By ABC7 

     

For over 20 years, ABC7 has honored amazing tri-state area students, teachers, administrators and programs whose accomplishments go "Above and Beyond" in the classroom. This year’s honorees are composed of two teachers and three organizations that have made significant positive differences in their communities. One of the honorees includes Ms. Good Jean Lau, from P.S.1 in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

     

Good Jean Lau is the P.E. teacher at P.S. 1 and has over 25 years of experience teaching in the NYC public school system, yet still shows up to school each day with the same vigor and enthusiasm that she had on her first day of teaching. Through her involvement with the New York Runners Mighty Milers program, she has engaged 2,000+ students and motivated them to run 80,000+ miles. 

   

To read more about ABC7's honorees and watch video interviews, please click HERE. (Ms. Lau's interview starts around 4-minute mark.)

   

  

Manhattan Week: Chinatown's Jewelry One Of Borough's Best-Kept Secrets - NY1

(Click Image Above to Watch the NY1 Video)

Chinatown's jewelry district is one of the oldest in the city, yet to many, it's a hidden gem. The community is working to polish its image. NY1's Shazia Khan filed the following report as part of Manhattan Week. 

Jeweler Dennis Dalton says it's a shame, given what he says are the area's better prices and rich history. "This is one of the original jewelry districts here in New York," he says. "The area actually goes back to the '30s. When you came down here, this place was really jumping back then."

  

Today, businesses owners and community leaders are working to  

reclaim that luster. "We feel by re-branding the area, it would get the popularity it once had," says Dimas Vargas, a property manager with the NY Jewelry Exchange.

  

Wellington Chen, executive director of the Chinatown Partnership, says one of the first steps is to market the district as a reputable one. "One of the things that we need to establish is the credibility," he says. "I think there is the loss of that recognition. This is real."

Increasing security is also on the agenda. There is talk of putting a marquis sign on the corner of Hester and Bowery to distinguish the area, not unlike what the Diamond District has.

  

With the city's marriage bureau just blocks away, community leaders are also looking to evoke the more romantic side of Chinatown to attract customers.  "If you're getting married, you obviously need to buy a piece of jewelry," Chen says. "We would like to connect that with the Little Italy outdoor cafes, with the banquet halls of Chinatown."  With a proposal like that, it's hard to not say "I do."

  

To read the FULL original article please click HERE.    

 

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Bowery & Canal Street Jewelry District  

Like the development of the city itself, the first jewelry district was downtown. The stores around Bowery and Canal Street still comprise the city's second largest jewelry district, and many of the shops have withstood the test of time. The only things behind the times are the prices.

  

Panelists involved with the 1982 Chinatown Garment Strike gathered together on Thursday, June 28, 2012, at the Museum of Chinese in America, to reminisce about that historic moment’s effect 30 years ago to Chinatown and the labor movement.

  

In 1982, tens of thousands of workers, mostly immigrant women, worked in union garment factories in and around Canal Street in Chinatown. That summer, with union contract negotiations blocked by a small group of Chinatown employers, 20,000 workers flooded the streets to demand a fair contract. Following the historic strike, Chinese immigrant workers became new leaders and activists in the union. The 1982 strike transformed the image of Chinese immigrant women workers and wrote a new page of community and labor history.

   

Video of Chinese and English Panels Available Online HERE.

  

  

When:

What: 

Uncover the history of one of New York City's oldest neighborhoods! This walking tour focuses on how everyday buildings and places of historical significance reflect and shape a community from its origins as a Native American village of Werpoes Hill in 1600 to one of the fastest growing immigrant communities of present day New York City. Highlighted sites include the oldest row house in Manhattan, a Catholic church, the oldest general store in Chinatown and a Chinese eatery that catered to the needs of Chinatown's turn-of-the-century "bachelor society."

 

Cost: 

Fee (does not include gallery admission): $15/adult; $12/student & senior; $8/MOCA member; Free for children under 5

 

For more information, and to reserve tickets, please visit:

www.mocanyc.org/visit/tours/walking_tours

  

A seven-week cultural enrichment program for children ages 3 ½ -10.

DATES
July 9th - August 24th

HOURS (typical day)
-  9:15am-9:30am Drop off
-  9:30am-10:30am Chinese dance
-  10:30am-11:30am Gymnastics/Acrobatics
- 11:30am-12:00pm Lunch
- 12:00pm-1:00pm Chinese
language
- 1:00pm-2:00pm Arts & crafts or singing

For more info, please see their BROCHURE or visit their WEBSITE. 

The CPC Walkathon & Family Day showcases diverse cultures and social service needs of New York City's three largest Chinese-American communities: the Lower East Side, Manhattan; Sunset Park, Brooklyn and Flushing, Queens. When:
9AM, Sunday, July 22, 2012

Where:
Columbus Park (Corner of Mulberry St. & Bayard St., Chinatown, NYC)

See More Info 

New York City opens cooling centers in air-conditioned public facilities for those experiencing physical discomfort in a heat wave.

National Weather Service has forecasts heat index to exceed 95 degrees this weekend. New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) will open cooling centers in all five boroughs beginning tomorrow that will remain open through Sunday. 5 of which are located within or near Chinatown.

- 280 Cherry Street
- 192 East Broadway
- 200 Madison Street
- 33 East Broadway
- 30 Delancey Street


NOTE: Please check their site periodically. Cooling centers may change hours of operation.  

Wednesday, July 11th 2012