Center.

Besides the recovery assistance, participants were treated to a free concert courtesy of internationally renowned singers Lyudmila Fesenko and Sergei Pobedinski. There were also free raffles that gave away over 50 prizes, including gift cards to Net Cost Markets and P.C. Richard & Son.

Arkaiy Fridman, president of the Staten Island Community Center

Source: silive.com