LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending Madeline Castillo upon the occasion of
her designation as the Woman of the Year at the Shorefront Club's Annual
Awards Dinner Dance on March 26, 2009

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend individuals who distinguish themselves in their profession and
in service to their community; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and fully in accord with its long-
standing traditions, it is the intent of this Legislative Body to
commend Madeline Castillo, Astella Development Corporation Housing
Specialist, upon the occasion of her designation as the Woman of the
Year at the Shorefront Club's Annual Awards Dinner Dance, to be held at
Gargiulo's Restaurant in Brooklyn on March 26, 2009; and
WHEREAS, In the late 1980s and early 1990s, prior to 1994, when she
went to work for the Astella Development Corporation, Madeline Castillo
volunteered and worked for the Cypress Hills Local Development Corpo-
ration and the St. Nick's Neighborhood Preservation Corporation; and
WHEREAS, Since 1994, Madeline Castillo has been the Housing Specialist
at Astella Development Corporation, a not-for-profit organization in
Coney Island; people enter Astella's door virtually all day long with
questions and concerns about housing issues; and
WHEREAS, They know that Madeline Castillo is the person to come to,
that she has in-depth knowledge of housing issues and housing court
procedures, and that she is a very caring, kind and respectful person;
and
WHEREAS, Madeline Castillo assists residents by providing mediation
services between the landlord and tenant, helping tenants obtain legal
representation, empowering them to advocate for themselves in housing
court, helping them with procedures for addressing non-payment of rent
and eviction, dealing effectively with holdovers, and helping tenants
obtain necessary repairs and other services; and
WHEREAS, She also helps landlords effectively manage their properties
and, with her ability to speak fluent Spanish, she has helped many Span-
ish-speaking clients who do not speak any English, not only with housing
issues, but also with their day-to-day needs such as filling out appli-
cations and making phone calls on their behalf; and
WHEREAS, Madeline Castillo is active in other community-based organ-
izations as well, including the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
and Progressive Rainbow Independents for Developing Empowerment (PRIDE);
and she is a member of the Board of Directors of You Gotta Believe!
adoption agency for older children and teenagers; and
WHEREAS, She is an advocate for children who have aged out of the
foster care system and speaks at programs presented by the Adminis-
tration for Children's Services; Madeline Castillo understands their
situations well, as she herself aged out of the foster care system; and
WHEREAS, Madeline Castillo has raised two wonderful college-educated
sons, who are proud to be part of her life and rejoice in her many
achievements, and enjoys helping raise her beautiful granddaughter; and
WHEREAS, Madeline Castillo has distinguished herself in her profession
and in her community and truly merits the recognition of this Legisla-
tive Body; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Madeline Castillo upon the occasion of her designation as the
Woman of the Year at the Shorefront Club's Annual Awards Dinner Dance on
March 26, 2009; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Madeline Castillo.