STAR OF BROOKLYN: Louis Trimboli

Louis Trimboli – President of the 62nd Precinct CommunityCouncil, Team Chief at the Community Emergency Response Team

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Trimboli first got involved at the 62ndPrecinct Community Council as a representative for Our Lady ofGuadalupe Parish in the late 1970s. He was struck by how effectivethe meetings were as a forum for local activism. I found it to bean excellent vehicle to resolve the quality-of-life issues I wastalking about, he said. With experience at 40 different communityorganizations under his belt, it is the community council that hehas continued to work with for the last 25 years. He says theassistance he offers his community is its own reward. You have theability really to help people, he said. You’re out there workingwith police. According to Trimboli, the organization has been ableto make major inroads in improving the quality-of-life in theneighborhood.

PERSONAL: Married for 37 years, Trimboli and his wife have a33-year-old daughter. After being born and raised in Park Slope, hemoved to southwest Brooklyn in the 1960s and has lived here eversince. He says the area is a hotbed for local organizations thatmakes it ideal for people looking to get their start in communityactivism, a trait he credits to the big hearts of the locals.Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst – if you want to volunteer, if you want tomake a difference, these are the perfect communities to plant yourseeds, Trimboli said.

BIGGEST CHALLENGE: The biggest challenge that you confront as acommunity [activist] is, as soon as you think you have somethingresolved, another problem crops up, Trimboli explained. However hesays he relishes the work he does, even when it’s hard. I don’tview it as a burden, because everything you’re doing, these thingsare helping people, he said.

INSPIRATION: Trimboli says he draws his inspiration from seeingthe positive effects of the work he does. I’m a person who likesto see things change, he said. And if you’re sitting around athome, you’re not going to change the world. And while he remainsmodest about his ability to effect widespread change, he keeps hisfocus planted firmly in his own neighborhood where he feels he canmake a difference. There’s just a lot of need out there, Trimbolisaid. And while I know I can’t change the world, in my littlecorner of Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst, maybe there are people I canhelp.