Staff Spotlight: Chyanne Cooper, O’Dwyer Gardens

What’s your title, and how did you come to be at BCS?

I’m an office manager at O’Dwyer Gardens Cornerstones. I started off as an activity specialist in 2018, so I’ve been with the company for a little while now. I worked my way up from activity specialist to group leader, and now I’m an office manager.

How did you get that first position as an activity specialist? 

Before getting the job, I was a participant here. I used to come in here, and I used to have dance practice in the community center. And the director—I knew her from when I attended summer camps in the community and the after school program. Then, she was my school teacher. She asked me if I wanted the job, and I said, “Yeah!” and that’s how it started.

What does your average day at O’Dwyer look like?

I come in and make sure attendance is taken care of from the previous day. I assist the director with flyers, creating agendas for meetings, or anything with new hires. I do the monthly glass windows around here, so I paint the windows. I also pick up phone calls or make calls to parents and community members, just doing some outreach and letting them know any advice that we have. I also host our senior bingo every other Tuesday.

So at O’Dwyer you have seniors and children, is that right?

Yes, during the morning time, we’ll have some seniors, and then in the afternoon, that’s when we have our children from after school. 

Do you have relationships with many of the participants at the center?

Yes, very much. I definitely have bonds with the kids and some of the seniors as well. It’s really cool, and being the face of the center is kind of like—I’m the first thing you see when you come in, so I bring my smile. I welcome [participants] in, and it means a lot to them. And that means a lot to me, because it means, “Okay, we’re doing a really good job making you guys feel welcome and comfortable here.” 

What are the main events and activities that you host on a regular basis?

We were recently doing the food distribution. That was really a big thing to serve the community with free food, free perishable goods. I definitely loved doing that. Sometimes we will put out some clothes, and they may not be brand new, but they’re all clean, and people come to take them.

Are many of the participants at O’Dwyer local to the area, or do people come from all over Brooklyn? 

We have some participants that don’t live in Coney Island, but most of our participants are from the neighborhood. 

What are some of the hurdles you’ve had to overcome in this position?

I’m a shy person, so just speaking in front of people is one thing. I’ve had to  grow into that, but I’m comfortable with doing that now because it’s part of the job. [The participants] make me feel good, so I’m not really shy around these people anymore. They make it easy to open up. It’s like a community or family. 

What are your favorite parts of your job? 

Honestly, everything. I love that I’m able to have some creativity, and with the kids, I’ve grown so many bonds. It’s always hard when they grow out of the center, even when I know it’s coming. 

What happens when they grow out of the center? 

It’s bittersweet. It’s like, “You’ve been here for so long, we’re gonna miss you!” But then it’s good, because they get to grow and do other things. We even have some participants that may come back just to say hey. 

I was going to ask—do you keep in touch with many of them?

Yeah, I see a lot of them within the community. I live in Coney Island, so I may see some in passing, and it’s really good to see that they remember me. It’s a positive mark.

Are there any things that you’ve learned along the way, whether about yourself, the community, or the work itself?

I would say learning how to balance a lot of tasks and duties. There’s a lot of things you may have to get done, but you learn how to prioritize certain things while still assisting staff members or the kids with whatever they need. It’s about not forgetting that we are all here as a team. My communication has definitely gotten better, too, 

How big is your team at O’Dwyer?

I think it’s about six. We are small, and our site is small, but we do what we can to cover each other and make sure that we’re all there for each other. The most important thing is knowing that we have each other’s backs.