Each year during their anniversary benefit, St. Nicks Alliance offers the spotlight to those in the community whose support has helped benefit community. These heroes don’t do what they do for accolades. They do what they do to make the community better for everyone.
This year St. Nicks Alliance honors: The UPS Foundation, the Leviticus Fund, U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez, and Rolando Guzman at their 51st Anniversary Benefit Celebration.
UPS Foundation
We all know UPS delivers packages, which bring every day necessities and special day joys. Did you also know through their UPS Foundation they have a long history of giving back? The foundation’s philanthropic approach centers on health and humanitarian relief, economic empowerment, local engagement, and planet protection.
“At UPS, we don’t just deliver packages — we deliver opportunities,” said UPS CEO Carol Tomé in regards to their transformative multi-year partnership and steadfast commitment to empowering communities across North and Central Brooklyn.
The UPS Foundation has been a dedicated funder to St. Nicks Alliance since 2024 and has contributed $675,000 to date. This funding has enabled them to provide skills training, which opens doors to higher paying careers and long-term economic mobility. Specifically, this funding supports tech certifications (including Google Data Analytics, Google IT, and Google Cybersecurity), mentoring partnerships, paid internships, and transformational coaching to the North Brooklyn community.
U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez
Once would not suffice, so St. Nicks Alliance decided to honor U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez twice. The first time St. Nicks Alliance honored Velázquez was at their 2016 benefit anniversary celebration. Ten years later and as she ends her role as representative of New York’s 7th Congressional District, St. Nicks Alliance felt it was important to recognize Velázquez a second time for her legendary public service and steadfast advocacy on behalf of the North and Central Brooklyn communities.
Known as “La Luchadora” aka “the fighter,” Velázquez made history as the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. “I first ran in 1993, because I believed the voices of my community, immigrants, workers, families struggling to get by, were not being heard,” said Velázquez.
She has been fighting for and supporting North Brooklyn on Capitol Hill ever since.
Velázquez has introduced legislation to decrease gun violence and funded initiatives like the North Brooklyn Antiviolence and Homeless Prevention Initiative. To help the community help themselves to better paying careers she often supported the St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development Center
“This center serves 1000s of New Yorkers annually, providing them with in-demand skills training & placement in living wage jobs. There is a great need right now for skilled workers, and there is a shortage. This is the way that we empower young people and give them a fighting chance,” said Velázquez.
The Leviticus Fund
The Leviticus Fund provides hard-to-obtain financing that helps their nonprofit partners build affordable homes, purpose-built shelters, and vital community spaces. They have made $337M in loans for housing and community development since 1983. The creation and preservation of homes for those of low-, very low-, or extremely low-income was supported by 75% of that overall lending.
St. Nicks Alliance is proud to be a nonprofit partner of the Leviticus Fund, and recognizes their extraordinary partnership and invaluable financial support. More than four years ago, the Leviticus Fund provided $6M in financing to support St. Nicks Alliance in acquiring the former Chase Bank on Graham Avenue and Grand Street. This has enabled the development of Grand Jennings, which will add 187 units of affordable senior housing to the 150 units at Jennings Hall (which has provided critical homes for low-income elderly for more than 45 years). Grand Jennings will also offer 24,000 square feet of community space. Through their steadfast predevelopment lending and commitment to faith-based community investment, Leviticus Fund continues to play a vital role in advancing affordable housing and economic opportunity in our neighborhood.
Rolando Guzman
St. Nicks Alliance also decided to honor one of their own at their 51st anniversary celebration. Rolando Guzman is the deputy director of community preservation at St. Nicks Alliance. In this role, he leads a team that educates the community about their rights as a tenant, leads tenant advocacy to keep tenants in their homes or get necessary repairs, and many other activities that build community and increases safety. His work is a valuable resource for the community during all the years he’s worked at St. Nicks Alliance
During the COVID lockdown, he led the organization’s efforts to bring food to seniors and a hot line to check up on their health and well-being and offer some companionship during a lonely time.
Guzman often works with Debra Benders, president of Cooper Park Houses Residents Council. He has led St. Nicks Alliance support of their Thanksgiving turkey drives and summer events like movie nights and street clean-ups that gather neighbors together, which can result in a safer neighborhood.
“From the time I have known Rolando, he has taken his job for more than a source of income. It’s personal as though each person were a part of his family. Rolando helps each person as much as he can and he is very compassionate about his work. Rolando is truly a hero of the people. I’m so thankful for my partnership as a community leader, and I can also call Rolando my friend. Rolando takes time to really listen and get an understanding of what the community needs. Thank you Rolando for all the work and support that you give to everyone you meet,” said Benders.
