Alliance for Coney Island holds event at Applebee’s

On December 17, the Alliance for Coney Island held an event for its members at the local Applebee’s, marking the holiday season and a year of achievement.

The organization is dedicated to improving Coney, both commercially and for its residents. “We work on improving both the residential side and quality of life for neighborhood as well as with amusements side,” said Johanna Zaki, director of operations. “We do series of events, such as the one at Applebee’s, to try to encourage member of community to learn about alliance and what we’re doing in the area.”

Representatives from the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce were on hand as well as local businesspeople, such as Dennis, Deno and Steve Vourderis, co-owners of Deno’s Wonder Wheel and Amusement Park. Dennis is also the chairperson of Alliance. “The night encouraged business members to come out network with other businesses in area and give them an opportunity to learn more,” said Zaki.

During the event, the alliance revealed its positive annual report, much to the delight of members. “They were very pleased with the annual report. We work very collaboratively with our members on initiatives for Coney Island, and there was a great feeling of accomplishment for everyone involved,” said Zaki. For instance, among the statistics shared was that Luna Park had welcomed over 850,000 visitors this past year.

The Alliance for Coney Island was founded a year ago, in the midst of Superstorm Sandy. Thus far, Zaki is pleased with its progress. “There’s been a lot done over the past year,” she said. The alliance played an integral role in Coney Recovers, a collection of local organizations which helped the community recover from the destruction caused by the storm.

The membership-based organization has also been involved in Coney Island employment initiatives. “Through our workforce development initiatives, the alliance partnered with many of the amusement stakeholders, and local outreach organizations, and was able to conduct workforce screenings for over 800 individuals, mostly local Coney residents, for jobs at places like the New York Aquarium, Luna Park, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, and Nathan’s Famous, among others,” said Zaki.

Two days following the event, the alliance announced that New York State had awarded the organization $225,000 in funding to support initiatives that drive tourism to the ‘Peoples Playground.’

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