NEW YORK—An immigrant from Panama and now a retired New York City transit worker of 26 years, Alfonso Carter has decided in his older years it is time to give back. At 71, Carter is an active member of Brooklyn's Community Board 5, where he has gotten involved in improving his community—including everything from putting together Thanksgiving baskets and helping out at senior centers to running a scholarship program for bright students. Q: What or who inspired your love for community outreach?
A: I visited a lot of senior centers and I saw a lot of seniors need a lot of help, especially where they get their medicine from and their insurance like Medicaid and Medicare, which most of them don't have, so I have to get involved in that to help them in their community. Q: How would you like to educate people in the community?
A. What I would like to do is to especially educate them for when they are buying property. I would put them in a class so that they would know what is going on when they are buying a piece of property, this way they don't go into something blind. A lot of people today don't know about property values and they need to be educated about that.
Q: As a child growing up in the Republic of Panama, who inspired you the most?
A: My principal. He was very dedicated in everything that he does. When it came down to the sports department he was one of the top athletes. I always followed his footsteps, hoping to be as good or better than he was.
Q: What positive advice could you give our readers if they want to make a difference in their community?
A: Whatever they see in the newspaper or in a magazine that they don't understand, I would suggest they go to a library and check out certain words. If they go to a library they could find the explanation of what the words mean and they can take it from there and educate themselves.
Q: What does Alfonso Carter like to do to relax?
A: My thing for relaxation is swimming. There was a lifeguard in Panama at the school, and I was given swimming lessons. I like bowling and tennis.
Q: What do you like about New York City?
A: What I like about New York City is I have had better opportunities here than when I was home—because I could come here and buy three big apartment buildings, which I couldn't do in Panama. They have a saying, what do they call it … the American Dream. Get a good job—I had a good job with New York City Transit for 26 years, retired in 1991, married a beautiful lady, and have a nice big home.