Jonathan McCrory, artistic director of the National Black Theatre, visited EastView in February to tell residents about upcoming events and programming and to offer them discounted tickets.  This esteemed cultural arts center is just four blocks from EastView.  Events like this are among dozens of activities offered to residents each month.

 New York State Assemblyman Robert J. Rodriguez (D-East Harlem) spoke to EastView residents in February about their new neighborhood and answered questions.  His talk was followed by a reception featuring Beef Wellington Puffs, Reuben Puffs, Crusted Shrimp and Mini Quiches.

EastView’s residents invited children from the community center’s after-school program to hear Swedish singer Eva Engman as she shared her country’s Santa Lucia tradition of bringing light at the darkest time of the year. Ms. Engman explained the origins of the feast, sang songs in Swedish, and led her audience in singing “Silent Night” in English after she had sung it in Swedish. Most residents said they had never experienced Santa Lucia and marveled at the beauty of the event. They said how much they appreciated experiencing it with the children, who delighted at the festivities. Residents also are grateful for the opportunity to tutor children in the after-school program or volunteer in the soup kitchen and other programs of the community center. This creative experiment of shared experience is the latest example of how The Salvation Army is Doing the Most Good.

EastView Independent Senior Living Complex, which opened in November 2019 in East Harlem, is an exciting new venture for The Salvation Army, combining a competitively priced senior residence with a community center in the same building. The two ventures have different entrances and functions, but together they offer the opportunity for shared experiences such as for this holiday celebration.