RNH honors 50th Precinct as ‘Neighbor of the Year’

At Riverdale Neighborhood House’s (RNH) annual meeting on Jan. 29, Executive Director Dan Eudene recounted one reason his non-profit decided to name the 50th Precinct as RNH’s Neighbor of the Year. He said during the construction of the non-profit’s new Community and Teen Center, workers could leave at night knowing all their equipment and materials would be there in the morning.

“Neither we nor the contractors had to worry when we left the site each day,” Mr. Eudene said as he thanked Deputy Inspector Paul Rasa, the commanding officer of the 50th, Community Affairs Captain John Orellana and Community Affairs Officers Mindy Ramos and Steve Cordero.

“Mindy’s great. She often comes to check on our kids,” Mr. Eudene added.

RNH gives the Good Neighbor Award to organizations benefiting the public good. Previous winners include the Riverdale Nature Conservancy, which is dedicated to protecting the area’s natural features.

“On behalf of the 50th, I appreciate it,” said Deputy Inspector Rasa, who accepted the award. “It means a lot when we get recognized.”

“I remember coming by here last summer while the construction was still going on,” he continued. “It was good. We didn’t find any kids swimming in the pool when they weren’t supposed to.”

“I didn’t want to have to put a 12-year-old in handcuffs,” the deputy inspector joked.

At the end of his speech inside the Teen Center, in which RNH also named volunteer Argina Hossain as Teen of the Year, Mr. Eudene enthused that the “new building is almost ready for prime time.”