00:00Here with the president of the United Way of New York, Grace Bonilla, another great event.
00:04Last year it was Kayvon, this year it was Brian Burns.
00:07You guys got something for these edge rushers, huh? These pass rushers.
00:11You know what it is? We do such amazing work at United Way of New York City that we also
00:16protect their brand.
00:17So to have them come here and support, just co-support each other for New Yorkers is an amazing thing.
00:22And if it wasn't for the Jets and Giants really getting the best of the best out here,
00:26it wouldn't be the event that it is today. So the energy is amazing. We're so excited to do this.
00:31But at the end of the day, what we really want to focus on is the amazing work that we're
00:35doing on behalf of New Yorkers.
00:36You know, I'm a former athlete, professional athlete myself.
00:40We went through a stage where it was like shut up and dribble, shut up and tackle.
00:45Now, how important is it for these athletes to get out and get involved in their communities?
00:50There's no better spokesperson than these athletes to talk about how their own journey
00:55and how the community can look at them as a shining star of hope,
00:59but also for them to really bring the attention that the affordability crisis deserves.
01:04So we are happy to have them. We want their opinion.
01:07We want many of them have foundations because they want to give back to the community.
01:11And we want to be able to have the opportunity to highlight that.
01:13Can you bring some awareness to our viewership right now and just people throughout New York City?
01:19When we talk about the affordability crisis, what exactly are we talking about
01:23and how many people are affected by this crisis?
01:26I'm so glad you asked that.
01:2856% of New Yorkers are unable to make ends meet at any given month.
01:32And we're talking about New Yorkers who have full-time jobs, maybe one or two or three jobs.
01:37And it's really rent, child care, transportation that's keeping New Yorkers from thriving
01:42in communities that they grew up in and they give back to.
01:45So our work at United Way is to make sure that we're minimizing that level of struggle for New Yorkers.
01:53How much has the mayor been involved when it comes to kind of turning this crisis around
01:58and making housing affordable for everyday New Yorkers?
02:01Well, I think that the way the mayor has approached affordability,
02:05talking to the governor about child care, making sure that early, eight days in,
02:08he was able to get a huge commitment from the governor so that we can increase 2K.
02:14That is huge for New Yorkers because we know child care is such a huge impact on New Yorkers.
02:19So I think the mayor is doing an amazing job.
02:22And he's tackling the landlords that are not showing up for New Yorkers.
02:26He's tackling the things that make it hard to live in the city.
02:29And I'm looking forward to see what he does towards this term.
02:32We'll end on another sports question.
02:34The Knicks are hot right now.
02:36Is this the year the Knicks win the championship?
02:39Well, listen, if you ask my husband, it's going to be here.
02:42But this year is the year the Knicks will win a championship.
02:45You heard me here first.
02:46Grace, thanks for having us here for a great event.
02:49Thank you for having me.
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