October 2009

Alianza Dominicana honors Commissioner Mullgrav
On October 28, Commissioner Mullgrav served as an honorary Host Committee Member for the 4th Annual Gala of Alianza Dominicana at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. She was also honored with a special award at the event. Alianza Dominicana partners with DYCD to operate five Out-of-School Time programs and three Beacon Community Center programs, as well as programs in DYCD’s Immigration, Summer Youth Employment, and Cornerstone initiatives.

DYCD Staff Members Receive Excellence in IT Support and Service Awards 
On October 15, DYCD Information Technology Help Desk staff members Franklin Ramos and Kenny Yau were recognized at the Excellence In Technology Award Program, which was established to salute IT professionals in New York City government. Mr. Ramos and Mr. Yau were nominated to receive this award due to their commitment to outstanding technical support, quality of service, excellent response time and dependability.

Youth Connect Staff Member receives Customer Service Award
On October 8, Youth Connect Resource Specialist Jermaine Williams received an Excellence in Customer Service Award from the Mayor's Office for providing outstanding service to New York City residents. Over the past four years, Jermaine single-handedly answered and assisted over 41,000 calls. More recently, he played a huge part in the launching of Youth Connect's Facebook, MySpace and Twitter accounts, opening more doors for communication between DYCD’s Youth Connect and its callers.

September 2009 –Commissioner Receives Award from Southern Queens Park Association
On September 24, the Southern Queens Park Association (SQPA) celebrated its 33rd anniversary gala. Commissioner Mullgrav was one of several honorees at the event, alongside other dignitaries including former Mayor David Dinkins and former Queens Borough President Claire Schulman. SQPA partners with DYCD in many initiatives, including Out-of-School Time, the Young Adult Internship Program, adult literacy services, the Summer Youth Employment Program, and the new Cornerstone initiative.