{"id":207581,"date":"2026-04-23T19:46:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/207581\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T19:46:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:46:08","slug":"bronx-organizations-take-center-stage-at-nycs-2026-mayoral-service-recognition-ceremony-bronx-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/207581\/","title":{"rendered":"Bronx organizations take center stage at NYC\u2019s 2026 Mayoral Service Recognition ceremony \u2013 Bronx Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Chief Service Officer Laura Rog presented the honors as part of NYC Service\u2019s annual Mayoral Service Recognition Program<\/a> Tuesday night at Gracie Mansion, which drew a record 171 nominations this year and more than 3,500 public votes. <\/p>\n

The Bronx was well-represented among the winners, scoring two awards \u2014 Partnership Impact Award and the Americorps Alum Award \u2014 out of five awards.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight\u2019s awardees remind us what\u2019s possible when we act with purpose and solidarity,\u201d Mayor Mamdani said.\n<\/p>\n

Part of the Solution<\/a> (POTS) and Fordham Preparatory School earned the 2026 Partnership Impact Award by joining forces to deliver food and hygiene kits to Bronx families in need.<\/p>\n

Fordham Prep students mobilized their community to raise $142,000 in food and donations for POTS, and assembled more than 600 hygiene kits for Bronx families through POTS\u2019 Dignity & Wellness Program, which provides free showers, haircuts and access to medical and dental services.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, when we had the SNAP crisis, Fordham Prep stepped up,\u201d said Angria Messam, Head of Volunteer and Partnerships at POTS, referring to a period when many Bronx residents struggled to access their food stamp benefits. \u201cWe had more clients coming to us for food because they weren\u2019t able to access their SNAP benefits. Fordham Prep\u2019s response through the Ignatian Challenge really helped during that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Great Ignatian Challenge<\/a>, a food drive in which Fordham Prep competes against other Jesuit schools nationally, became the engine for the fundraising effort. Abby MacLean Pochiraju, Fordham Prep\u2019s Director of Christian Service and Sustainability, said the school\u2019s senior students led the charge, driven by more than just competitiveness.<\/p>\n

\"\"Community leaders gathered at the reception ahead of the Awards ceremony at Gracie Mansion. Photo by Carol Chen<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a Catholic Jesuit school, so loving thy neighbor and serving others is a huge part of our mission,\u201d she explained. \u201cOur service program has existed for over 30 years. It culminates in a 70-hour senior service project, where students volunteer at a designated organization, oftentimes POTS and take a class alongside it to reflect on why civic engagement matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Messam, the award felt like a validation of what cross-sector partnership can accomplish. \u201cNonprofits can\u2019t do it alone. There is more need than there are nonprofits addressing that need. By working together with community partners, we can have a much further reach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pochiraju admitted she did not even realize they\u2019d won until she got a call asking if she was free to come to Gracie Mansion. \u201cIt took me a minute. I was dumbfounded and shocked,\u201d she laughed. \u201cBut really, it\u2019s just a testament to our community and how we come together.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Fordham Preparatory Alumnus, Eric Ragone, who credited the school\u2019s service program with shaping his career, was also honored at the ceremony. He received the AmeriCorps Alum Impact Award for his work expanding medically tailored meal delivery at \u201cGod\u2019s Love We Deliver.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cFordham Prep is all about service,\u201d Ragone said. \u201cIt ingrained something important about character and giving back.\u201d Watching his former school receive an award on the same stage, he said, was an honor.<\/p>\n

\"\"Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Chief Program Officer and Laura Rog, the Chief Service Officer ag NYC Services awarding Eric Ragone the AmeriCorps Alum Impact Award.\u00a0Photo by Carol Chen<\/p>\n

Also representing the Bronx was the Bronx Defenders, recognized as a grantee of NYC Service\u2019s Civic Impact Fund<\/a>. Aleciah Anthony, Director of Community Engagement, explained that a $5,000 grant helped the public defense organization formalize its volunteer program \u2014 moving from informal engagement to a structured pipeline that recruited over 30 young people on school-to-prison pipeline advocacy work, and more than 100 volunteers for community events including a neighborhood dinner and block party.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes all of us to really build the Bronx,\u201d Anthony said. \u201cNYC Service has found ways to engage organizations who might not normally do service projects to really get in there and engage community.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an interview at the end of the evening, Chief Service Officer Rog congratulated the Bronx organizations for their show of solidarity and action. \u201cIt\u2019s the power of when people come together to say, we just want to get something done. And they figure it out step by step, bit by bit, until they\u2019re able to make these really large, long standing contributions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carol Chen is a student at the\u00a0Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n