A Beacon of Hope For Students | Mike Bloomberg

We've been told that Mine Builders is an oasis in the Bronx. Mine Builders is located in an area that was designated by the city as a cultural desert, but it's a very, very vibrant community. It's a special place for arts education, but to also support and help each other. We have classes in various types of musical instruments, theater program for teens and young adults, a community folk culture program. We put our heads together to look at how to keep students motivated, how to help them get through some of the adolescent challenges. It's like a community center. It's like a beacon. I can't tell you how many staff meetings we spend where we will dedicate half the staff meeting to a student that may be a great dancer, may be a great musician. If they're having some problems in that home or school that we've seen, we try to target to see how we can help. This is a tremendous financial catastrophe for everyone, but it's also quite a upheaval in the normal pace of life, the learning and the kind of support and collaboration that MindBuilders offer for students and families. The New York City COVID fund has been a true lifesaver for MindBuilders Creative Arts Center and for our hundreds and hundreds of students, families, and staff. No other way that I can think that we would have been able to transform our classes into totally free, live, online, remote classes. I absolutely put out a call to all in New York and beyond to donate to the COVID fund, overcoming this disaster and its effects in the lives of so many in our communities, families, and country.