Photo courtesy of Miriam Quiñones
An early toy drive, ahead of the holiday season, was organized by new, nonprofit community group, Berry Awesome Blossom Empowered Sisters (B.A.B.E.S.) on Friday, Nov. 19 in Throggs Neck. The group, who say they don’t yet have a website or social media presence, said they were pleased with the success of the first Christmas toy drive for underserved, Bronx children, which was held at Bridges, located at 4100 East Tremont Avenue.
According to B.A.B.E.S. members, Maribel Mercado, Regina Padilla, Betsy Torres, Emily Toro, Miriam Quiñones (Norwood News photographer) and Alicia Rodriquez, the community very much appreciated everyone who made the effort to participate in what was described as a fun, rewarding event, which included raffle donations by Mary Kay, Paparazzi, Team no Sleep, Betsy Torres, Emily Toro, Regina Padilla, Maribel Mercado, Miriam Quiñones, and Alicia Rodriguez.
In total, some 155 toys were collected and $368 was gathered in donations to purchase more toys for local kids. Performers also donated their services on the day, entertaining the guests and getting everyone dancing and singing.
Flyer courtesy of B.A.B.E.S.
Performers included Soundboy, Ariel Cartagena, Kenny Supreme, and Frankie Allday. DJ Josh C was also on hand to spin some discs.
The group’s members are made up of residents from the Norwood vicinity, Burnside Avenue, Morrisania and Throggs Neck and they say their target area is the whole Brronx. Mercado told the Norwood News, “For the toys, we donated 200 toys to the 42nd precinct, and we will get together for a toy giveaway on December 15 at the precinct.”
Asked why the group chose Morrisania as their target area, she said it was because the group feels the area is undeserved. “I live in the Morrisania area, and there is not much going on in this community,” she said. “There are many shelters around, and there should be more going on.”
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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