The Belle Newsletter Summer 2010

www.thebellecenter.org

SUMMER 2010 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 3

A Publication of the Erie Regional Housing Development Corporation

The Belle Center 104 Maryland Street · Buffalo, NY 14201 · www.thebellecenter.org · 716-845-0485

The summer season is here and our most pressing question is: How may we help you? It is our desire to provide solutions to the needs within our community. Are you in need of food-we have a bi-weekly food pantry. Are you in need of child care in order to go to work and/or further your education-we have a day care for ages 0 - 4. Are your kids in need of something to do-we have the SACC program for ages 5 - 12, 21st Century Program for grades 6th - 12th, The Portal program for ages 17 - 24 and Buffalo AmeriCorps program for ages 17 and above. Are you in need of counseling-we have City of Buffalo Youth Bureau counseling services. Are you unsure about your “status”-we have free and confidential AIDS Testing services. If you have issues, we have solutions! Find out how we can assist you today! To find

out more about the programs and services offered at The Belle Center stop by for a tour, visit our web-site or further peruse through our newsletter. We are here to help you.

Inside this issue: Chairman of the Board Shouts Out

2

Busy At The Belle

2

An Inside Look(Provides an in-depth look into The Belle Center’s pri-mary programs).

Early Childhood

Elementary School

Middle School/High School

College

Buffalo AmeriCorps

Family, Community & Health Programs & Services

Check Out:

-Life In A Positive

Light

&

-Fast Facts

Foundation & Funders

3

Week Of The Young Child

3

Buffalo AmeriCorps are at it once again-out serving in our Buffalo community and in a big way. AmeriCorps Week show-cases the power of AmeriCorps members and alumni by educating community

members about the role, impact and importance of AmeriCorps in our com-munities. This year during AmeriCorps Week 2010, Buffalo AmeriCorps teamed up with Habitat For Humanity for the esteemed honor of helping a low income family aesthetically make their house a home. The renovation took place on a home on the Lower West Side of Buffalo. Buffalo AmeriCorps members performed renovations that included studding, dry wall padding and land-scaping. In learning and practically applying these skills Buffalo AmeriCorps members will have the ability to carry these skills with them for a lifetime; all while gaining the opportunity to help a low income family. Throughout the week the service activities that took place included: Com-munity Gardens, Education/Children, Community Outreach, Debris Re-moval and more.

Buffalo AmeriCorps member-William Goldstein performing an insulation job.

The Belle Center Executive Director-Nestor Hernandez

http://www.thebellecenter.org

Greetings WNY Community, We are so proud of the great progress that our organization is making. In 2009 our Buffalo AmeriCorps completed a total of 48,532.80 hours of service in our Western New York commu-nity with a focus on the Lower West Side of Buffalo. Since 2007 to date, $248,062.50 in edu-cation awards have been earned by Buffalo AmeriCorps members at The Belle Center. The Portal Program at The Belle Center took our youth on 25 collegiate visits throughout the course of this year. In our 21st Century Learning Program 65% of the regular attendees in the program increased or maintained their grades in Math. To date, 100% of students enrolled in our SACC Program participate in 45 minutes of daily physical activity. 90% of The Belle Center’s Day Care staff and students are bilingual! It is our desire to continue to provide positive solutions as we offer programs and services that yield avenues for greater self-sufficiency for our community members. We welcome you to visit the center and partake in the many programs we offer. Thank you for your support and have a safe and enjoyable summer. Sincerely, Michael A. Rivera President of ERHDC Board

A class of over 30 volunteers from the UB Center for Entrepre-neurial Leadership came out to volunteer at The Belle Center for a day long event of service in the Day Care and outside of The Belle Center sprucing up green space. The volunteers were eager to lend a hand as they united in the name of service, helping out in the community on the Lower West

Side of Buffalo. Some of the activities that took place that day were: reading to children, planting of flower beds and laying mulch around existing trees and

other areas around the center. Inside were classrooms with volunteers who spent time reading books to children in the Day Care. Fun and nutritious snacks were served to the day care children as they joined the volunteers out-side planting flowers. We thank all the volun-teers from the UB Center for Entrepreneurial

Leadership who took the time to come out and be a part of the solution to helping make our community a better place for our children and their families.

Michael A. Rivera-President of the Board of Erie Regional Housing

Development Corporation

Page 2

Volunteers from the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at The Belle Center Day Care.

An Inside Look THE BELLE CENTER

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 3 SUMMER 2010

Early Childhood


Message From The ERHDC– The Belle Child Center Director Laurie

Beck:

“Kids spell

love

T-I-M-E.”

-John Crudele

The Belle Early Childhood Center has hosted many wonderful events this season. Parent activities included an Asthma workshop, Mother’s day and Father’s Day Brunch and the Center hosted a month long series from EPIC (Every Person Influences Children) in the month of June. The facilitator-Sharae Green touched upon many topics such as: Tuning Into Your Baby, Coping With Stress, Infant Sleep, Baby Feeding and Learning Through Play. Parents who participated in the workshop- “Learning Through Play” had the opportunity to interact with different toys. The Belle Early Childhood Center’s philosophy is that: “children learn through play.” The staff challenged children to gain a positive sense of their environ-ment through engaging them in learning activities based on individual, age and environment appropriate toys. The workshop series finished up with two pediatricians talking to the par-ents about child development and establishing routines for their children. The children will finish off with two field trips in July and August with many parents joining their child for a day of fun.

For more information contact:

ERHDC-The Belle Child Care Center Program Director Laurie Beck at Phone: 845-0485 ext. 33 or 32 Email: [email protected]

Early Childhood Parent and children during Mother’s Day Brunch.



Elementary School


Message From The SACC Program Director James

McNeil:

“An

educational

system isn't

worth a great

deal if it

teaches young

people how to

make a living

but doesn't

teach them

how to make a

life.”

-Anonymous

The summer is here and this year The Belle Center's Summer Fun Program promises to be fun and educational for both the youth and parents throughout our community. The Summer Fun Program began June 28th, 2010 and ends August 27th, 2010. Fun and exciting weekly field trips are held every Friday. Throughout Summer Camp we also have different commu-nity organizations coming out to talk with our children on issues such as safety, health and wellness, culture, college and community issues just to name a few of the topics. We are enjoying the summer here at The Belle Center and are looking forward to the rela-tionships that we will continue to build with the children as well as the parents. Also, don’t forget that fall is around the corner, so please act now and schedule an appointment to save a slot for your child for premium before and after school programming in the fall and winter months. Space is limited.

For more information contact: SACC Program Director James McNeil at

Phone: 845-0485 ext. 23 Email: [email protected]

Summer Camp Program students and Buffalo AmeriCorps members showing off their summer art.



Message From The 21st Century Com-munity Learning Center Program

Director:

“A

work of

art is above

all an

adventure

of the

mind.”

-Eugene Ionesco

Middle School/High School


21st Century student re-building a bike during the Recycle-A-Bicycle Program.

The 21st Century after-school program is proud to say that it has been a very successful year for our students. Not only have our students learned a lot (basic home repair, wood working, weight lifting, cos-metology-cosmetics, cooking and drumming) but they also have contributed a lot both to The Belle Center and the community. The 21st Century students and staff participated in Global Youth Day on Niagara Street, cleaned up the park on the corner of Jersey and Niagara Street for Earth Day, cooked for the guest at Mayor Brown’s community forum and built a recycling bin for the center. In addition, a new exciting program was added to our schedule - Recycle-A-Bicycle Program sponsored by Green Options Buffalo. Both boy and girl students choose a used bike to repair with the help of a bike mechanic. The student is then allowed to keep the bike at no cost to their families. Green options Buffalo provides a new bike hel-met and The Belle Center provides a new chain and lock. So far, five boys and one girl have repaired their bike and taken them home. This program not only provides a healthy form of recreation for our students, but it also teaches them the skill of bike repair. The 21st Century Program provides services for students in grades 6th through 12th and began its summer schedule June 28th, 2010 from 12 noon to 4:00 p.m. A lunch meal and field trips are provided. Parents pick up students at the Center at 4:00 p.m. unless the student is given parent permission to walk. 21st Century is a state funded program so there is no cost to the parents. If you should need any information or an application please use the contact information be-low.

For more information contact: 21st Century Program Director Evelyn Pizarro at

Phone: 845-0485 ext. 13 Email: [email protected]



Message From The Portal

Program Director Michael Szymanski:

“Knowledge

comes,

but

wisdom

lingers.”

-Lord Alfred Tennyson 1809-1892

College


As the beautiful weather approaches, The Portal program continues to strive for excellence. Unlike many programs, The Por-tal DOES NOT take the summer off. We under-stand that education is a never ending journey, one that requires constant at-tention. Therefore we will be incorporating some ex-citing new initiatives in the coming months. The Work Readiness Cre-dential training is continu-ing with excellent results. To date, 7 students have passed the exam and are now accredited. We will continue to cycle all re-maining Portal program students in the day long training and the exam process. By the end of summer ALL 50 members will have received the cre-dential. There are no other programs in the Western

New York area that are providing this valuable training. It is nationally recognized and is being utilized by Fortune 500 companies such as Wal-Mart and Sears. It is a valuable tool that the students can use to increase their chances of gainful employment. The Cornell Cooperative Extension Eat Smart Eat Healthy program is underway with excel-lent participation. It is a follow up to the introductory class that students attended through the University of Buffalo. This is a more in-depth and intense course that talks about nutri-tion in a way that young people can relate to. In addition to class room instruction, there are hands-on cooking lessons that are administered at the end of the 8 week course. This is a fantastic opportunity for the young people to improve their basic understanding of food and how to prepare it. (Continued on next page)

The Portal Program Career and Trade Fair: Marine Representatives

We have several field trips planned for the summer season. In conjunction with Buffalo RiverKeepers, The Portal program is going to sponsor a canoe trip that will combine learning and recreation. The students will be involved in water testing and learning about the environment around them. In addition, they will learn basic canoe and safety skills. This is a great way to experience the great outdoors, educate and practically apply life-skills. We are also planning team building exercises that will allow the staff to interact with The Portal members so that we can increase the lines of communication and build trust amongst The Belle Center staff and members. The Portal program also plans to visit a few cultural institutions with the hope of exposing the youth to new opportunities. Beginning January 21st, 2010 to May 6th, 2010 we went on approximately 25 college tours here at the Portal. There were over 30 members from the program who came on the college tours and all had various reactions to the schools we visited. During the summer months I will meet with the members who went on the college tours one-on-one to assess where they see them-selves in the next year. Together we will create an individualized action plan in preparation for applications to a college or to begin a career in a vocational trade. We here at The Portal believe that each of our members will be successful and that "the only people who never fail are those who never try" (Ilka Chase). We know that our success comes with the success of our members that we serve each and everyday. The S.A.T. prep program has been a great success. The S.A.T. instructor-Ms. Nina has done a great job diligently working with her students on a weekly basis. Some of the topics that she covers are: math, critical reading and writing. An inspirational quote that she uses with the students is: “Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate but that we are powerful beyond measure" (Maryanne Williamson). She believes in the potential of each student that’s in her program and knows that with hard work, all of her students will be successful beyond their own potential.

Shaila Green is a Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps member with an M.S.W. positioned as the ISS Coordinator for The Portal program at The Belle Center. She establishes and maintains an ongoing rapport with the youth. She states “For many of them, we at The Portal and The Belle Center are the only point of contact that they have. Especially, for those that come from a dysfunctional family.” Shaila along with her co-workers, operate to bridge the existing gap in communication between members in The Portal program and staff. She listens to what the member’s desires are for their future and devises the appropriate steps to attaining them.

Lou Marconi is a Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps member positioned as the Operations Specialist for The Portal program at The Belle Center. He develops windows-of-opportunity to get young adults, 17-24 years of age, ready for the work world. “Our focus at The Portal program is to steer the young adults enrolled into a purposeful college direction. However, not everyone desires to attend college and tools have been put in place to help these young adults from falling into the cracks. Exposure to various vocational options are being made available to members.” Lou works to develop and enhance partnerships, working relationships and joint-ventures with the Military, Private sector building-trade companies, Trade Organizations and Organized Labor Organizations with the intent to provide occupational training workshops, on-the-job training internships and

entry-level apprenticeship programs for The Portal Programs members. “The young adults need to know that there is so much more for them to aspire to, for their WORK WORLD self-sustainability, than cleaning stainless-steel counter-tops and flipping burgers for a living.”

For more information contact: The Portal Program Director Michael Szymanski at

Phone: 845-0485 ext. 16 Email: [email protected] or

The Portal Program Coordinator Otu Obot at Phone: 845-0485 ext. 16 Email: [email protected]



Message From The Buffalo

AmeriCorps Program

Director Daytuan Antonetti:

“The price

of great-

ness is re-

sponsibili

ty.”

-Sir Winston Churchill

Buffalo AmeriCorps


What is the meaning of service? Buffalo AmeriCorps members completed 8 sessions of “Meaning of Service” to clearly define just what the meaning of service really is. Now, Buffalo AmeriCorps are embodying the answer to this question as they commit countless hours of service, being constantly entrenched in volunteerism in our WNY community. Where there is unsightly debris, Buffalo AmeriCorps members are answering the call cleaning up private and public green space to make our neighborhoods safer and more enjoyable. In 2009-13 Buffalo AmeriCorps planted 360 flowers in BMHA properties. Where there is snow too unbearable for senior citizens to tackle, Buffalo AmeriCorps mem-bers are answering the call. In Winter 2009, 170 senior citizens received snow removal. Where there are literacy issues, Buffalo AmeriCorps members are assisting in our local schools and also working with various organizations tutoring/mentoring our children. In 2009 Buffalo AmeriCorps members along with other volunteers served over 2,000 families at the Mayor's Summer Reading Program held at the Convention Center- youth from The Belle Center Summer Camp received prizes for books read during the summer. Where there are issues that are negatively affecting our community, Buffalo AmeriCorps members are re-sponding to turn the tides of negativity into positivity, working to make our neighborhoods better and our children smarter!

For more information contact: Buffalo AmeriCorps Program Director: Daytuan Antonetti at 845-0485 ext. 26

email: [email protected] or Buffalo AmeriCorps Program Coordinator: Pamela James at 845-0485 ext. 29

email: [email protected]

Buffalo AmeriCorps, BA Program Director-Daytuan Antonetti and Program Coordinator-Pamela James.

*Buffalo AmeriCorps Update*

Mohamed Alinur completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and attends the University at Buffalo. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09) Richard Aizaga completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and received his MA in Education from the University at Buffalo and is em-ployed as a Teacher. (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 08-09) Jenaro Atkin received his HS diploma and plans to attend Canisius College. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10) Gabrielle Brewer completed 1 term and is in her 2nd term. She received her AS in Human Resources from Bryant and Stratton College and is attending Buffalo State College for her BBA. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09) Michael Barnes completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and was a team leader in his 2nd. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09) Annissa Brathwaite com-pleted 1 term of the Buffalo Ameri-Corps and is in her 2nd term, while studying at D’Youville College. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-10) Chrissy Calaxite completed 1 term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is in her 2nd term, while enrolled in graduate school at Canisius College. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-10) Nathan Buckley completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and was a team leader in his 2nd term. He was promoted to The Belle Center Staff-Evening Facilities Manager. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09) Patricia Callazo is in her 2nd term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09) Marielys Conde completed 1 term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is finishing high school. (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 08-09) Dominique Davis is attend-ing Bible College at the Dream Cen-ter Masters Commission of Fort Myer, VA. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08) Joshua Davis is attending Bible College at the Dream Center Masters Commission of LA. (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 07-08) Emma Dosch completed 1 term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is attending Allegheny College for her BA. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09) Magdalena Feliciano re-ceived her GED and plans to attend

ECC. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09) Amelia Fernandez com-pleted 2 terms of the Buffalo Ameri-Corps and completed her Associates degree. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09) Magdalina Fernandez completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and received her HS diploma and is attending ECC. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09) Tiffany Fowler completed 1 term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and attends Graduate school at the Uni-versity at Buffalo (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09) Angemar Garcia completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is currently employed. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09) Gabrielle Hardy completed her C.N.A. classes at Millard Fillmore April 19th, 2010. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10) Michael Hernandez is in the ARMY now, stationed in Fort Lee, VA. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08) Sabrina Hopkins received her GED and attends ECC. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09) Jenifer Hunter completed 1 term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is currently employed. (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 08-09) Veronica Ivey completed 1 term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and she received her BA in Social Work from the University at Buffalo and is attending Graduate school at the University at Buffalo. (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 08-09) Helen Juarbe received her GED and plans to attend ECC. (Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps 09-10) Callie Johnson completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps. During the 2nd she was a team leader. She received her BA in Com-munication with a minor in Sociology from the University at Buffalo and graduated from Daemen College with a MS in Global Business with a focus in Marketing. She was promoted to The Belle Center Staff as Director of Marketing/Communication. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09) John Jones completed 1 term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is attend-ing Bible College at the Dream Cen-ter Masters Commission of LA . (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09) Tomaine Jordan is attending Bible College at the Dream Center Masters Commission of LA. (Buffalo

AmeriCorps 07-08) LaKendra Joyner received her GED and plans to pursue higher education. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08) Zoe Lavatelli completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09) Arwa Mohamad completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is attaining her GED while receiving career preparedness training in The Portal at The Belle Center. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09) Hubert Morrison III com-pleted 2 terms of the Buffalo Ameri-Corps and is receiving career prepar-edness training in The Portal at The Belle Center. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09) Jamelia Morrison completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is receiving career preparedness training in The Portal at The Belle Center. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09) Ricardo Jose Perez com-pleted 1 term of the Buffalo Ameri-Corps and is in his 2nd term and graduated from the University at Buf-falo with a BA in Spanish and Social Sciences Interdisciplinary with a con-centration in International Studies and a minor in Latino/Latina Studies. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-10) Penny Rappa completed 1 years of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and was a team leader in her 2nd term. She received her MA in Education (ESL) from the University at Buffalo. She is currently working as an ESL teacher in the Adult Education Center at The Belle Center. (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 07-08) Zaida Resto completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is received career preparedness train-ing in The Portal at The Belle Center. She was promoted to The Belle Cen-ter Staff as the SACC-Assistant Di-rector. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09) Joshua Rivers received his HS diploma and is attending ITT Tech of Rochester. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08) Eric Rodriguez received his HS diploma from Riverside and was accepted to Medaille, UB, ECC and D’Youville but plans to attend New Jersey Institute of Technology to study Criminal Justice. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10) Daliana Rosado completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and

received her BA in Elementary Edu-cation from D’Youville College and received her MS in Education from D’Youville College. She served as the assistant summer camp director dur-ing The Belle Summer Program 09. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08) Atley Sanders received his HS diploma and plans to attend SUNY Maritime. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10) Elizabeth Santos completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is employed while in Graduate school at D’Youville College. She is newly wed to Hector Torres. (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 07-09) Bruce Smith completed 2 terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps. He was promoted to The Belle Center Staff as the SACC-Performing Arts Coordi-nator. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09) Ashlea Smith completed 1 term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and re-ceived her HS diploma and is attend-ing ECC. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08) Jessica Smith completed 1 term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and re-ceived her GED and plans to attend ECC. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09) Haslin Torres completed 1 term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and received her HS diploma and is at-tending Buffalo State College. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08) Jorge Torres received his HS diploma from Charter School for Ap-plied Technology and plans to attend the Cost Guard. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10) Felicia Welch completed 1 term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is in her 2nd term, while studying at D’Youville College (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 08-09) Briana White completed 1 term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and received full tuition to and is attending Oral Roberts University. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09) Samson William completed 1 term of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is in his 2nd term, while studying at the University at Buffalo (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 08-09) Melissa Winiarski com-pleted 1 term of the Buffalo Ameri-Corps and received her AS in Physi-cal Education from ECC and is at-tending Liberty University. She served as the summer camp life guard during The Belle Summer Pro-gram 09 & 10. (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08)

www.thebellecenter.org



Family, Community and Health Programs and Services


“Our lives

begin to

end the

day we

become

silent

about

things

that

matter.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

How May We Help You?

Senior Wellness Program: Join a Senior Program that’s exciting and offers regular ac-tivities– arts & crafts, workshops, cooking class, bingo, field trips, a M-F nutritious lunch program, ex-ercise classes and more. Transportation is available. (M-F 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.) Contact: Grace Parker, Jose Centeno or at 842-6139.

Food Pantry: Offers a variety of non-perishable items for those who are in need. If you or anyone you know is in need and without food register at The Belle Center to be a recipient of a regular bi-weekly bag of goods (Every 2nd and 4th Friday 9:30 am - 11:30 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.) Contact: Priscilla Grant 845-0485 ext. 18.

The Belle After-School Program

for Youth ages 14-21: A safe and friendly environment for youth to perform recreational activi-ties. (M-F 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.) Contact: Stanley Fer-nandez 845-0485 ext. 19.

Big Brothers Big Sisters: Big

Brothers Big Sisters of Erie

County: Currently has openings at The Belle! We can provide a volunteer mentor for your child. We meet one day a week from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eligibility Re-quirements-Children ages 6-14. Call Tom Kirst 844-2029. All applications are confidential.

Senior Wellness program cooking class.

Youth playing a game of bas-ketball in the gym.

Adult Education: “Do Better!” Get on the road to attaining the fundamentals you need (GED, ESL, Culinary classes) to create a success-ful future at The Belle Center Location. (M-F 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) Just call 843-4023. Congratulations to all the Adult Education graduates!!!

People INC.: Western New York's leading non-profit human services agency. Through a variety of services including residential, employment, community outreach, health care and recreation programs, we help seniors, families and people with disabilities live more healthy, independent and pro-ductive lives. Contact: 845-0485 ext. 10. First Hand Science: A program where our children get the opportunity to ex-perience Science in a real way! In small groups, they are presented with experiments of all kinds to expose them to advanced, but understandable scientific methodologies. Through our First Hand Science program we hope to ignite a passion for science by planting the seeds and providing a strong foundation for our future scientists in the mak-ing. (Fall M - F, 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.) Contact: Chrissy Calixte 845-0485 ext. 27.

City of Buffalo Youth Counseling: If your child is in need of pro-fessional counseling services Contact: Richard May (M, W, TH, F, 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.) 845-0485 ext. 22.

AIDS Testing Services: For more information about how you can find out your status and receive a FREE and confidential AIDS test Contact: Front Desk (Every other Friday) 845-0485 ext. 10.

Department of Social Services: Contact: Brenda Montanez (M-F 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.) 845-0485 ext. 22.

Facility Usage: Having an event and need a place to hold it? Find out how you can rent a portion of The Belle Center for your event. Contact: Front Desk 845-0485 Ext. 10.

First Hand Science Stu-dents conducting an ex-periment.

Life In A Positive Light! Below are some testimonial quotes from some of the people who have

been impacted by the programs and/or services offered at The Belle Center.

Parent of Child in Day Care: “YNN Buffalo stated: “It was just like open space. All the renovations that they put in are really awesome,” said parent Thomas Rutherford. “It’s great to bring our kids to something that’s totally new,” added the father of three children at-tending the Belle Center.”

Partner of Buffalo AmeriCorps: “The name of our organization is Vive La Casa Inc. and our purpose is to help Refugees who are seeking to get asylum in Canada be able to qualify successfully. Vive La Casa Inc. has partnered with Buffalo AmeriCorps for the last 3 years. We have had 2 full time staff and 1 part time. The main benefit of having a partnership with Buffalo AmeriCorps is it gives us extra security when it comes to staffing and also the ability to be able to rely on extra staff to assist us when needed. We can use them with just services for the refugees. For example we have a donation room that before, it was very difficult for us to continually have it open because it affected our staff. Because being a non for profit is very difficult, we try to manage our staff as easy as possible. But now with the AmeriCorps staff, we offer more services for the refu-gees. We give them the ability now to have the donation room open. We now have the ability to have someone assist us on a more personal level with the refugees, helping them find their beds, getting them the supplies that are needed when they first walk into the building. We now have an AmeriCorps staff that assists with the cooking aspect of it, small things that some would just take for granted but that are definitely needed here at Vive. They assist with bed assignments, chores, supervising the refugees and helping with Med appointments, so they have a variety of jobs. It’s not just one as-signment that they’re given while they’re here. Most of the folks that we get are young, so it’s a really good stepping stone for them to understand the working world, particularly ethic, so I like the fact that we are a training site. Even those who have been out of the working field for a while because we have gotten some that have been a little older, and helping to reestablish them in the working envi-ronment has given them a sense of ownership here. They will even volunteer their time if we’re having an extra curricula activity going on and it’s not a part of their job duty. They will still come back and say: “we want to help,” so we really enjoy that. That’s the part I like, that they seem to be getting something out of it; I hate for people to come here and they’re not really benefitting. But I’ve found that the AmeriCorps staff actually benefit from their time; they really get something out of their time being here.” –Angela Jordan Mosely

Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps Member Turned Team Leader: “Being a team leader for the Mobile Safety Net-Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps gives me the opportunity to go into the community, seek out the needs in the community and provide services in various areas. I get experience working with various people, organizations and companies - It’s just something that I love! You get to see the fruits of your labor when you’re working out in the community. I’ve learned that I get to see the rewards. I’ve met several different people, compa-nies and organizations. I have a different concept of volunteer work, volunteer service and it’s just something that comes from within and giving back to the community without feeling like I’m giving back to the community; it just becomes al-most automatic. With the education stipend I’ll be able to go back and finish my degree. I’m probably about a year to a year and a half off. I’m hoping to go into a permanent position that I enjoy. Education was number one for me, finding a permanent position and I’m getting a chance to explore the things that I really enjoy.” -Gayle Thompson

Join us for the 5th Annual Kids Fest. Free food, fun and games for our community!

August 27th, 2010 Beginning At Noon

104 Maryland Street Buffalo, NY 14201

Day Care Ages 0 - 4 SACC Program Ages 5 - 12

21st Century Program Grades 6th - 12th The Portal Ages 17 - 24

Buffalo AmeriCorps Ages 17 and above Family, Community & Health Programs

& Services

For more info call: 845-0485 or visit www.thebellecenter.com

RE

GIS

TE

R!

Register Today!

Fast Facts:

Since 2007 to date $248,062.50 in educa-tion awards have been distributed to

Buffalo AmeriCorps members at The Belle Center.

90% of the staff and students in The Early

Childhood Program are bilingual.

VIST OUR NEW WEBSITE TODAY: WWW.THEBELLECENTER.ORG

& YOU CAN ALSO MAKE A SECURE ONLINE DONATION AT OUR

WEBSITE THROUGH PAYPAL!

We would like to Thank the following Foundations and Funders for their continued support.

Government Funds–Grants Erie County Youth Development & Delinquency Prevention City of Buffalo Community Development Block Grant Erie County Department of Social Services Erie County-YES Primetime Corporation for National and Community Service NYS Department of Health-Latino Health Outreach 21st Century Learning Center Grant City of Buffalo Division of Citizens Services & Department of Community

Services Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority AmeriCorps Recovery Grant: Hire an additional 44 members ages 17 and

up for 1 year of service. Workforce Investment Board-Job readiness training for ages 16-24 Private Foundations M&T Charitable Foundation The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation William G. McGowan Charitable Trust Buffalo Bills Youth Foundation Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo The John R. Oishei Foundation: Start up costs for The Belle Center Day-

care.

During the month of April our day care celebrated the Week of the Young Child, a countrywide celebration honoring young children and all those who make a difference in children’s lives. “All young children need and deserve high-quality early learning experiences that will prepare them for life, and Buffalo, NY has a great opportunity to do our part to help young children,” said The Belle Child Care Center Director-Laurie Beck. “Week of the Young Child is a time for our City to recognize that early years are learning years for all young children.” Young children and their families depend on the high-quality education and care, at The Belle Child Care Center which help children get a great start, while bringing lasting benefits to Buffalo, NY. Week of the Young Child was a time to recognize the importance of early learning, early literacy and to celebrate the

teachers and policies that bring early childhood education to young children. The Belle Child Care Center staff continuously work together to improve professional practices and working conditions in early childhood education, and to build public support for high-quality early childhood education programs. During the week many activities took place such as: reading activities, arts & crafts, a parent and child ice cream social and more.

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Day Care parent and child.

Day Care parent and child.

Announcements

Volunteer with Buffalo AmeriCorps 845-0485 Ext. 29 or 26. Find out how you can volunteer at one of our service projects TODAY! 716-845-0485 Ext. 29. www.thebellecenter.org

5th Annual Kids Day Fest at Noon on August 27th,2010 at The Belle Center. Free food and fun to the community. Save the date!

ERHDC-The Belle Child Care Center is OPEN!!! Sign your child(ren) up TODAY! 845-0485 Ext. 32 or 33.

Big Brother Big Sister of Erie County Currently has openings at The Belle! We can provide a volunteer men-tor for your child. We meet one day a week from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm. Eligibility Require-ments-Children ages 6-14. Call Tom Kirst 844-2029. All applications are confidential.

Donate Online Today On Our New Website: www.thebellecenter.org

Erie Regional Housing Development Corporation - The Belle Center

104 Maryland Street Buffalo, NY 14201

The Belle Center 104 Maryland Street Buffalo, NY 14201 Phone: 716-845-0485 Fax: 716-845-0486 www.thebellecenter.org

The Belle Newsletter Summer 2010

Documents

buffalo americorps program

buffalo community

americorps week

importance of americorps

power of americorps

community members

maryland street buffalo

community outreach