Reyna honored by Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow

Youth services group cites deputy borough president's commitment to teens

June 12, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Diana Reyna was honored for her admirable work.

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Deputy Borough President Diana Reyna was cited for her commitment to young people by the leaders of the non-profit group Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT), who gave Eric Adams’s second-in-command their Community Leadership Award at a recent dinner at Battery Gardens in Manhattan.

OBT, a non-profit group that helps teens and young adults get their lives back on track, also presented its Corporate Leadership Award to Domenick A. Cama, senior vice president and COO of Investors Bank.

The dinner, OBT’s Third Annual Summer Soiree and Silent Auction, also served as a fundraiser for the Sunset Park-based organization. OBT offers education and job training programs for high school dropouts and others.

Fox 5 News reporter Kerry Drew emceed the evening. More than 250 guests attended the dinner, including council members Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park-Red Hook) and Antonio Reynoso (D-Bushwick).

“Diana Reyna has been a champion for the disadvantaged youth and their families throughout Brooklyn,” said OBT CEO Randy Peers. “Her unwavering dedication to promoting opportunity for some of the Borough’s most vulnerable populations is a true testament to her leadership and commitment.”

In her acceptance speech, Reyna noted that OBT has expanded its programs beyond Sunset Park and into other neighborhoods. She also said that she has worked with OBT-trained interns in the past.

“Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow is a stabilizing anchor upon which thousands of families in North Brooklyn have come to rely. OBT’s unique integrated model builds accountability, discipline, and confidence, which helps our neighbors recognize their full potential. I’ve had the tremendous opportunity of working with their empowered youth, who have been instrumental in the productivity of my office. Borough President Eric Adams and I applaud Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow for being an essential part of One Brooklyn, and we look forward to our continued relationship,” Reyna said.

Cama was given the Corporate Leadership Award for his focus on corporate social responsibility and active involvement in the communities that Investors serves, according to OBT.

OBT board member Vincent Chirico, who also serves on the board of Investors Bank, said Cama was an outstanding honoree. “Domenick Cama’s history as a Brooklyn native, and his enduring personal devotion to our local communities, is an inspiration to OBT and to our mutual commitment to provide lifelong opportunities to young adults everywhere,” he said.

Cama praised the work done by OBT, calling it, “one of the most effective programs that I have seen to help the disadvantaged in our neighborhoods believe in their own self-worth and advance towards self-sufficiency and financial security.”

The dinner was successful in exceeding OBT’s previous record of donations of over $90,000, according to OBT leaders. The event also marked the fundraising launch for OBT’s sixth location in the Bronx.

“As an organization that has its roots in Sunset Park and is expanding to the Bronx, Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow continues to provide great advocacy for youth through their workforce programs, and I am proud to work closely with them,” Menchaca said.