New York Communities for Change held its 17th annual gala on May 14 at Cafe Erzulie, 894 Broadway, on the Bushwick edge of North Brooklyn, using the fundraiser to honor a youth climate organizer and a former city councilmember the group credits with major affordable-housing and emissions wins, according to the advocacy organization.
The grassroots group, which goes by NYCC, said the 6 p.m. event doubled as a benefit for its organizing work across North Brooklyn and the rest of New York, a portfolio it described as spanning affordable housing, climate justice and community safety. NYCC said the evening also recognized local leaders it considers central to that work.
One of the night’s honorees was Keanu Arpels-Josiah, a youth climate justice organizer affiliated with Fridays for Future NYC, whom NYCC named as the recipient of its “King” George Finley Award. The organization framed the award as a celebration of local climate justice efforts and of a prominent young activist, tying the recognition to its broader push to build community power and counter what it called corporate influence in city neighborhoods.
NYCC also honored Costa Constantinides, whom it described as a longtime community advocate and former member of the New York City Council. Constantinides, now CEO of the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens, is leading a re-imagined clubhouse in Astoria for which state officials have committed capital funding, including $5 million from New York State announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The 14-story, $300 million project aims to expand youth programming to 16,000 children a year and to include more than 200 affordable housing units.
NYCC further credited Constantinides as the lead sponsor of the Climate Mobilization Act, the package the City Council passed in 2019 and which has been described as the largest single carbon-reduction effort any city anywhere has put forward.
NYCC, which had promoted the gala for weeks leading up to the date, said the proceeds would support its continued advocacy and organizing in neighborhoods including North Brooklyn. The group sold tickets and solicited donations through its own channels ahead of the event.
