This Is Your Oscar Moment!

On December 5, caretakers filled the break room at Woodside Houses to recognize the achievement of one of their own: Maria Campos, who has strived to make the development a home to be proud of for the past 17 years.

“This is your Oscar moment!” proclaimed Joey Koch, NYCHA’s Chief of Staff, as she presented Ms. Campos the 2019 John DeCarlo Memorial Award, named after a caretaker who lost his life at Brooklyn’s Marlboro Houses in July 1997. “For 20 years we have been honoring the memory of John DeCarlo,” Ms. Koch continued. “He put residents front and center and coached staff to make a difference. Maria Campos takes after him.”

Kevin German, the Woodside Houses superintendent who nominated Ms. Campos, emphasized the importance of providing great service to residents and extolled Ms. Campos’s personal character: “Maria is not only a good worker who helps everyone, but she does it with dignity and integrity, without looking for praise or attention.”

The day was also an occasion to recognize the efforts of the entire custodial staff. “We are also here to celebrate all of you for making Woodside Houses a great place,” said Yvette Andino, Director of Employee Engagement, to deep applause from the 30 attendees, which included Woodside Houses Resident Association President Ann Cotton Morris and Cesar Gonzalez, Acting Director of the Queens/Staten Island Property Management Department, who began his 33-year NYCHA career as a caretaker.

The next day, across the East River at Manhattan’s Straus Houses, Caretaker Jason Flores received his John DeCarlo runner-up certificate from General Manager Vito Mustaciuolo, who underscored the larger purpose of the award: “There are no winners or losers here. I say that from experience. I’ve worked for the City for 37 years and have visited many developments, including Marlboro Houses where John DeCarlo worked. The first and last person I met is the caretaker. The same is true here. This award is for everyone in this room.”

Mr. Flores has worked at Straus Houses since 2014 and serves as the development’s shop steward and safety coordinator. “In that short time,” said his supervisor Devon Wilson, who nominated him for the award, “Jason became widely known for his humanity and deep concern for others. In life, we have people we depend on. Everyone knows Jason is one of those.”

“Jason treats everyone like family,” said Mildred Aviles, Straus Houses Property Manager. “And we see this as a family award, because we have a great staff.”