By Tereka Baltimore
Buffalo State College is lending a helping hand to a neighborhood community center to help improve the center’s appearance and create more activities and programs for neighborhood youth.
Asarese-Matters Community Center, 50 Reese St. in the West Side, is a recreational center where neighborhood youth can go after school and do different activities such as sports and arts and crafts:
The center was established 18 years ago and is funded by Erie County. According to Mike Milovich, center director, the youths suffer more because there are no resources from the county.
Buffalo State’s campus is across the street from the center, but et so far away. Milovich says that the youths who live in the neighborhood can benefit and learn from the college students who attend Buffalo State if there was more interaction between the campus and center.
“Kids should reap awards from Buff State’s campus,” said Milovich. “The center should be the center piece of the community, the focal point identifier in the neighborhood.”
Center Highlights
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there are no fees to attend the center
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it is open to both boys and girls
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youth age range from 9 to 12 years old
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sports, open pool and athletic leagues
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funded by the county
With the extra help from college students, the neighborhood youth would be integrated with Buffalo State students and form unity.
There is a great need for college students to volunteer. Buffalo State students would help the center by offering a helping hand in running different programs and activities, according to Milovich.
Students from Buffalo State who already volunteer at the center s a part of their internship for their major seem to like the experience.
“I like it, it’s not a lot of structure to it, kids are respectful, polite and there are no drugs or weapons. If you fight, you have to leave,” said senior Megan Covell who volunteers for her sociology internship.
Staff and clients
There are only two people on staff at the center, so the more help the center gets the better.
Most of the youths go straight to the center right after school. Many go to different schools in the community such as McKinley, West Hertle, and LaFayette high schools.
Many of the neighborhood youths come from broken homes with only one parent or none at all, according to Molovich. Some of them are at-risk, or high school drop outs, and many of their family members have turned their backs on them.
They are also from different ethnic groups and come from lower-class families. But despite their differences, they come together during the week to take part in different activities and programs at the center.
“Our job is to give them, the youths, the same opportunity that the adults gave us when we were growing up,” Molovich said.
On a daily basis about 50 neighborhood youths go to the center.
Some of them have been attending for a couple of years. They look up to
Milovich and many see him as a father figure in their lives.
Expectations
When the youths enter the center they know what is expected of them.
“I have been coming here since the age of 7,” said Deshawn Dozier, 13. “I like coming to the center because I can play games, get off the streets, and stay out of trouble.”
While attending the center, the youths are taught to respect others, show good sportsmanship and are reminded daily that academics are important.
The youths go on field trips of their choice that are planned for them. They go to art museums, football games and other fun places.
They also volunteer at nursing homes for community service.
“I would like to widen their horizon to different things that can turn into a life time,” said Michael Daniels, recreational instructor.
Daniels plans on introducing new games to the youths such as chess and golf to help them build good partnership and give 100 percent when they are involved in any activity.
Asarese-Matters community center will be receiving new computers within the next two weeks. The computers will be used by the youths for homework assignments
and for any work that is academic related.
For more information contact Tereka Baltimore at terekanb@yahoo.com
Imbedded links:
http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=32226930
www.buffalostate.edu
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?searchtype=address&country=
US&addtohistory=&searchtab=home&formtype=address&popflag=0&latitude=
&longitude=&name=&phone=&level=&cat=&address=1300+Elmwood+Ave+&
city=Buffalo&state=Ny&zipcode=14222
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