Historic Reflections 2015

Historic Ref lections

Círculo “Green-Gold” Center Completion Círculo de la Hispanidad & October 24, 2015

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"Cambiar el mundo amigo Sancho, que no es locura ni utopía, sino justicia".

" To change the world my friend Sancho, is not madness nor utopia, it's justice".

Don Quixote

In Celebration of Círculo de la Hispanidad 35th Anniversary

Círculo “Green Gold” Center Completion October 24th, 2015

a Center open to support any and all noble and just causes and to provide the whole community with a place to learn and share among all people and ethnicities as we move our society forward on the road of increased solidarity, social justice, and creating real respect for our planet. My very profound thanks to Senator Dean Skelos for being generous and courageous by providing the seed to build this marvelous Center and for all the support given to our organization throughout our history. More than twenty years ago it was not popular to support Long Island Hispanic causes. He did it. He made a decision that implied high risk. No one has done it at that level, even now. Círculo de la Hispanidad, the Hispanic community and myself are forever thankful. The second phase of the construction was critical. The construction had to be finished if we wanted to maintain the survival of the Center and Evergreen Charter School. We needed to build-out unfinished space in our Center. For four years, (2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014), since the Inauguration on August 7, 2014, we completed the second floor and lower level of the building in various phases. This construction took place thanks to the support of New York State Senator Dean Skelos, through legislative funds, County Executive Mangano through Community Development Block Grant Funds and Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray through funding from the Town of Hempstead Community Development office. Mayor Hall when we needed to build an outside play area for children also provided support. We are highly thankful for their commitment and generosity. Círculo also committed its own funds raised through fundraisers and other activities. Thank you to all that supported these efforts in large ways and small. Círculo Center could not have been realized without the support of Board members, staff, supporters, businesses, friends and family. In addition, I want all of you to know that if it was not for Sarah’s outstanding dedication, intelligence, perseverance, discipline and vision, I would not have been able to celebrate the completion of my dream today. At this very special moment in my life, I have to thank my dear family in Spain, including those who passed away, and my children, Deborah, Daniel and Gil Miguel for their support always and my beautiful nietos for their love, (Rebecca, Sofía, Giuliana, Isak, Gabriella and Sabastián). I know for sure that without the values received from my parents I would not be a dreamer and do-er. The Jesuits in Madrid installed in me through the organization “El Hogar Del Trabajo”, the strong sense of “Social Justice” that I have carried until this moment. Being part of the Fraternidad Católica de Enfermos in Madrid enriched my life. I also received inspiration from my quadriplegic friend, José Luis, and Gonzalo, a family friend, with whom I lived during my studies in Madrid. You are all part of the realization of this impossible dream. Gracias to all.

Message from the Founder and Executive Director G il B ernardino October 24, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

This publication is an intent to condense, and, at the same time, provide an understanding of the thirty-five year history of Círculo de la Hispanidad, its programs and of course the realization of the “Quijotesco, ” “idealistic” dream of building a Green- Gold Community Center; the first in New York State built by a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization. We know that this intent cannot include one hundred percent of the history. I am, however, highly satisfied that we have done it with the commitment that before I retire, (it is getting closer) a complete one will be done for sure. Resources and time will be more available in some years. For this publication we have invited people who have had a connection to the organization from former board members as well as old employees, friends and family to provide input. We have included those who have answered. We want to recognize former and current members of the Board, staff, colleagues from the Nassau County Youth Board, nonprofit organizations, partners, businesses and many friends and family members who have impacted and supported our rich history. I am sincerely grateful, especially for those that have continued to stand by Círculo in our darkest moments. Barbara Dubow Bernardino, through her ideas, advice and support provided the tools to help me start Círculo de la Hispanidad. Pat McCormack was another key trusted advisor who assisted me develop the organization. Our organization’s birth and growth are the result of them and many, many others. This is why, independently of differences that have occurred during my long tenure as Founder and Executive Director, I seek to recognize and pay homage to all who have impacted our history directly or indirectly in a positive way. Círculo Center is and will be a “home” for Hispanics and non-Hispanics for generations after I have gone. Now Círculo Center is already the home of 300 elementary school children, many of whom include immigrant Hispanics and African and Caribbean Americans. As you have heard me say, Círculo Center is also a place for you, nonprofit organizations. We want to support your initiatives and fundraisers. We will help you as much as we can. Círculo Center is not only for Hispanic causes; it is

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There are days that I am very tired, but I love what I do and in the words of Harry Chapin, he said it was good to be tired, knowing that when you lay down your head at night on the pillow you fought the good fight for justice. Thank you to Círculo’s Board, staff, volunteers and our many friends and supporters who have been with us year after year, cheering us on and building us up in good times and bad. Each day you help us reach for the unreachable stars. We are stronger together. Gracias.

Message from Chief Director of Services and Operations S arah E. R. B rewster October 24, 2015 It is with great pleasure that I take a moment to reflect the completion of Círculo Center and all I worked so hard, with others, to achieve. I came to Long Beach seeking to be closer to nature. I had relocated from upstate New York to complete my graduate studies in NYC social work. I never thought I would stay. Twenty years have passed and I am still here, living my dream, through the work I am grateful to do for Círculo de la Hispanidad and Evergreen Charter School. I am thankful always for the support of my family and in particular for the leadership and vision of parents and grandfather who supported a profound understanding of how different cultures can enrich one’s life. At a young age I had the experience to live and work in Haiti one summer when I was just thirteen. This changed my life. I knew I wanted to work for justice and to face challenges of inequity. My family continued to support my education and I was able to travel and study in different cultures including the Lakota Sioux in Mission South Dakota; Burgos, Spain; Calcutta, India; and Guadalajara, Mexico; enriching my understanding of people and of this planet’s great inequity’s with wealth, power and use of resources. Over the past sixteen years that I have worked at Círculo I have been truly challenged to dream deep and follow the quest to help individuals achieve stability for themselves and their families on Long Island, especially Hispanic immigrants. I am grateful for the circle of life that connects humanity together and for linking me to this organization to whom I have dedicated my life’s work. I am living an impossible dream that has become a reality, the completion of Círculo Center. When I was around 10 years old, I tried to recall the words from the impossible dream. I wrote them out because I loved the song and wanted to learn it. My family kept a copy of this in our “log book”, where it is still taped to the pages over three decades later. Later in my early teens, I wrote out the words again. I have kept this fragile piece of paper for nearly thirty years; it has been taped for the past sixteen years to my desk at Círculo. How beautiful is life that has connected me to a man and institution that I love and admire, Gil Bernardino and Círculo de la Hispanidad. Gil and I share a vision, a mission and passion to fight for social justice causes.

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The Journey Begins... "T he Impossible Dream"

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needs of the adult Hispanics in Long Beach.

In the late spring of 1979, the Long Beach City Manager, Ed Eaton, following the recommendation of Pat McCormack, asked Gil to be the Project Director of The Spanish Brotherhood which was still part of the Long Beach Youth Services, overseen by Pat. The offer was a surprise and Gil had to consider the proposition for some time because he had just finished his Master’s Degree in Bilingual Education and had recently secured a position teaching in East New York, Brooklyn. This was a job that he loved, teaching low income children. He had to seriously consider the offer because it required that he give up his job security and the benefits it provided to him and his family. His new job did not have these same benefits. Gil decided to take the position of Project Director and leave teaching. He became a Long Beach City employee, but not a civil service one because he needed to pass a test which he did after some months. Mr. Bernardino’s appointment by the Long Beach City Manager was strongly opposed by some Hispanics working in the Spanish Brotherhood as well as some others. They did not agree with the City Manager’s decision to lay off the project director and hire Gil. According to the official information the reason of the removal was that he lied on the application of employment, and also his performance. As the Project Director of the Spanish Brotherhood, he became involved daily with community needs and at one point he spoke up at the Long Beach City Council meeting. The following day he was advised by a colleague that as a city employee “he should not do so”. This situation made him work harder on his dream to start Círculo. Gil did not want to be silenced when he saw injustice. The establishment of an independent non-profit organization became very much in the forefront of Mr. Bernardino’s mind and heart. There were people opposed to this move; some with good intentions (Gil supposes), thinking that he was not going to survive if he left the security of his job with the City. One of the most important reasons that motivated Gil to found Círculo was the treatment of Hispanic students in the Long Beach School District. Gil reflects that, “they were treated as second class students” in many cases. For example, immigrant Hispanic parents were asked to provide documents to register their children in the school district which were not required for other ethnic groups, totally illegal. There were also cases of children that were punished for speaking Spanish during recess or at lunch. This treatment was part of the Long Island culture at that time and it was not unique to Long Beach. What Mr. Bernardino witnessed and lived during those years were experiences of rejection of his language and culture by people in positions of power and influence. He observed that governmental institutions and others just completely ignored the needs of our Hispanic immigrant children and Hispanics in general. They really did not care. These types of injustices helped propel Gil to start Círculo.

1978 - 1979

T he I dea for C írculo

A lthough Círculo de la Hispanidad began officially operating in 1980, Gil Bernardino, its founder, began the process to create the organization in 1978. In late 1976 the city of Long Beach created the Youth Bureau in an effort to coordinate the many youth services founded by the Nassau County Youth Board. These youth programs operated under the umbrella of the Long Beach Youth Services. These programs included the Spanish Brotherhood, Martin Luther King, Reach, Community School and East and West Youth Programs. There were different and significant problems in the implementation of these programs. The relationship amongst them and with the Long Beach Youth Services was sometimes fraught with challenges and opportunities. Gil, coming from Spain, was very involved in social and political issues in his country. He wanted to be involved and found a way to do so through the Long Beach Youth Services and in particular through one of its programs, the Spanish Brotherhood. In this context, Gil Bernardino was invited to be part of the Board of the Spanish Brotherhood and he became a Chair of the Board late 1977. His involvement there helped him develop relationships with community leaders. Specifically he became close with Pat McCormack, the Long Beach Youth Services Director, from whom he learned a lot. In his position as Chair, Gil Bernardino observed how programs ran and disagreed how they were operated, and he decided that the best thing to do at that time was to resign from his position. After his resignation Gil continued to be involved in the community while he was studying his masters. He was involved with the Long Beach Youth Services and with the Hispanic community at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church. He realized that adult Hispanics had many needs. He also was very concerned about the Hispanic youth in the community as dropout rates were very high. He began to form a vision of an organization that would address the needs of the adult Hispanics and help support them with their multiple needs. In 1978 he began the process to register Círculo de la Hispanidad as an organization in his house together with Pat McCormack and his wife, Barbara Dubow Bernardino. The idea began to take small steps. Barbara and Gil had different meetings at their home with Pat to establish a non-profit organization 501(c) 3 to serve the

1980

T he process that began in 1978 to create Círculo de la Hispanidad finally reached fruition when the organization became incorporated in New York State in 1980.

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To get to this point, Mr. Bernardino sought the support of Pat McCormack and Barbara Dubow Bernardino, Gil’s first wife. Pat and Barbara were very important in the process of incorporating Círculo. Not only did they give advice and provide ideas around the kitchen table on Pine Street, they both played a vital role in helping create stability for the organization. Barbara helped to write proposals for Círculo and Pat provided critical ideas about management and operations, and supported grant proposals. While Pat and Barbara were not part of Círculo’s initial Board, they were instrumental in laying the foundation of Círculo by assisting him in the process to establish Círculo as a 501(c) (3) organization. Pat McCormack wrote the following about Gil’s decision to leave the city: “This was a very risky proposition for Gil because he was losing his opportunity to continue as a city employee covered by city insurance, the retirement system and union membership; but Gil had a vision and he felt that the risk was well worth taking.” F ounding B oard of D irectors The founding Board of Directors included Gil Bernardino, Enemías García, Marisa Lamarre, Olga Montenora, Rosa Garfias, Rosa Leukovski, Father Juan Altamirano and Sister Irma Breña. This group included dedicated individuals from the community who wanted to make a difference. Some individuals were former adult education students of Gil’s, including Enemías García and Marisa Lamarre. Others included professionals and individuals in the community committed to supporting the vision of Círculo. The members of Círculo’s founding board signed their names to incorporation papers on January 29th, 1980; witnessed by a notary public. Círculo’s incorporation papers were then officially submitted to the State of New York. When Círculo filed for incorporation Gil was asked to pick several names for the organization. Three choices were submitted in case one of the names was taken. In choosing the name, we wanted to have a title that would send a message to the community about our common history and common language. Gil sought a name that would provide unity; something that he saw was totally absent amongst different Hispanic cultures and groups. Although the first name that Gil chose for the organization was rejected because another civic group had the name, the second name, Círculo de la Hispanidad, was accepted. In addition to the name, three words were central to Círculo’s vision: unity, dignity and hope. These concepts were important to Gil as they represented the mission of the organization. He wanted to identify values that would inspire and motivate the community. Gil saw a need to unite the community to fight for dignity and justice and in this way bring hope to children and families. With this vision, the logo of the organization was selected and included three boats with the words: unity, dignity and hope. C hoosing the N ame

The First Years 1980-1982

F irst G rant

Círculo began operating in 1980 with its first grant of $65,000 from the Nassau County Youth Board. These funds were originally allocated to the City of Long Beach Youth Services for youth programs under the Spanish Brotherhood. They were later reallocated to Círculo de la Hispanidad and thus Círculo began implementing programs to support Hispanic youth.

S ubsequent G rants

We then began working on subsequent grants including proposals that we submitted to New York State. Círculo received its first state grant from New York for $25,000. This was also to support youth programs. Services included homework assistance, theatre classes for children, youth and adults, a youth committee, summer camp, and a swimming program. Guitar classes were also held. A youth musical choir group called La Tuna, with cultural roots from the middle ages in Spain and Portugal was one of our first cultural programs. In the 13th century “tunas” were groups of students who serenaded, played musical instruments and recited poetry in the streets to earn money or food.

F irst O ffice

Círculo de la Hispanidad began operating first out of 42 East Park Avenue in Long Beach. There were several small offices for our staff of three: Mike Cruz who oversaw the youth programs, Luisa Núñez, the Administrative Assistant, and Gil Bernardino. The office was on the second floor in the front. It was a dark space and was a bit cramped. We had a typewriter that had some missing keys, old desks and some chairs.

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A wards N ight stereotypes that were often portrayed in the media at that time showing Hispanics were violent, carried knives and were less than human. Mr. Bernardino dreamt that this kind of festival would bring people together through learning about different cultures. While he was thinking about the festival he had the idea that this event was also an opportunity to raise funds for scholarships to support Hispanic high school graduates attending college. Being that the unequal and sometimes discriminatory treatment of Hispanic children in Long Beach and the high Hispanic dropout rate was one of the main reasons to establish Círculo de la Hispanidad, this idea was a natural result. The first Awards Night, as we know it today, was in 1982. The concept was to provide support to Hispanic High School Graduates of Long Beach to assist them with their college education. We wanted to emphasize education as a way to empower, build strength and knowledge. We raised $2,000 for youth scholarships from our first festival in 1981. Scholarships have been given since then, (1982), to Hispanic High School graduates of the Long Beach High School after a process that included an interview by the Scholarship Committee formed of staff from the Long Beach High School and Círculo’s Board of Directors. We bestowed scholarships on students that excelled in academics and in different subject areas. In order to provide support and motivation to our new immigrant students we also added a category for effort. Círculo has continued to hold Awards Night every year. Círculo expanded the program ten years ago to include students from Hempstead High School. Students in Long Beach’s Dual Language Program were also honored year after year at Círculo’s Award’s Night. Long Beach had a nationally recognized Dual Language Program that operated for many years. Unfortunately this program was eliminated by the District and its School Board at a great loss to the students of Long Beach and to the entire community. After the festivals ended we organized an Annual Spring Gala at the Garden City Hotel. Through these dinner dances for the past fifteen years we have continued to raise funds for scholarships. We raised $2,000 for scholarships the first time we held our festival in 1981. Over the following years we began to raise $5,000 each year to support scholarships for youth. We have continued to provide scholarships and give over $10,000 to students each June. “Awards Night is the most rewarding event I organize each year”, says Mr. Bernardino. Círculo has awarded more than $200,000 in scholarships throughout its history. F undraising for S cholarships at the F estivals

1982 S econd O ffice

W e moved offices to 54 West Park Avenue around 1982 as the organization began to expand. This space had about six offices and a large room in the back to have meetings and work with children and youth. The office was vibrant with new staff and we worked to create new programs to respond to community needs. We continued to operate programs to support children and youth. We also added the first new program that was known as PAVE. This program provided support to at-risk high school adolescents. It included educational assistance and prevention education on topics such as pregnancy and violence. We brought youth on college tours to visit campuses and helped to motivate them to complete their high school education and matriculate to college. During these beginning years we became known as an organization to support youth and families who spoke Spanish. At that time in Long Beach and in Nassau County there were few bilingual services providers. Círculo de la Hispanidad offered an opportunity and place for Hispanics to receive support in their native language in a cultural and sensitive environment. Our larger office made it more comfortable for individuals to access services and support to meet their needs and aspirations. F estivals We celebrated our first anniversary with a Festival at Kennedy Plaza, in Long Beach. At this time our friend and owner of the Hispanic Grocery Store, Los Latinos, helped us pay for the orchestra. The Plaza was full of color with many food stands representing different Hispanic countries, offering flavorful dishes. We had many different folkloric groups that danced. The orchestra played salsa, merengue, cumbia and other popular dance music. The adults and children dressed in folklore dresses and this gave the plaza an international flare that we had not seen in this area. Folklore dances in the afternoon and dance music in the evening until 10 pm made hundreds of attendees very happy and all left with a smile and wanted more. The first festival was a success and so it gave Mr. Bernardino the idea to continue to have it every year. He saw it as an opportunity to bring Hispanic culture out to the open. Too often he saw Hispanics struggling with their feelings of inferiority of speaking their language, Spanish, in the open, as a result of their own ignorance or due to the rejection and racism against Hispanics in our society. Mr. Bernardino thought it was also important that Long Beach residents enjoy Hispanic culture including eating different types of food and dancing to music in a peaceful, safe, joyful manner. In this way he sought to combat

T radition of F estivals

Círculo’s festival became an event that Hispanics from Long Beach and surrounding communities looked forward to with great anticipation. It was a weekend to enjoy our rich culture and to meet and network with friends, family and neighbors. Long Beach residents enjoyed the food, folklore and music. It was certainly a very positive experience for the whole community that resulted in many changing their perspectives of Hispanics.

Círculo’s festivals took place for twelve years without incident and we extended the time after a few years from one day,

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Sunday, to two days, Saturday and Sunday.

B eginnings of C írculo C enter

After five years or so of operating Círculo de la Hispanidad, the dream to build a Community Center began taking shape in Gil’s mind. The challenges were so many that he did not know how to begin to reach that objective. He kept this thought in the back of his mind and later used his experience organizing festivals as a means to start to raise funds for this dream.

Programs 1984

D uring these years we continued to provide youth activities. Our youth program largely consisted of a youth committee, theater for children and adults, guitar classes, summer camp, homework assistance programs, and the tuna choir. We also had basketball Friday for adolescents and our new program, PAVE, that provided assistance to at risk high school students.

E stablishment of S alva D omestic V iolence P rogram

During Círculo’s first years of operation from 1980 -1983 Mr. Bernardino began to observe an increase in requests for help from women who had partners and spouses that abused them. Individuals came to the organization to seek help and advice. There was an organization in Nassau County at that time to support victims of abuse, the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence; however they did not have bilingual staff to attend to the needs of Spanish speaking victims of domestic violence. With the support from Nassau County Department of Social Services, Círculo established the Salva Domestic Violence Program to provide support to abused Hispanic women. The name Salva was chosen because in Spanish it means “to save”. We wanted to call attention to the Hispanic community that this was a program that could provide safety and support to victims of violence. With funding from the New York State, Círculo establish the first bilingual English/Spanish hotline to support victims of violence in New York State. Funding also supported staff to provide case management, support groups and court advocacy.

1985

E stablishment of H empstead O ffice The Hempstead office was established around 1985. Gil Bernardino wanted to create an office to meet the needs where many Hispanics resided. It was clear over thirty years ago that many Hispanics lived in Hempstead and nearby communities. Additionally Hempstead was centrally located in Nassau County.

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We opened an office on Franklin Street in Hempstead. This office was just a few doors down the street from where we have our office at 91 North Franklin Street today. The Hempstead office started with adult education programs. We held English as a Second Language classes and courses to help individuals obtain their General Equivalency Diploma or GED. We later expanded our domestic violence program to this site as it was currently operating out of our Long Beach office. After several years, we moved to a larger office at 91 North Franklin where we expanded our adult education programs as well as our new HIV and AIDS programs. C reation of HIV P rogram In response to the death of a close and very loved family friend and relative, Mr. Bernardino found out more about HIV/AIDS and realized that it was a very serious problem in the Hispanic community. As a result he worked to get a grant to implement services for that population in the areas of education and prevention with bilingual English/Spanish speaking staff. The Program was funded by the New York State Department of Health. Círculo began offering case management, education and prevention activities to adults as well as youth.

program. This was also in response to community needs. Part of our vision was to provide alcohol prevention education to respond to the high rates of alcoholism in the Hispanic community. We were not able to follow through with this vision at the time because of many other priorities. However substance abuse services, treatment and prevention continue to be a great need for the Hispanic and non-Hispanic population.

H ousing P rograms

Círculo also filed an amendment to its incorporation papers in December of 1990 to operate housing programs to address unmet needs in the community including discrimination in housing, a lack of affordable housing for individuals, especially those who were homeless seeking to rebuild their lives. Círculo de la Hispanidad’s Board consisted of Tony Nadal, President; Marisa Lamarre, Treasurer; Olga Montenora, Secretary; and Board Members Celia Arias, Héctor Maldonado, and Esperanza Pereztegui.

1991

P rograms in 1985

Programs we provided included youth and adult education, recreation and cultural programs for youth, domestic violence, HIV and AIDS services. We also offered educational programs to at-risk youth.

P rograms

Throughout 1991 we continued implementing youth, domestic violence, adult education and HIV and AIDS programs. We also were working to actively start permanent affordable housing programs. Much of our efforts and work was stunted by the events of 1992.

1986 - 1989

D uring these years Círculo continued to respond to community needs. The agency provided a lot of support to families struggling with issues in the local school district in Long Beach. There were no Spanish speaking counselors at that time and the dropout rate was very significant. Most Hispanics did not graduate during these years. We operated our youth programs as well as services for victims of violence, and individuals living with HIV and AIDS. Círculo also explored ideas to expand and offer additional services as well to meet emerging needs in the area of housing, and drug and alcohol addiction.

1990

F or its tenth anniversary, Círculo held a dinner to raise funds and recognize leaders in the community. We honored Pearl Weill, a supporter of Círculo. Ms. Weill was a well-known and respected woman in the Long Beach community.

In early February 1990, Círculo submitted an amendment to its articles of incorporation to operate a substance abuse

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1993

S occer P rogram

We started the soccer program in Long Beach in 1993. There were many children coming to the youth programs that wanted to participate in soccer. We created the Long Beach Soccer Club for children that wanted to play travel and intramural soccer. We had children participating from all ages and began to play as a club in The Long Island Junior Soccer League. Before creating the Club, Gil used to take his two sons and other boys from Long Beach to play in the Hewlett Soccer Club for some years.

Rising from the Ashes C írculo F ire 1992

F ood P antry

O n a clear and a cool evening, a fire coming from the first floor of 54 West Park Avenue destroyed Círculo de la Hispanidad’s office in Long Beach. The first floor was a newly established business that sold car parts and paints. Practically everything we had in the office and all our documents from the birth of the organization in 1980 were lost. The fire happened the night Círculo had a board meeting. Gil had just arrived around 7 pm where he met the Fiscal Director, Jennie Linares, at the door of the office. What they witnessed was shocking. There were dark black fumes rising from the doorway and all around the building. They panicked realizing that one of the employees was working late that evening and she may have been trapped by the fire. Two people, one firefighter and a police officer passing by helped. They went to the building next door and pulled Círculo’s employee from the alleyway where she had jumped, saving her life. This was a miracle and everyone was overjoyed. Afterwards they continued to watch the fire consume the building that had been Círculo’s home for nearly ten years. It was an incredible feeling of helplessness watching one’s life’s work turn to ashes. The first electrical typewriter, file cabinets, contracts, files, mementos from our history, furniture and many other important items to help us function and send monthly claims to our grantors were lost. Gil had his briefcase with him that included some important papers but almost everything else was ruined. Staff found some items that they tried to save including papers and photos. Much was damaged from smoke and soot. Pat McCormack’s office at City Hall was the space that we used to dry pictures and documents we tried to save. Pat allowed us to use his office until we found a new one in a few months. There were many moments of frustration, sadness and despair starting back up the organization after twelve years. Círculo did not have fire insurance at that time and had to start from scratch. By passion and energy we were able to bring back Círculo. Important to this rebuilding process was a person from United Way’s Board of Directors. This person sent us a significant donation that helped us to move forward easily. This was vital to the agency and Gil Bernardino is forever grateful to her for her generosity that helped rebuild the agency. After the fire, Círculo moved its office a few doors down to 62 West Park Avenue and began the challenging task of reestablishing programs and the infrastructure of the organization.

T he B eginnings of C írculo C enter Around this time we also started the Food Pantry with a grant from Long Island Cares and the Harry Chapin Food Bank. We used a small closet in our Long Beach office to store canned goods which we distributed to individuals in need. We continue to operate this program weekly out of our Long Beach office. Food pantry day has always been a collaborative effort with staff from all program offices including our fiscal office helping to organize the food from delivery to distribution. We do it as volunteers as there is no grant to implement this program and pay for staff that operate it. We are grateful to Long Island Cares for this opportunity to help feed our community’s hungry individuals and families. Círculo obtained a legislative grant in the amount of $1,500,000 in 1993 that was approved for the 1994 fiscal year. This was supported by Senator Dean Skelos. The purpose of the grant was to provide seed money to purchase a building where Círculo could operate programs for the community. The original concept for the Center is not what we know it to be today, but at this time, we wanted to purchase a building and renovate it to serve as a place where community programs could operate. Although this was approved in the 1993 legislative session for the 1994 fiscal year, Círculo could not access the funds. A contract could not be written on time because purchasing a building and acquiring the necessary permits required time. Without a completed contract before the next legislative session, funds could not be dispersed to Círculo.

1994

C hallenges O btaining L egislative F unds

Funding was allocated once again to Círculo in the 1994-1995 budget. Again, Senator Dean Skelos supported this legislative effort. However, as in 1993, funds could not get allocated in the form of a contract. In addition, that fall the governorship changed with the election of George Pataki. All monies allocated to contracts that were still pending signature could not move forward. Círculo’s funding was in this category. Once again, we lost the ability to access the funds.

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P rograms in 1994 Círculo continued to operate its youth, adult education, domestic violence and HIV and AIDS programs. It also continued to apply for housing programs, and submitted an application to the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and its Homeless Housing Assistance Program to purchase two two-family homes in Long Beach.

1995

Círculo Center Beginning Years 1996

L egislative F unds F inally A warded

C írculo ’ s F irst H ousing P rogram In 1995, Senator Skelos was able to introduce another legislative grant for Círculo for $1,500,000 to be administered by the New York State Division for Youth, now known as the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. Funds were sent to the Division for Youth to be supervised and administered. In this way, Círculo was able to finally contract with the State Youth Agency and receive the funds, enabling the organization to look for property and provide all requirements for the disbursement of funds. Círculo received approval for its first housing program from the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance in 1995 and signed a contract to operate a Homeless Housing Assistance Program (HHAP) to help families. This program enabled Círculo to purchase two two-family homes. Although Círculo had amended its incorporation papers back in 1990 to operate housing programs, it took the organization five years to finally get a proposal approved before it could implement programs. Círculo purchased two homes in Long Beach and began renovating these for families. CírculobeganaMorningandAfter-CareProgramfor elementary school agechildreninHempstead. Círculoopened four programs in different elementary schools. These programs were also open during holidays and vacations when school was closed except national holidays. We had the program about five years. We served approximately 150 children during the week and more than 200 during the summer. One year the Hempstead School Board decided to reject our building use permit. We had heard that they wanted to give another community based program Círculo’s project. Despite many protests from parents, we could not operate the program since our permit was not granted. In the end our program was terminated and the other community agency that one particular School Board Member supported never implement the services. It was a great loss for everyone, caused by politics of favoritism and discrimination. In the end the children and families suffered. P rograms in 1995

M ega F estival – F estival a la O rilla del M ar A s we worked to locate space for a center, we realized that the Center had to be in a location where most Hispanics lived or where they could easily travel. Hempstead was ideal for the Center location because of its central location and because it was also an area where many Hispanics reside. We looked at different buildings and sites in the Village of Hempstead. We found some property that we liked on Main Street but there were family disputes among the owners and in the end we could not purchase the land. We also saw another building on Fulton Street that we liked but this was too small for the programs we wanted to implement even though this was centrally located. In the end the one we chose, at 605 Peninsula Boulevard, was attractive to us because it was large enough to build a center with a parking lot. This was the site of the former Nassau County Central Post Office. It was the largest post office in its time in the County. The building was later used for other businesses. We began working with an architect to repurpose the existing building on the site. After twelve festivals, Gil thought he had the answer to raise the needed funds to build the Community Center: a Mega Festival – Festival a la Orilla del Mar at Nassau Beach on May 16 - 19, 1996 with different orchestras and popular singers. By charging an entrance fee and inviting some well-known singers and international groups, he thought he could raise funds for the organization to build the Center. Thus the Mega Festival was planned with performers including Enrique Iglesias, Marc Antony and over fifteen different orchestras and musical groups. Channel 41, a Spanish TV Network, sponsored the festival and provided free publicity. The experience of operating small festivals for over twelve years helped Mr. Bernardino prepare for the Mega “Festival a la Orilla del Mar”, Festival XIII. Círculo’s staff at that time was small. We planned all aspects for a successful implementation of the event. Parking was the most difficult challenge. Mr. Bernardino personally planned it and met with an officer from the nearby precinct. The parking included not only Nassau Beach but the Town of Hempstead Park, at Point Lookout, which included hundreds of spaces, where Círculo implemented a soccer program for many years and still does today. In preparation for the event, meetings were planned with Channel 41 to tape a program to publicize the event. On Tuesday May 14th, Gil planned to travel to the Chanel 41 studio with Kathy Ballesteros and Enilda Columna to tape the publicity announcement for the event. That early morning just as he was starting his work day after

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S tate L egalization I mpact A ssistance G rants

dropping off his son, Gil Miguel at his high school in East Islip, he decided to stop by the Long Beach Hospital for a quick check up. He had experienced pain in his upper arm the evening before and Enilda recommended that he check out the cause of this pain. The hospital staff determined that he had a small heart attack the day before and he was promptly admitted. Gil is forever grateful to Enilda for encouraging him to go to the hospital. Although the festival was implemented without Gil, (he was in the hospital), Círculo’s staff, Board members and volunteers did the best they could even though there were many unforeseen challenges. For example, the parking plan previously decided was not followed by the officials responsible for reasons not known to Gil. The Nassau Beach Parking lot was closed when it was filled but no one directed traffic to the Town of Hempstead Parking lot as per our plan which was adjacent. (We had obtained permission from the Town). Without being able to use the other space people began parking wherever they could find a spot. The only way around was through the streets on Lido Beach and on Lido Boulevard itself. The situation resulted in many complaints by the residents of Lido Beach. We, of course, were blamed for this situation. Nassau County closed the site to us for the following year so we could not use this site again for our festival. The event was attended by more than 10,000 people during three days. There were no incidents; however the complaints from the people of Lido Beach stopped the rights of the Hispanic Community, a non-profit organization, from using public property. At that time we thought of finding another venue for the festival. Fighting the County needed time, effort, funds and resources we did not have. This festival is still in the mind of many Hispanics who shared with Gil all the time how fantastic it was to hear Marc Anthony and Enrique Iglesias in our backyard. Gil’s heart attack deprived him from that experience and for resolving the parking challenges. On Saturday night, May 17th, Gil Bernardino was taken by ambulance to St. Francis Hospital from Long Beach Hospital. He asked the ambulance driver to bring him inside the festival where Enrique was singing. The drivers opened the back door of the ambulance for some moments and Gil was able to enjoy Enrique singing and see Círculo’s staff. After the concert, close to 1 am, Enrique Iglesias stopped at the hospital on his way to Manhattan to see Gil in Saint Francis Hospital. It was a beautiful gesture. A D evastating L oss During the summer of 1996, a tragic fatal car accident occurred and Círculo’s beloved Board President, Olga Montenora passed away. Olga had provided instrumental support for many years to the organization and the community. Her death was a great loss that still resonates deeply in our hearts. She will be missed forever. We continue to be inspired by her kindness, generosity and compassion.

Congress established the State Legalization Impact Assistance Grants (SLIAG) as part of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. SLIAG was intended to reimburse state and local agencies for the costs of providing public assistance, public health, and education services and to ensure basic health, welfare, and education services for eligible legalized aliens. Círculo’s program provided educational support to immigrants. The agency had hundreds of participants in the program; the program was the largest on Long Island at the time. Barbara Dubow Bernardino was instrumental in obtaining this funding for Círculo.

M ental H ealth H ousing

The agency’s Supported Housing Program for individuals living with a mental health diagnosis was approved around 1997 by the New York State Office of Mental Health. This program provided a subsidy to individuals living with a mental health diagnosis. While this program did not enable the agency to purchase housing, it provided rental subsidies to housing participants, enabling them to live independently.

T ransportation for I ndividuals L iving with HIV and AIDS

Círculo’s Ryan White Transportation Program with United Way began around 1997 as well. This program was the only program of its kind and provided transportation assistance to individuals living with HIV and AIDS enabling them to get to their medical appointments through taxis, gas cards or MetroCards.

R ental A ssistance for I ndividuals L iving with HIV and AIDS

Services were also expanded to provide rental assistance to individuals living with HIV and AIDS. A program through United Way enabled the organization to provide rental assistance to individuals in rental arrears who lived with HIV and AIDS.

B rooklyn F estival at M arshal F ields

With the success of the Mega Festival in Nassau Beach, we were enthusiastic about organizing our festival for 1997. Choosing a venue was a challenge. We were not given permission to do the festival in Nassau Beach and so we looked for a new space. In the end we choose a site in Brooklyn, Marshal Fields. The venue was not ideal because it was far from many people on Long Island, our community, but we thought we would be able to publicize the event and that people would come. Once again we featured different international orchestras and food vendors. The people did not come as we expected and as a result the organization did not raise funds as we had hoped.

1997

P rograms in 1997

Círculo expanded programs in 1997 including its housing programs as well as programs for individuals living with HIV and AIDS. The agency continued to operate out of its offices in Long Beach and Hempstead. In addition with the recent passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act, (IRCA), by President Reagan, in November of 1986, funding was available to support immigrants and help them legalize their status.

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people in attendance. Some youth wandered through the plaza while Gil talked with Assistant City Manager, Eugene Camarato. Our security and police officers were supervising, as well as Nassau County Mounted Police. We closed the evening at 10:00 pm, as agreed, with zero incidents. Círculo’s security supervised throughout the night and no incidents were reported the following morning when Gil came to work at 9:00 am. After arriving, he was informed by staff members to call Mr. Eaton, Long Beach’s City Manager. Gil did so to discover that the festival was cancelled and was instructed to immediately disassemble all booths or the police would be called to do so. The reason given was that a man that had attended the festival the night before had later gone to the beach and fired shots in the air around 2:00 in the morning. Gil informed Mr. Eaton these events were not realted and one was not the cause of the other. Gil decided to go to City Hall directly to meet with the City Manager. Mr. Eaton was in his office as well as his assistant, Eugene Camarato. Mr. Eaton repeated what he told Gil on the phone earlier. It was a very tense encounter. Gil later learned that there was a terrible fatal accident involving a city employee and a Long Beach resident on the beach and this added to the difficult circumstances. Gil asked the City Manager and the Assistant City Manager to reconsider. Gil knew Eugene for many years and asked him to intervene. He did not get the answer or support that he hoped for, only silence. In the end, the rides were kept open but all other festivities were cancelled. Gil recalls that the weekend was a nightmare. Círculo had to deal with all the vendors. People had invested hundreds of dollars and days of work to meet the demand for a successful festival. Gil Bernardino had to call everyone and explain what happened. They were furious and some questioned if the organization had the necessary permits which it did. The agency returned all the fees that were paid to it by the vendors. The situation was stressful and anxiety provoking. Gil and Círculo’s Board of Directors also dealt with residents who complained about police abuses throughout the festival. Individuals stated that the police were overly aggressive in checking all bags of people coming on the rides. They and Gil never observed these kind of check points at other festivals in Long Beach. While Círculo was told that the beach incident was the reason why the festival was cancelled Gil Bernardino believed a different story. He observed that there was much pressure from businesses and politicians to not grant Círculo a permit for its festival at Kennedy Plaza. He found that many people did not want to publicize the existence of so many Hispanics on this beach island because some considered it bad for real estate development. The City at that time had two other public festivals in Long Beach, Saint Mary’s Festival and the Irish Parade and so it could not refuse to have a Hispanic Festival. Gil felt that an excuse was found to cancel the festival. It was clear to him and many others that discrimination had colored the decision to close down Círculo’s festival. Gil Bernardino and the Board of Directors made the decision to sue the city for racial discrimination. The agency however had little funds to support this legal fight. Two years of unsuccessful fundraising at its festival left the agency with little resources.

Círculo Festival in Long Beach at Kennedy Plaza 1998

E ven though the festival at Marshal Fields was not a successful fundraiser, we thought we would try to implement a festival once again in the Long Beach community as we had done successfully for many years. We applied to the City of Long Beach to have the festival on Memorial Weekend on the “Superblock”, a large space along the beachfront. The City of Long Beach agreed and the owner of the Superblock gave us permission to use his property. Veterans who found out about this plan opposed Círculo’s festival stating that Memorial Weekend was not a time for festivities. Long Beach City officials then organized a meeting with all parties. At the meeting, Gil mentioned the many institutions including fire fighters, police and other organizations who planned events and activities over the Memorial Weekend in Long Beach and other communities throughout the United States. Furthermore, Gil mentioned that Long Beach opened its summer beach season with festivities over this weekend. In the end there was not agreement and City officials asked Círculo to cancel the festival on this date. We moved the date of the festival and the site to be at Kennedy Plaza in front of Long Beach City Hall and the property across from the Police Department, along the rail road tracks. Now this property is a public garage and the bus hub. On this site we had all kinds of rides. At the plaza we had the food, merchandise booths, and the stage for the orchestra. For the first time we had to have a “Corralito”, a fenced in area where beer and beverages were sold, this was not the case for the previous twelve festivals. It was clear from the beginning that there was much animosity about Círculo holding the festival at Kennedy Plaza. Although City Hall promised to cooperate with us after we agreed to change the date from Memorial Weekend, we continued to find challenges along the way so much so that Gil made a complaint to the Assistant City Manager, Eugene Camarato, about the lack of cooperation. The festival was to begin on a Thursday evening and last throughout the weekend. We wanted to begin Thursday evening so we could see that small and big things were working properly. It was the first time we had a large festival at this site and Gil did not want to miss important aspects of the implementation including passing inspections for food and rides.

That Thursday evening was windy and the booths needed to be tightened down. There were a very small amount of

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