We love the opportunity to revisit past BronxWorks stories and share updates on our past participants’ success. Crisbelly Contreras was a part of BronxWorks Children & Youth after-school programs and returned to BronxWorks as a Program Assistant in our SNAP-Ed Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention program.

In 2012, for our 40th Anniversary, we highlighted Crisbelly’s family. She and her two brothers came up through BronxWorks after-school and summer camp programs at 1130 Grand Concourse. Her mother, Cristina, was a working single mother who relied on BronxWorks as a “safe place” for her children. She spoke to us about how she loved the BronxWorks staff and programming, saying she felt that, “This environment is good for them…I see the difference!”

Crisbelly, who started attending programs at age 7 in 2004, spoke about how at BronxWorks she learned moral values like “respect, responsibility, and caring”. She also recognized how frequently the staff integrated the themes of “Going Green” and making healthy food and beverage choices into the programming. She says today, “The programs were definitely good for me. I have really fond memories of going camping, going to Coney Island every year, Santa coming to visit, swimming, making smoothies and much more. It felt great to be in a space where I was able to make friends, learn and still have fun during after school and summer camp. My brothers also expressed to me how much fun they had.”

Crisbelly joined BronxWorks as a summer camp counselor in 2017, achieving one of her childhood dreams. “Since I was a kid, I always knew I wanted to work for BronxWorks when I became an adult. It was one of my dream jobs to work as a summer camp counselor!” She came back in 2022 to join the SNAP-Ed program full time. In her work as a program assistant, she goes out into the community and offers nutrition education classes along with her peers that focus on the MyPlate nutrition plan and how to cook healthy meals on a budget.

“Working for BronxWorks again as a Nutrition Assistant was definitely influenced by everything I learned while being a participant here,” she says. “I learned the importance of eating healthy and being active at a very young age and understood the importance of sharing that information to my community because of BW. It feels like such a full circle moment to be able to assist in nutrition workshops and create healthy living content to share with my community today.” Crisbelly also manages the BronxWorks Healthy & Livable Mott Haven social media accounts, crafting messages that go out into the community to further the message of SNAP-Ed.

In addition to her work with the SNAP-Ed department Crisbelly is also a co-chair of the BronxWorks LGBTQ+ Committee, a group of staff members from across the organization dedicated to ensuring BronxWorks is an open, welcoming, and affirming environment for LGBTQ+ service recipients, staff, and the community. She says, “I decided to become co-chair of the BronxWorks LGBTQ+ Committee because I wanted to continue to support my communities in different ways. I love that BronxWorks has different committees that help support and inform staff members on a variety of things.”

Folks like Crisbelly who return to BronxWorks after being a participant are evidence of the large impact BronxWorks has had on the Bronx over the past 50 years. Meet some more of our incredible staff and read more stories like this.

To see the original story written for our 40th Anniversary, click here.

We love the opportunity to revisit past BronxWorks stories and share updates on our past participants’ success. Crisbelly Contreras was a part of BronxWorks Children & Youth after-school programs and returned to BronxWorks as a Program Assistant in our SNAP-Ed Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention program.

In 2012, for our 40th Anniversary, we highlighted Crisbelly’s family. She and her two brothers came up through BronxWorks after-school and summer camp programs at 1130 Grand Concourse. Her mother, Cristina, was a working single mother who relied on BronxWorks as a “safe place” for her children. She spoke to us about how she loved the BronxWorks staff and programming, saying she felt that, “This environment is good for them…I see the difference!”

Crisbelly, who started attending programs at age 7 in 2004, spoke about how at BronxWorks she learned moral values like “respect, responsibility, and caring”. She also recognized how frequently the staff integrated the themes of “Going Green” and making healthy food and beverage choices into the programming. She says today, “The programs were definitely good for me. I have really fond memories of going camping, going to Coney Island every year, Santa coming to visit, swimming, making smoothies and much more. It felt great to be in a space where I was able to make friends, learn and still have fun during after school and summer camp. My brothers also expressed to me how much fun they had.”

Crisbelly joined BronxWorks as a summer camp counselor in 2017, achieving one of her childhood dreams. “Since I was a kid, I always knew I wanted to work for BronxWorks when I became an adult. It was one of my dream jobs to work as a summer camp counselor!” She came back in 2022 to join the SNAP-Ed program full time. In her work as a program assistant, she goes out into the community and offers nutrition education classes along with her peers that focus on the MyPlate nutrition plan and how to cook healthy meals on a budget.

“Working for BronxWorks again as a Nutrition Assistant was definitely influenced by everything I learned while being a participant here,” she says. “I learned the importance of eating healthy and being active at a very young age and understood the importance of sharing that information to my community because of BW. It feels like such a full circle moment to be able to assist in nutrition workshops and create healthy living content to share with my community today.” Crisbelly also manages the BronxWorks Healthy & Livable Mott Haven social media accounts, crafting messages that go out into the community to further the message of SNAP-Ed.

In addition to her work with the SNAP-Ed department Crisbelly is also a co-chair of the BronxWorks LGBTQ+ Committee, a group of staff members from across the organization dedicated to ensuring BronxWorks is an open, welcoming, and affirming environment for LGBTQ+ service recipients, staff, and the community. She says, “I decided to become co-chair of the BronxWorks LGBTQ+ Committee because I wanted to continue to support my communities in different ways. I love that BronxWorks has different committees that help support and inform staff members on a variety of things.”

Folks like Crisbelly who return to BronxWorks after being a participant are evidence of the large impact BronxWorks has had on the Bronx over the past 50 years. Meet some more of our incredible staff and read more stories like this.

To see the original story written for our 40th Anniversary, click here.

Our organization would not have thrived for the past 50 years without some incredibly dedicated staff. During our last milestone in honor of our 40th Anniversary, we recognized retiring Clerical Aide Kathryn Speller for her lifelong dedication to public service. Now 90 years young, Ms. Speller continues to advocate for young women in the Bronx and children & youth in any way she can.

Ms. Speller spent her life dedicated to the people of the Bronx. She moved her family to the borough from Harlem in 1968 in the midst of public school desegregation and then spent time working for the NYC Department of Health Bureau of Pest Control, where she became their union representative, kicking off a long career of advocacy. She later worked at her Community Board, and it was during those years she became very familiar with BronxWorks, then called Citizens Advice Bureau or CAB. She developed a close relationship with then-Executive Director Carolyn McLaughlin.

Ms. Speller says today, “When I was on the community board, Carolyn was our go-to person. CAB was the only agency doing what they do in the Bronx when we were recovering from the days of the Bronx burning in the 1970s.” She remembers when the Morris Senior Center in her community was under threat to close, saying, “The community was having a meeting that they were going to close the senior center, and everyone said ‘No, we’re going to Citizens Advice Bureau’. Carolyn went to the board and got the proposal to run the center. No matter what we asked Carolyn and CAB to do, they at the very least looked into it and frequently got answers to the questions and problems we had.”

Shortly after retiring from her job at the Community Board, she reached out to Carolyn and joined Citizens Advice Bureau in 1996, working for our organization for 16 years. Looking back on her time as an employee, she remembers current Executive Director Eileen Torres when she first joined the organization. “I remember Eileen, I came to work here when she was just finishing law school. Just to see what this young lady has done since she became the Executive Director of such a great organization, I’m so proud of her. Her leadership has been so fantastic.”

She also sends a message to all the staff of BronxWorks: “I wish everyone at BronxWorks a happy 50th Anniversary. Keep doing what you’re doing, helping the community from the young people to the old people. Here’s to another 50 years.”

The success and longevity of our agency is due to all the thoughtful, dedicated, and amazing staff, like Ms. Speller, who have come through these doors. Meet some more of our incredible staff and read more stories like this.

To see the original story written for our 40th Anniversary, click here.

Our organization would not have thrived for the past 50 years without some incredibly dedicated staff. During our last milestone in honor of our 40th Anniversary, we recognized retiring Clerical Aide Kathryn Speller for her lifelong dedication to public service. Now 90 years young, Ms. Speller continues to advocate for young women in the Bronx and children & youth in any way she can.

Ms. Speller spent her life dedicated to the people of the Bronx. She moved her family to the borough from Harlem in 1968 in the midst of public school desegregation and then spent time working for the NYC Department of Health Bureau of Pest Control, where she became their union representative, kicking off a long career of advocacy. She later worked at her Community Board, and it was during those years she became very familiar with BronxWorks, then called Citizens Advice Bureau or CAB. She developed a close relationship with then-Executive Director Carolyn McLaughlin.

Ms. Speller says today, “When I was on the community board, Carolyn was our go-to person. CAB was the only agency doing what they do in the Bronx when we were recovering from the days of the Bronx burning in the 1970s.” She remembers when the Morris Senior Center in her community was under threat to close, saying, “The community was having a meeting that they were going to close the senior center, and everyone said ‘No, we’re going to Citizens Advice Bureau’. Carolyn went to the board and got the proposal to run the center. No matter what we asked Carolyn and CAB to do, they at the very least looked into it and frequently got answers to the questions and problems we had.”

Shortly after retiring from her job at the Community Board, she reached out to Carolyn and joined Citizens Advice Bureau in 1996, working for our organization for 16 years. Looking back on her time as an employee, she remembers current Executive Director Eileen Torres when she first joined the organization. “I remember Eileen, I came to work here when she was just finishing law school. Just to see what this young lady has done since she became the Executive Director of such a great organization, I’m so proud of her. Her leadership has been so fantastic.”

She also sends a message to all the staff of BronxWorks: “I wish everyone at BronxWorks a happy 50th Anniversary. Keep doing what you’re doing, helping the community from the young people to the old people. Here’s to another 50 years.”

The success and longevity of our agency is due to all the thoughtful, dedicated, and amazing staff, like Ms. Speller, who have come through these doors. Meet some more of our incredible staff and read more stories like this.

To see the original story written for our 40th Anniversary, click here.