Brooklyn’s Fifth Avenue Committee gets $3M boost to modernize its community hub
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) — Congressman Dan Goldman secured a $3 million grant for the Fifth Avenue Committee, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit organization, to upgrade its facilities and expand services for participants.
For Francisca Ramales, the inability to communicate with her son’s teachers during his early school years was a significant challenge.
“I couldn’t communicate with them,” Ramales said. “So I wanted to take classes. I didn’t want someone to tell me how my son was doing. I wanted to hear it directly.”
This need led Ramales to the Fifth Avenue Committee’s Adult Education Program. There, she found the support she needed to overcome the language barrier and unlock new opportunities.
“I started to come into English classes in 2004,” she recalled. “Then, little by little, I got better, and the teacher suggested I enroll in the GED classes.”
Ramales views the $3 million grant as an investment in the community’s future.
“It shows the Fifth Avenue Committee’s strong commitment to helping people improve their lives and achieve their goals,” she said.
Michelle De La Uz, the Executive Director of the Fifth Avenue Committee, elaborates on the grant’s impact.
“We’re going to do many different things,” she explained.
These improvements include:
Renovated office and classroom space
Dedicated space for a computer lab
Modernized elevator
Energy-efficient upgrades
The FAC Center for Community Development
The funds will be used to renovate the FAC Center for Community Development, a cornerstone of the Gowanus neighborhood for over 20 years. The upgraded facilities will directly benefit those enrolled in the organization’s:
Digital literacy programs
Remote learning services
ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes
GED (General Educational Development) program
“The whole concept of serving people remotely didn’t exist when this multi-service center was built,” De La Uz said. “We’re creating space that allows for that to happen in a way that also enables privacy.”
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Today, Ramales is a thriving college student at LaGuardia College, pursuing a degree in Bilingual Education. The recent grant strengthens the organization’s ability to support countless individuals like Ramales in pursuing a brighter future.
“It changed my life,” Ramales said. “Those English classes were just the beginning.”
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