[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24410]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE EIGHTH AVENUE SENIOR CENTER'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY 
                              CELEBRATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. NYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 8, 2003

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the floor of the U.S. 
House of Representatives to recognize the 10h anniversary of the 
Brooklyn Chinese-American Association's Eighth Avenue Senior Center.
  As part of the tradition, this very special anniversary will be 
marked by millennial tables, which seat twelve seniors, each with a 
combined age of over 1,000 years. It is anticipated that over 2,000 
senior members will be in attendance at this year's celebration to be 
held in a local Brooklyn restaurant.
  The Eighth Avenue Senior Center is part of the Brooklyn Chinese-
American Association (BCA), which was founded in 1987 as a community-
based social services agency to meet the growing needs of the Asian-
American community in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Sunset Park, 
Borough Park, and Bay Ridge.
  Now BCA has developed into a community development organization with 
centers along Eighth Avenue for employment training, day care, youth 
and cultural activities, and the senior center, which celebrates its 
decade-long existence this month. Combined, the BCA's facilities make 
our Brooklyn neighborhoods better, safer, more vibrant places to live.
  Over the past 10 years, the Eighth Avenue Senior Center has provided 
critical services to Brooklyn's senior community. This includes 
providing meals, bilingual information, English and citizenship 
classes, health services and recreational activities. The Eighth Avenue 
Senior Center is now a cornerstone of our community, and will continue 
to be for many decades to come.

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