New York Center's Name Says It All

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DeWitt, NY—Many Neighborhood Networks centers are named after the property on which they are located. Some centers are named for an individual who was instrumental in their creation. And other Neighborhood Networks centers are named to honor an individual who serves as a role model for residents.

The Neighborhood Networks center that serves the residents of Springfield Gardens Apartments is not like most Neighborhood Networks centers. It is not named for a property or a person. Instead, its name, People in Action (PIA), is an accurate description of the center's staff and the property's residents. And, after speaking with Michael Moracco, the program coordinator at PIA, one realizes that the center could not be more appropriately named.

Living Up to Its Name

A little more than 20 years ago, the Town of DeWitt's Parks and Recreation Department launched PIA in basement apartments located in two different buildings of the 24-building Springfield Gardens Apartments housing community. A community-enrichment program designed to meet the needs of school-age children and their families living at Springfield Gardens Apartments, the main focus of PIA was to offer recreational activities for residents. However, with the coming of the 'Digital Age', the scope of the program expanded, and in 2000, PIA added a Neighborhood Networks center.

During the past year or so, Moracco and his team realized that a split center was not the most efficient way to offer programs and strengthen the community. While Moracco was happy to have a space for a center, even if it was in two different buildings, he knew he could enhance and expand the center's program offering if the divided center became one, larger center. A new "super center" would also allow the center to host more community-building events for residents.

In 2007, Moracco began looking for ways to create a single center. Moracco did not have to search too far for the solution to his challenge. Longley Jones, the property management company that operates Springfield Gardens Apartments, leased a piece of land it owns—that just happens to be conveniently located adjacent to Springfield Gardens Apartments—to the center.

While the leasing of the land removed a major obstacle that stood in Moracco's way of building a single center, he still needed to figure out a way to build a center. This is where Moracco and his team lived up to the center's name.

In about seven months, Moracco and his team raised $265,000 to pay for the construction of the new center. "We held all sorts of fundraisers to earn the money. We had $100-a-plate dinners. We had bike raffles. We held two musicals that featured actors from the local community. And, we had an organ recital by a high school senior who was just accepted into Juilliard," reported Moracco.

In addition to fundraising events, Moracco applied for and received grants from Onondaga County and a community foundation, as well as a Community Development Block Grant from the City of Syracuse. The center also received two grants from the State of New York.

Moracco also sought in-kind support from local partners and funders. "We minimized the costs of setting up the center's computer network by enlisting the help of interns from Le Moyne College, which is located across the street from the center. The interns wired the entire network and phone system at the center, and they will take care of any computer problems we may experience," explained Moracco.

Moracco also received five computers from The Gifford Foundation, and another nine computers from Le Moyne College.

Programs for the Entire Community All Under One Roof

Opened in February 2008, the new 2,400 square-feet center consists of two classrooms and an open recreation room. "In the classrooms, we will hold our pre-school and afterschool programs.

We have more than 30 children ranging in age from eight to 14 who participate in our afterschool program that meets every weekday from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. We will also hold our youth art program, which meets every Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. there," said Moracco.

Other programs that will make good use of the new center's classrooms are the new General Educational Development (GED) program that Moracco launched with the help of a local school district and the City of Syracuse, and the center's existing English as a Second Language (ESL) class.

"Springfield Gardens is home to a number of immigrant families. These adults very much want to become more comfortable with living in the United States and joining the workforce. Because of this, the ESL and GED classes are very important to our residents." Moracco went on to say, "Right now, we offer two ESL classes that meet every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Seventeen Russian residents participate in the first class, and five Spanish residents participate in the second class."

Moracco also partners with CNY (Central New York) Works, a nonprofit corporation that receives federal funding through the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to connect Central New York job seekers with employers and training services.

"Throughout the week, CNY Works volunteers visit the center to help residents write their resumes and conduct job searches. CNY Works also offers a six-week training program at their facility. We transport residents to the CNY Works' site where they learn to write a resume that highlights their skills and talents, conduct a job search, and prepare for a job interview," described Moracco.

The new center also enables Moracco to offer onsite computer classes. Le Moyne College provides the instructors, who help residents become proficient with Microsoft Word and Excel. In the past, Moracco and his team provided one-on-one computer support.

Giving Credits So Residents Can Earn Credits

To encourage residents to further their education, Moracco collaborated with Le Moyne College and Cazenovia College to create a system that provides the center with a certain number of financial credits each semester. These financial credits can be used by residents to pay for a course and earn college credits.

Moracco and his team also emphasize the importance of a college education with younger residents. "We have a program with Le Moyne College and Cazenovia College in which we bus middle school students to the colleges to spend a day as freshmen. They are treated like incoming freshmen, and they get to see what it is like to be in college. The students meet with professors, as well as financial aid administrators, to understand what it takes to go to college," said Moracco.

While Moracco may have initiated the quest for a new, unified center, he is quick to point out that the new center is the realization of the community's dream. "The residents were very excited about the opening of this new center. They were involved in the planning of the center and the raising of the money for the center. They have helped with everything from selecting the building designs to painting the walls." Moracco concludes by saying, "The new center will not only be a place where residents can grow professionally and personally, it will also be a place where our community can gather together and grow stronger."

For more information about Neighborhood Networks centers in Upstate New York, contact:

Joan Trinchera
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Buffalo Field Office
465 Main Street, Lafayette Court, 2nd Floor
Buffalo, NY 14203-1780
(716) 551-5755 x5506

Peggy Spaner
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Buffalo Field Office
465 Main Street, Lafayette Court, 2nd Floor
Buffalo, NY 14203-1780
(716) 551-5755 x5517

For more information about People in Action, contact:

Michael Moracco
People in Action
40 Caton Drive, Apartment 44A
DeWitt, NY 13214
(315) 447-5427