Every time I think about Hillside Family Services, I think of a little boy named Willy- who lived at Hillside. When I was growing up I swam on the YMCA swim team with Willy. There was one meet that I will never forget- it was the East Invitational’s. Willy was about 11 years old and he had been burned over 75% of his body. It came time for his race, and the other swimmers finished several laps ahead of him. Willy kept swimming and on his last lap, everyone in the pool area was on their feet cheering for Willy. When he finally finished- he said that it was the biggest accomplishment of his life! It still gives me goose bumps thinking of that day.
Not only did Hillside help Willy, they help about 7,000 families and 12,000 kids a year. They offer many programs to help kids and families stay on track. United Way funds 4 programs at Hillside. There are many programs that Hillside has all over NYS, but the one that stood out the most to me was the Alternative for Independent Youth. Under this program there are drop in centers where police take the kids if they don’t have a safe home. Hillside also offers the curfew center. At these centers they have programs for teens to get their GED’s or an apartment.
Walking thru the Hillside campus it almost reminded me of the University of Rochester campus- with the old beautiful buildings. They have everything a kid could possibly need and more.
If you haven’t already- check out my blog on Creastwood Family Center- it’s a part of the Hillside Family Agency.
I know that Willy impacted my life- has a Hillside child affected yours?
Friday, July 27, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
The Vineyard
Last week I visited The Vineyard – an pie-shaped, 2.7-acre parcel of farm land, tucked away in a northeast neighborhood, not far from the public market
The Vineyard is a project of the Northeast Block Club Alliance and the NorthEast Neighborhood Alliance, a group of neighborhood organizations who are intent on making their neighborhood vibrant again. The farm started as a “vacant” parcel of land, littered with garbage, a few dilapidated buildings, and trees downed by the 1991 ice storm. Now it is a wonderful site: tidy rows of vegetables, poking through black landscaping cloth, are all set up, ready for lots of water and cultivation. Shirley Edwards, who is leading the project, showed me the tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, shallots & onions that have already been planted. Carefully trained along wires, grape vines separate some of the vegetable rows. There are also several fruit trees on the property that provide pears & apples.
Shirley & her crew are in the process of developing an urban agriculture education & training center where the volunteers & neighbors who tend and harvest the crops can prepare food products & sell their wares. I was there because UW gave them a neighborhood mini-grant to purchase some of the equipment for the commercial kitchen. They are also selling their produce at the Public Market & to local restaurants – you’ll see their vegetables being sold under the name of GRUB – Greater Rochester Urban Bounty. Because they’re a not-for-profit, all of the funds that are raised go back into the farm & the neighborhood programs they run. In a neighborhood with fairly few grocery options, their hope is to reconnect the neighbors with healthy food choices that they themselves produce.
As you head towards the back of the property, there is a screened-in gazebo and a series of small flower gardens that have been developed by the neighbors. This may sound like a cliché, but its true: while you’re enjoying those gardens, you completely lose sight of the fact that you standing in the middle of a busy urban neighborhood because the only sounds you hear are the birds singing.
The Vineyard is a project of the Northeast Block Club Alliance and the NorthEast Neighborhood Alliance, a group of neighborhood organizations who are intent on making their neighborhood vibrant again. The farm started as a “vacant” parcel of land, littered with garbage, a few dilapidated buildings, and trees downed by the 1991 ice storm. Now it is a wonderful site: tidy rows of vegetables, poking through black landscaping cloth, are all set up, ready for lots of water and cultivation. Shirley Edwards, who is leading the project, showed me the tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, shallots & onions that have already been planted. Carefully trained along wires, grape vines separate some of the vegetable rows. There are also several fruit trees on the property that provide pears & apples.
Shirley & her crew are in the process of developing an urban agriculture education & training center where the volunteers & neighbors who tend and harvest the crops can prepare food products & sell their wares. I was there because UW gave them a neighborhood mini-grant to purchase some of the equipment for the commercial kitchen. They are also selling their produce at the Public Market & to local restaurants – you’ll see their vegetables being sold under the name of GRUB – Greater Rochester Urban Bounty. Because they’re a not-for-profit, all of the funds that are raised go back into the farm & the neighborhood programs they run. In a neighborhood with fairly few grocery options, their hope is to reconnect the neighbors with healthy food choices that they themselves produce.
As you head towards the back of the property, there is a screened-in gazebo and a series of small flower gardens that have been developed by the neighbors. This may sound like a cliché, but its true: while you’re enjoying those gardens, you completely lose sight of the fact that you standing in the middle of a busy urban neighborhood because the only sounds you hear are the birds singing.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Goodbye to Douglass (but they will keep steppin’!)
Have you ever watched a step team perform? You feel the beat deep down inside and you just can’t sit still. At least that’s how I felt watching the Frederick Douglass Step Team perform. (Click here to see them in action!)
You might be wondering why I might be blogging about a high school step team. Community Place of Greater Rochester, which offers several United Way-funded programs, also hosts a Step Off competition each year. The uniforms each team wears are incredible, but they're also expensive. So, we wanted to reward the team that was able to -collectively - increase their GPA the highest over the school year by helping them pay for their uniforms. The Douglass team showed the greatest academic improvement, so we sponsored them.
To be a member of this step team, which is run by Community Place, the students have to fill several requirements. They have to have a GPA of at least a 2.25 and do community service. Most of the team members raised their GPA from a 2.25 up to a 3.75. They practice every day for several hours. Let me tell you- it’s a lot harder than it looks! I tried doing a couple step moves and my feet and hands were numb!
Since the Frederick Douglass school closed at the end of the school year, the members of the team are going on to different schools. They will be starting at School Without Walls, Edison, and Wilson – some will go to MCC in the fall. But all the steppers all agreed that they will stay together as a team - thru the Community Place.
Leaving Douglass was really hard for this 21 person team, but they have become more like a family because of this. As one of the steppers told me, it’s not just a past time- it’s an obsession. I saw this obsession first hand. Once they started steppin - they wanted to go thru all of their favorite routines.
These students have learned a bigger life lesson than they were planning on. They joined the team for fun and they walked away with more than they ever planned on… including better grades and a stronger commitment to our community. And, that’s the big win.
You might be wondering why I might be blogging about a high school step team. Community Place of Greater Rochester, which offers several United Way-funded programs, also hosts a Step Off competition each year. The uniforms each team wears are incredible, but they're also expensive. So, we wanted to reward the team that was able to -collectively - increase their GPA the highest over the school year by helping them pay for their uniforms. The Douglass team showed the greatest academic improvement, so we sponsored them.
To be a member of this step team, which is run by Community Place, the students have to fill several requirements. They have to have a GPA of at least a 2.25 and do community service. Most of the team members raised their GPA from a 2.25 up to a 3.75. They practice every day for several hours. Let me tell you- it’s a lot harder than it looks! I tried doing a couple step moves and my feet and hands were numb!
Since the Frederick Douglass school closed at the end of the school year, the members of the team are going on to different schools. They will be starting at School Without Walls, Edison, and Wilson – some will go to MCC in the fall. But all the steppers all agreed that they will stay together as a team - thru the Community Place.
Leaving Douglass was really hard for this 21 person team, but they have become more like a family because of this. As one of the steppers told me, it’s not just a past time- it’s an obsession. I saw this obsession first hand. Once they started steppin - they wanted to go thru all of their favorite routines.
These students have learned a bigger life lesson than they were planning on. They joined the team for fun and they walked away with more than they ever planned on… including better grades and a stronger commitment to our community. And, that’s the big win.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Happy July 4th Lynn
Tomorrow - which is July 4th - marks an important day for Lynn Kouwe... whose snuggling with those adorable kids in this picture.She's the director of the Patricia Carter Child Care Center at Nazareth.
We got to know her because she's also a United Way Campaign Coordinator.
This Independence Day, Lynn turns 50 years old. An important birthday by any stretch of the imagination.
But, it also marks a decade of Lynn's battle against breast cancer. She was diagnosed shortly after she turned 40. Since then, she has undergone four different hormone therapies, three rounds of chemotherapy, and five sessions of radiation.
All this, and she still manages to work full-time... and she's dedicated to United Way.
Happy Birthday Lynn. We're so proud of who you are, and all you do.
If you want to read more about Lynn's story, click here to read it in our Real Time magazine.
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