Left to right: Shradhanand Pirtam (President of VNNA), Bernadette Ferrara (Vice President of VNNA), Sisters of Saint John the Baptist, and Bob Nolan (Counsel of VNNA)
Basking in the afterglow of their fourth anniversary and the recent groundbreaking of the new Van Nest Park, Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance held their fourth Annual Fundraiser.
“Before we started this organization, Van Nest was getting from bad to worse with drugs, gangs, to loud music. People were getting frustrated and didn’t want to live here anymore.” said Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance President, Shradhanand Pirtam. “We have accomplished a lot in the past four years, like the expansion of Van Nest Park, food drives and fundraisers for members in need, to getting gangs and drugs off our streets.”
The night’s honorees were Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, Flowers and Bridal Boutique owner Maria Cruz, and the Sisters of Saint John the Baptist. When presenting Assemblyman Gjonaj, Bob Nolan (Counsel to Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance) described him and his family as family of the neighborhood. “He works very hard for our community. Any time anyone from the Van Nest community needed help, Mark or his staff would personally respond to us.” said Bob Nolan.
Left to right: Bernadette Ferrara (Vice President of VNNA), Shradhanand Pirtam (President of VNNA), Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, and Bob Nolan (Counsel of VNNA)
Born in the Dominican Republic, Maria Cruz, was another honoree of the night. Opening her first business in 1995, Flowers and Bridal Boutique on Morris Park, Ms. Cruz is a member of the Morris Park Association and has been a part of the community for 15 years. Ms. Cruz is a small Bronx based business in the Morris Park community that, has not only provided customers with great service, but has added a vibrant beauty to the neighborhood.
Left to right: Bob Nolan (Counsel of VNNA), Marie Santillana (sergeant at Arms of VNNA), Maria Cruz, Shradhanand Pirtam (President of VNNA), and Bernadette Ferrara (Vice President of VNNA).
The final honorees of the night were the Sister’s of Saint John the Baptist. Founded in 1878, the Sisters are a Roman Catholic religious community for women whose mission is to serve their communities through health care, pastoral activities, and education.
The Sisters of Saint John the Baptist have been an integral part of the Van Nest and Morris Park community since the opening of Saint Dominic School. After 59 years as a community staple the New York Archdiocese shut down Saint Dominic School, despite community protests, leaving students and the Sisters with an uncertain future.
“When walking into Saint Dominic’s, it was different than any other school because you had a sense of family, compassion, and you did walk out of there standing up very straight.” reminisced Vice President of Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance, Bernadette Ferrara.
Not to be outdone, Sr. Mary Cecile Swanton quipped, “We all came up here for one reason, the main reason is that we all are facing you to see that everyone is sitting up straight.”
Even though they have all settled into new schools, the Sisters described coming back to Van Nest as, “coming back home.”
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