As News 12 celebrates Women’s History Month, one community leader is being celebrated for her dedication to helping her neighborhood.  

Bibi Esahack asked for help to build a community center during the COVID-19 pandemic and was overwhelmed by the response, raising $3.7 million in just three months.  

Since then, the Bay Ridge Community Development Center has been helping mostly immigrant members get access to all types of resources.  

“I always like to think back to my grandparents, when they came here, when they were new, how would they have known about all of these amazing programs,” said Esahack.  

As time passed, Esahack noticed that there were other needs in the community and created a women’s support group with a mental health counselor. She is trying to get city funding to fully renovate the old church on Fort Hamilton Parkway and turn it into a multiuse community center with a library, cafe and rooftop basketball court.  

Esahack says her goal is to provide a safe space for the community that she calls her family.  

“It’s also important for the members of our community to know that they have a place to go to,” said Esahack. “They’re not alone, they don’t have to suffer in silence, there is a helping hand.”