FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UNC/HISPANIC LEADERS TO PRESENT PLANS FOR PATAKI

UNIONDALE, NY -- July 8, 2001 -- Gov. George E. Pataki will join the Uniondale community for an afternoon of buns, burgers, and blueprints on Sunday, July 8th at the Uniondale Neighborhood Center, 800 Jerusalem Ave.

UNC will present designs for a new community center to the governor and the general public next Sunday at 800 Jerusalem Ave. The proposed structure, which has an estimated cost of $6.6 million, will house a clinic, a childcare center, as well as job training, and recreational programs. The governor, who will be making stops around the Island this weekend, will have an opportunity to view the plans and hear more about the project from UNC’s leaders.

“We welcome Governor Pataki to Uniondale,” said Angel Mejias, UNC’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “It’s a privilege to be able to show him what we’ve been working on here for the past few years.”

The community center project has been in the pipeline since UNC’s inception in 1987, but piecemeal funding for the costly plan has long hindered the group’s progress. Fundraising efforts are again in full swing this year, as UNC’s leaders struggle to meet the $6.6 million mark.

“The center is a place Uniondale really needs to occupy our teenagers and harness the talents and energy of our community,” said David Greaves, UNC’s Treasurer.

“Maybe the governor is our seven million dollar man,” he said.

Representatives from the Uniondale Hispanic Civic Association, the Coordinating Agency of Spanish Affairs (C.A.S.A), L.I. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Uniondale Community Council, Nostrand Gardens Civic Association, Nassau County University Medical Center, YMCA, Uniondale Early Childhood Center, Auxiliary Police and Fire Departments, and other local community groups will also be on hand to lend their support for the project.

The Uniondale Neighborhood Center is a community-based non-profit organization.

-Christopher Greaves, Public Relations

CONTACT:
Angel L. Mejias, President/CEO, Uniondale Neighborhood Center, Inc.
800 Jerusalem Avenue, Uniondale, NY 11553
Daytime: (516) 571-3489
Evening: (516) 486-7890