April Newsletter

See Our February Newsletter for Events and More!

This Newsletter Includes The Following Sections

- Community Info and Resources - Environmental - Bloomingdale Library - Art & Exhibits - Bloomingdale History Group - Farmers Markets - Churches

Community Info & Resources

- NYC Childcare Tax Relief Programs: Mayor Adams announced new childcare tax credits. View the Office of the Mayor’s Childcare Plan for more information. - Food Service Businesses: By law, staff-handled organic waste must be source separated for collection. For more information, visit here. - Outdoor Dinning Bill Passed: The bill allows outdoor dining on sidewalks year-round and on city streets April 1 through November 29 each year. For more information, visit NYC Hospitality Alliance. - Some Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients can now use their benefits at participating restaurants in New York State, after a successful pilot in NYC and Rochester. The NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, NYS Dept. of State, and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture will host a webinar for restaurants on Monday, 2/10 at 11 am. visit here

UWS Cinema Center The Upper West Side Cinema Center is a not-for-profit corporation formed with the goal of creating a new facility in the former Metro Theater building at 99th Street and Broadway. Donate to aid their efforts to preserve and revamp this neighborhood landmark.  Donate Here

Everything You Need To Know To Plan, Launch, and Operate a Successful NYC Restaurant Free, in-depth business management education delivered by experienced industry professionals for aspiring restaurateurs and early-stage food & beverage operators. Level 1 (Virtual) How to Plan and Finance Your Business Level 2 (Virtual) How to Launch and Operate Your Business Level 3 (In Person) Create an Effective Business Plan Upon completing the 3-course series, you'll receive free 1:1 assistance to help you create a tailored business plan for your restaurant concept. Register for an Upcoming Session Unlock Free Advertising Secrets: Boost Your Business Today Learn more about LinkLocal, a program that provides free advertisements for small businesses, community groups, and local events. LinkLocal provides pre-designed advertising templates that can be featured on 1-2 selected LinkNYC kiosks. Register for an Upcoming Webinar

Commercial Lease Assistance Commercial Lease Assistance Learn more about our free legal services to help eligible businesses with: Signing a new commercial lease Amending, renewing, or terminating an existing commercial lease Addressing a commercial lease Learn More

Volunteers Needed Join the Team! Looking to give back to your community, build your resume, or complete service hours? The Columbus Amsterdam BID is always on the lookout for enthusiastic volunteers to support our Open Streets events. From setting up and leading activities to helping care for our beloved street trees, there's something for everyone. Get involved, meet your neighbors, and make a difference right here in the neighborhood!

♻️ Textile Collection Reuse & Recycle Have old clothes, shoes, or linens lying around? Don’t toss them—bring them to us! We’re collecting clothing, shoes, accessories, bedding, towels, and coats every Saturday & Sunday from 10am–2pm at NW 106th & Amsterdam and 991 Amsterdam Ave. Give your textiles a second life and help keep waste out of landfills.

It’s Tax Time! Accurate tax filing. Full credits. Your small business deserves it. Get it back. If you earn $93,000 or less (families) or $65,000 or less (single filers) with business expenses of $250,000 or less, file for FREE! Learn More About NYC Free Tax Prep Expand Your Workforce Through the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) SYEP, the largest summer jobs program in the nation, caters to New Yorkers aged 14 to 24. By participating, you can offer paid work experience, help build essential skills, and contribute to shaping the future of our youth. There is no cost to participating – SYEP youth are paid directly by the City of New York. Learn More

3-K and Pre-K Applications Three-K and Pre-K applications will close on Friday, 2/28. Parents can apply three ways: 1. Online at: MySchools.nyc 2. Through a Family Welcome Center 3. By calling: 718-935-2009 (Interpretation services are available for over-the-phone applications) Learn more by visiting: nyc.gov/3k and nyc.gov/pk Learn More

Park to Park 103 More Info Residential Waste Containerization Beginning November 12, 2024, all properties with 1-9 residential units will be required to use bins, 55 gallons or less, with secure lids for trash set out. If you already use a bin with a secure lid that is 55 gallons or less for trash set out, you may continue to use it until June 2026. After that, you will need to switch to the official NYC Bin. More Info Extended Risk Assessment and Grant Program to Help Small Businesses Shore Up Against Unexpected Disasters The NYC Department of Small Business Services has launched the Business Preparedness and Resiliency Program (BPREP) Risk Assessment and Grant Program for eligible small businesses or commercial properties. This program offers a free on-site, one-on-one risk assessment and $5,000 reimbursement grant to buy recommended resiliency equipment, such as flood barriers, generators, and fireproof storage containers Learn More and Apply Great news for teens in New York City! The NYC Department of Health, in collaboration with Talkspace, are now providing free online therapy for teens between 13 and 17 in New York City. NYC Teenspace is a platform offering personalized mental health support from licensed professionals with expertise in teen counseling. The beauty of this service lies in its flexibility - teens can arrange monthly video sessions by simply messaging their therapists. What's more, if the initial therapist isn't the right fit, teens have the option to switch. For more details, click the link below! Learn More

Environmental

Bring Your Own Container In the coming weeks, look for the Bring Your Own Container/UWS Reduces Waste stickers at neighborhood businesses and go in with confidence that the store will accept your reusable container to fill and you won’t be bombarded with single-use plastic that you don’t need or want. BYO Container/UWS Reduces Waste is a new project of It’s Easy Being Green, your neighborhood climate education and personal action group. We will ask our neighborhood coffee, tea shops and restaurants to display our BYO Container sticker in their window to let you know that they will accept your travel mug and/or food container to fill. We hope to include prepared food stores in the future when the NYS health codes are updated. (We’re working on this too!) Join our effort!  Please help us find conscientious businesses who would like to put the BYO sticker in their storefronts.  Send your ideas and  recommendations to BYO.itseasybeinggreen@gmail.com. Want to know more about It's Easy Being Green? Click here to sign up for our monthly newsletter. It's Easy Being Green Website

Bloomingdale School Of Music

The American Sound Date: April 25th | 7 PM Experience the amazing range of American music from the 1930s and 40s in this recital of works for violin and piano. Featuring Veronica Carpenter, violin; and Roberto Hidalgo, piano. ​  RSVP Here

Bloomingdale Library

One-on-One Tech Help Wednesdays, 1PM - 2:00 PM | On-going This event will take place in person at Bloomingdale Library. If you have a tech problem, question, or would just like some individualized tech tutorials, this is your time to work with a librarian and receive their personal attention and instruction. More Info

Arts & Exhibits

Museum of the City of New York

Storytime for Littles Saturday, April 12 | 11:30am Bring your family on a weekend to learn more about NYC in a Storytime program facilitated by one of our museum educators in connection with the NYC Discovery Lab, a weekend drop-in series of family programs. Each month, picture book readings will rotate in connection with our theme of the month. Included with admission. Free for ages 18 and under. More Info

NYC Discovery Lab – Music City  Saturday, April 12 | 11:00am This month we’re exploring what makes New York City have rhythm! Learn about the city sights, sounds, and communities that have inspired New York City musicians and dancers. More Info

The Africa Center On View - Flags of The African Union - Outdoor Public Art Tribute May 25th, 2023 - May 3rd, 2025  The Africa Center is proud to present Flags of the African Union (AU), a three-story outdoor public art tribute featuring the 55 flags of the countries recognized by the AU. In addition, we’ve added the Pan-African flag which serves as a unifying symbol for people of African descent, regardless of their geographical location. This display is a bold statement and a celebration of a continent that is richly diverse, not only geographically but also culturally, socially, and economically. More Info

Bloomingdale History Group

Farmers Markets

GrowNYC

GROWNYC 97th Street Greenmarket W 97th St. between Amsterdam and Columbus Open Fridays, Year-round Market Hours: 8AM-2PM  More Info GROWNYC Columbia Sunday GreenMarket Broadway between 114th-116th St Open Thursdays & Sundays, Year-round  Market Hours: 8AM-4PM Clothing Collection Hours:  9:00 a.m. - 12:00 pm More Info

Down to Earth

TEXTILE RECYCLING  Saturdays 10am-2pm  Amsterdam 109-110th Green Tree Textiles will collect unwanted clothes, shoes, bags, towels, and household linens for reuse and recycling. No rugs or blankets, please.

Both GROWNYC & Down to Earth Offer: FOOD BENEFITS PROGRAM WELCOME! Go to the Manager's Tent to use your SNAP EBT card and get tokens to spend with our vendors. Health Bucks available ($2 for every $2 in SNAP, up to $10). Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks can be used at the farm stands June 1st - November 30th 2024

Churches

St. Michael's St Michael's Church - Practice with fluent English speakers in "English as a Second Language (ESL)" conversations. St. Michael's Church Parish House 225 West 99th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam) Saturdays 10 AM Improve Your English: For people of any native language. For Adults. Tell the team distributing food that you are here for ESL. Proof of COVID vaccination is required. More Info More Info St. John The Divine Choral Evensong Sunday, April 13 | 4pm - 5pm This sung in-person service is open to all. More Info

Blessing of the Bicycles Join the Cathedral for the 27th annual Blessing of the Bicycles! All bikers, skaters, scooter-riders, and users of self-propelled vehicles are welcome, along with all who share the road. More Info

CCC CLOTHING CLOSET  Tuesdays and Wednesdays | 10AM-12PM | Town Building The Clothing Closet distributes emergency clothing through the Nutrition, Health, and Clothing Center, and also provides workplace-appropriate clothing for individuals returning to the workforce. Persons seeking professional clothing must have a referral from an agency familiar with their employment search. Clothing distribution is free of charge and based on availability, and clients can obtain clothing once per month. Identification is required. The Clothing Closet accepts donations of gently-used, freshly-laundered clothing. Donations can be dropped off at the Cathedral from Monday-Friday, 9AM-4PM CCC SUNDAY SOUP KITCHEN  Sundays | 10AM-3PM | Town Building With no eligibility restrictions, meal services are offered to all without regard to age, gender, race, income, or denominational affiliation. Sunday Soup Kitchen meals consist of a healthy, diverse menu that includes fresh produce, a wide variety of meat/proteins, and low-salt, heart-healthy food options. Food Pantry Monday, Thursday, Friday | 9AM-5PM | Town Building Tuesday & Wednesday | 12PM-5PM | Town Building Anyone is welcome to walk in for shelf stable items, produce (when available) and an array of items from our common refrigerator. Health First: A Plentiful Pantry This CCC partnership with PLENTIFUL makes it possible for clients to go online and register to receive an assortment of shelf stable goods, hygiene products and cleaning products (that are not allowed to be purchased with food stamps), produce (when available), fresh breads/rolls/bagels and meat or poultry. Anyone is welcome to register at Go to app.plentifulapp.com. FIND RESTAURANTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH OUR WEBSITE BLOOMINGDALERESTAURANTS.NYC Restaurants in the Neighborhood Copyright @ 2024 Columbus Amsterdam BID, All rights reserved. Our email address is: info@columbusamsterdambid.org

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