Belle Newsletter Fall 2011

wwwthebellecenterorg

2011 VOLUME 4 ISSUE 4

A Publication of the Erie Regional Housing Development Corporation

The Belle Center

104 Maryland Street ∙ Buffalo NY 14201 ∙ wwwthebellecenterorg ∙ 716-845-0485

Greetings WNY The fall season is here and we are going full steam ahead to provide the best possible services for the community We are delighted to have had a successful summer from our youth going to college visits like University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College to the Buffalo Zoo Strongrsquos Museum of Play in Rochester NY and more It is our desire to meet the needs of our youth and their families and we are excited about the launch of our new Universal Pre-K program which is currently operating at full capacity with 18 students As the organization grows itrsquos important that we are healthy We will be bringing in private evaluators to evaluate all of our programming to assure that we are providing the most effective programs and services to the members in our community The Belle Center is holding tours that operate for one hour twice a month I would like to see you there If you have any feedback about The Belle Center or know of anyone we should be reaching to attend our tours please visit our website (wwwthebellecenterorgtake-a-tour) and register for the tour andor leave us a note Your feedback and participation is valuable to our decision making Our 2011 6th Annual Kids Fest was a huge success The event marks the end of Summer Camp and celebrates unity in the community During the celebration free food and beverages - hot dogs snow cones popcorn entertainment and activities ndash obstacle course face painting games a live DJ and more were on hand to make an enjoyable event The sponsors for this yearrsquos event were The Belle Center Buffalo AmeriCorps Computers For Children Inc WNY Shares Best Buy amp Mark Grisanti which also brought the first annual ldquoGear Up for Schoolrdquo backpack program This program supplied

thousands of underserved children in grades K-8 with a backpack schools supplies and other special gifts free of charge 2000 backpacks were distributed between The Belle Center and an additional site Visit us online (wwwthebellecenterorg) and see how we can be of service to you or someone you know For the most up to date information about whatrsquos happening at The Belle Center register your email address for our monthly ldquoBelle-A-Gramrdquo Follow The Belle Center on Twitter Facebook and LinkedIn

Inside this issue

Chairman of the Board

2

Busy At The Belle

2

An Inside Look(Provides an in-depth look into The Belle Centerrsquos pri-mary programs)

Early Childhood

Elementary School

Middle SchoolHigh School

Buffalo Ameri-Corps

Family Commu-nity amp Health Pro-gram amp Services

-Parent-Child Home Program

-Senior Wellness Program

-Funds Develop-ment

-Young Heroes (STSJP)

Life in a posi-tive light

Read For The Record

3

4

5

6

8

10

11

12

13

14

15

Nestor Hernandezndash Executive Director of The Belle Center (ERHDC)

6th Annual Kids Fest 2011 at The Belle Center

Greetings How are we doing I really want to know What do you think about the pro-grams and services at The Belle Center-are we meeting your needs Connect with us on our website (wwwthebellcenterorg) and let us know As Chairman of the Board itrsquos important to get valuable feedback from the community we are here for you and plan on continuing to be here for a very long time With budget cuts and poverty on the rise nation and worldwide we are moving to be more proactive through the creation of our funds development department The Belle Center has never had a history of fundraising however we have already begun this year by having our 1st Annual Belle Center Golf Classic and more events are to come We really need the support of the community in all of our initiatives as they are being implemented for the greater good of our youth and families in the community We want to see our youth and their fami-lies flourish and reach their maximum potential in life and we want to make sure that we are in the right place to catapult them towards success

Sincerely

Michael A Rivera

President of ERHDC Board

Look itrsquos a bird itrsquos a plane itrsquos The Belle Center marching down Niagara Street in the 9th Annual Puerto Rican Day Parade The Puerto Rican Day Pa-rade of Western New York Association held its 9th Annual Puerto Rican Day Parade which The Belle Center was pleased to be apart of as staff and stu-dents from the Center walked and drove in celebration of the Hispanic Cul-ture Evelyn Pizarro-21st Century Learning Program Director and staff assem-bled a red white and blue Puerto Rican themed balloon column that could be seen from miles away while marching down the street Students and staff also enjoyed distributing candy and touting The Belle Center organization as a bea-con of hope and opportunity not only on the Lower West Side of Buffalo but in Western New York

Pg 2

1st Annual Belle Center Golf Classic (Left) Executive

Director of The Belle Center-Nestor Hernandez President

of The Belle Center Board-Michael Rivera amp Chair of The

Belle Center Golf Classic-Modesto Candelario

Belle Center staff amp students at the Puerto Rican Day Parade

The summer is behind us and the children had a great time enjoying their new playground and swimming in the pool The preschool children and older toddlers had the opportunity to go on 3 field trips to the Aquarium Tifft Nature Preserve and the Buffalo Zoo We are very excited about the UPK program with the maximum-18 children enrolled in the program This fall many of our children have headed off to kindergarten and many of our other children have transitioned to new classrooms Not only do the children have to adjust to their new environment but the teachers also have to start over with a whole new group of children and get to know what their needs are What is a day care teacher The day care teacher is a unique person who is dedicated and committed to the children in their care The teachers in the Center work endless hours to make each childrsquos day special The teachers help to educate and nurture them often bridg-ing the gap between infancy and school As teachers create lesson plans decorate and organize their classrooms attend to the chil-drenrsquos physical needs like hunger pains and emotional needs like sadness or fear teachers maintain open communication with the parents Many teachers find satisfaction in touching a childrsquos life One of the most important duties of a day care teacher is to nurture a child and it is this role that can help improve the quality of a childrsquos life forever

For more information contact ERHDC-The Belle Child Care Center Program Director Laurie Beck at

Phone 845-0485 ext 217 or 218 Email lbeckthebellecenterorg

An Inside Look THE BELLE CENTER

VOLUME 4 ISSUE 4 FALL 2011

Early Childhood


Message From The ERHDCndash The Belle Child

Center Director Laurie Beck

-Mother Teresa

Pg 3

UPK-Universal Pre-Kindergarten children and staff enjoying a healthy lunch



Elementary School


Message From The SACC Program Director James

McNeil

-Frederick Douglass

With summer officially over and the fall season here the holiday season is in full swing Dur-ing the celebrations of Halloween Thanksgiving and Christmas The Belle Center under-stands that these are the times of the year when families need us the most So come cele-brate the Holidays with The Belle Center

Fall Festival ndash October 28th 2011 500 pm ndash 700 pm Thanksgiving Celebration ndash November 21st 2011 330 pm ndash 530 pm Winter Festival ndash TBA

Remember the holiday season is a great time to spend with family and friends but it is also the time of year crime rises and child predators are on the prowl Here are a few safety tips that your family can put into practice for Halloween

Do not allow a child to go ldquoTrick or Treatingrdquo alone Be sure older children TAKE A FRIEND and that an ADULT accompanies young children Be certain to accompany young children to the door of every house they approach Be certain that parents are familiar with every house and all people from which the

children receive treats Children should be cautioned that they should NOT enter any home without prior

permission from their parents Children should be cautioned not to approach any vehicle occupied or not unless they

know the owner and are accompanied by a parent Make sure that all children carry a glow stick or wear reflective clothing When using facial masks make sure that children can see and breathe properly and

easily All costumes and masks should be clearly marked as flame resistant Children should be warned to NEVER approach any house that is not well lit and does

not have a porch or ldquooutsiderdquo light on (Safety Tips From Erie County Department of Health)

For more information contact

SACC Program Director James McNeil at Phone 845-0485 ext 221 Email jmcneilthebellecenterorg Pg 4

Summer Camp youth bowing after finishing their dance performance at the 6th Annual Kids Fest



Message From the 21st Century Com-

munity Learning Center Program

Director

-Evelyn Pizarro



Pg 5

The 21st Century Summer Camp Program was a great success with 70 students in grades

6th to 12th attending throughout the summer Besides field trips to the University at Buffalo

Darien Lake Beaver Island State Park AJrsquos indoor car racing and Chestnut Ridge and etc

students also received tutoring in Reading Writing and Math Our Annual Review conducted

by an independent evaluator indicated that our students had improved in Math skills behav-

ior and participation in their classrooms Reading skills and school attendance showed im-

provement but are still a challenge During our ldquoToolTimerdquo skills class students learned about

basic plumbing electrical systems at home and coolingheating systems In other skills

classes they also made personalized aprons t-shirts and learned how to cook lasagna and

stuff shells and rebuilt bikes with Buffalo Blue Bikes Not a bad summer

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

Phone 845-0485 ext 212 Email epizarrothebellecenterorg

21st Century Summer Camp students and staff on a field trip at the University at Buffalo



Message From The Buffalo

AmeriCorps Program

Pamela James

-Napoleon Hill

Buffalo AmeriCorps

Buffalo AmeriCorps members who spearhead the Magdalena Project through the Buffalo Dream Center hosted a ldquobook bag giveawayrdquo at Gluck Park in Niagara Falls NY over the summer 288 book bags were distributed by 30 volunteers It was an enjoyable community event for all as many were present to lend a hand like the Police Department City council representatives-who helped grill food and the Fire department who brought a truck for youth attendees to learn about and explore In addition groceries were given away to families in need a bounce house added to the fun along with free hot dogs drinks crafts a petting farm and a wonderful presentation by the Lewiston Police Department who brought in a police dog and showed everyone how dogs are able to search for narcotics


Buffalo AmeriCorps Program Director Pamela James at 845-0485 ext 213 Email pjamesthebellecenterorg

or Buffalo AmeriCorps Program Coordinator

Jacquelyn Ornsby at 845-0485 ext 224 Email jornsbybellecenterorg


Pg 6

Buffalo AmeriCorps Director-Pamela James and Buffalo AmeriCorps member Joann at the Book bag giveaway at Gluck Park

Buffalo Ameri-Corps 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 Educa-tion from the University at Buffalo and is employed as a Teacher (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09)

Jenaro Atkin received his HS diploma and is

attending Canisius College (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10)

Gabrianna Brewer completed 1 term of

Buffalo AmeriCorps and is in her 2nd term while working in the Day Care at The Belle Center (Buffalo Recovery 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 completed 2 terms

of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and attends DrsquoYouville College (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-10)

Esther Blakely completed 2 terms of Buffalo

AmeriCorps and attends ECC (Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps 08-10)

LaRusha Blakely completed 2 terms of

Buffalo AmeriCorps and received her BA in May 2011 in Social Work from Buffalo State College She works as an After-School Counselor in the SACC Program at The Belle Center (Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps 08-10

Nathan Buckley completed 2 terms of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and was a team leader in his 2nd term (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09)

Chrissy Calaxite completed 2 terms of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and attends graduate school at Canisius College (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-10)

Patricia Callazo completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09)

Chaz Casterline completed 1 term of the


Ada Hopson Clemons completed 1 term

of the Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10)

Jacqueline Clemons completed 1 term of

the Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 09-10)

Joshua Copeland completed 1 term of the


Marielys Conde completed 2 terms of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and attends ECC (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09)

Dominique Davis is attending Bible Col-

lege at the Dream Center 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 AmeriCorps 07-08)

Emma Dosch completed 1 term of the Buf-

falo AmeriCorps and is attending Allegheny Col-lege for her BA (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09)

Magdalena Feliciano received her GED

and plans to attend ECC (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09)

Amelia Fernandez completed 2 terms of

the Buffalo AmeriCorps and completed her Associ-ates degree (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09)

Magdalina Fernandez completed 2

terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and received her HS diploma and is attending ECC She works as a Teacher Aide with the School Age Child Care Program at The Belle Center (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09)

Tiffany Fowler completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and attends Graduate school at the University at Buffalo (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-

09)

Angemar Garcia completed 2 terms of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and is currently employed (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09)

William Goldstein completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and was hired as a Teacher Aide in the 21st Century Leaning Center at The Belle Center (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10)

Gabrielle Hardy completed her CNA

classes at Millard Fillmore April 19th 2010 (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10)

Elisabeth Harf completed 1 term of the

Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps and is enrolled in college (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


Adam Ianni completed 1 term of the Buffalo

AmeriCorps and is currently employed at Green Options Buffalo (Buffalo AmeriCorps 10-11)

Veronica Ivey completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and she received her BA She received her MA in May 2011 in Social Work from the University at Buffalo (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09)

April James completed 1 term of Buffalo

AmeriCorps and is in her 2nd term (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 07-08)

Michelle Johns completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and is in her 2nd term (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-10)

Callie Johnson completed 2 terms of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps During the 2nd she was a team leader She received her BA in Communication 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 MarketingCommunication (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09)

John Jones completed 1 term of the Buffalo

AmeriCorps and is attending Bible College at the Dream Center Masters Commission of LA (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09) Tomaine Jordan completed 2 terms of

Buffalo AmeriCorps and graduated from Bible College at the Dream Center Masters Commission of LA He is currently employed at The Buffalo Dream Center (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08)

LaKendra Joyner received her GED and

plans to pursue higher education (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 07-08)

Helen Juarbe completed 1 term of Buffalo

Recovery AmeriCorps and is in her 2nd She re-ceived her GED and attends ECC (Buffalo Recov-ery AmeriCorps 09-10)

Data Jurugo completed 1 amp 12 terms of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and he received his BA in May 2011 in Mathematics from DrsquoYouville College (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09)

James Kirk completed 1 term of Buffalo

AmeriCorps and was hired as a Teacher Aide in the Day Care at The Belle Center (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 09-10)

Kalombo Komoriko completed 1 term of

Buffalo AmeriCorps and attends ECC (Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps 09-10)

Mark Koval completed 1 term of Buffalo

Recovery AmeriCorps and is enrolled in college He is a Teaching Assistant in the 21st Century Learning Center (Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps 09-10)

Zoe Lavatelli completed 2 terms of the


Paula Lizarondo completed 1 term of the


Kate Love completed 1 term of the Buffalo

AmeriCorps (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10)

Michael McCarley completed 2 terms of

the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is currently emplyed at the Buffalo Urban League (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-11)

Christina McNeil completed 1 term of the


James McNeil completed 1 term of the

Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps and is Director of the SACC program at The Belle Center (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10)

Sherrell McLean completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and attends Buffalo State College (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10)

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)

Charles Moffitt completed 1 term of the


Hubert Morrison III completed 2 terms

of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is receiving career preparedness 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)

Victor Montes completed 1 term of the


Byron Mulkey completed 1 term of the

Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps (Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps 09-10)

LaShawnda Murphy completed 1 term of

the Buffalo AmeriCorps and attends the New York Film Academy (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09)

Eddie Negron Jr completed 1 term of

Buffalo AmeriCorps (Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps 09-10)

Mitchell Niesman completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and is currently employed at PUSH Buffalo (Buffalo AmeriCorps 10-11)

Jacqueline Ornsby completed 1 term of the

Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps and is in her 2nd term She graduated from Canisius College with her BA in English She studies at ECC City Cam-pus majoring in Emergency Management with a 40 GPA She was promoted to The Belle Center Staff as Buffalo AmeriCorps Program Coordinator (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-11)

Joshua Orta completed 1 term of the Buffalo


Ricardo Jose Perez completed 2 terms of

the Buffalo AmeriCorps and graduated from the University at Buffalo with a BA in Spanish and Social Sciences Interdisciplinary with a concentra-tion in International Studies and a minor in LatinoLatina Studies He is currently a US Capitol Police Officer in Washington DC (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-10)

Brittany Powell completed 1 term of the

Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps and is in her 2nd term (Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps 09-10) Bethany Prather completed 1 term of the


Erica Quarles completed 1 term of Buffalo

AmeriCorps and is in her 2nd term She attends Bryant and Stratton College majoring as a Surgical Assistant Currently she is on the Deanrsquos List (Buffalo AmeriCorps 10-11)

Penny Rappa completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps 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 AmeriCorps 07-08)

Zaida Resto completed 2 terms of the Buffalo

AmeriCorps and received career preparedness training in The Portal at The Belle Center She was promoted to The Belle Center Staff as the SACC-Assistant Director (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09)

Joshua Rivers completed 1 term and re-

ceived his HS diploma and is attending ITT Tech of Rochester (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08) Eric Rodriguez completed 1 term of Buffalo

AmeriCorps and received his HS diploma from Riverside and is attending ECC (Buffalo Ameri-Corps 09-10)

Daliana Rosado completed 2 terms of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and received her BA in Ele-mentary Education from DrsquoYouville College and received her MS in Education from DrsquoYouville College She served as the assistant summer camp director during The Belle Summer Program 09 (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08)

Lindsey Rutherford completed 1 term of

the Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps and is in her 2nd term (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10)

Atley Sanders completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps received his HS diploma and attends SUNY Maritime (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10)

Frank Scott completed 1 term of the Buffalo


Ashlea Smith completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and received her HS diploma and is attending ECC (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08) Bruce Smith completed 2 terms of the Buffalo

AmeriCorps He was promoted to The Belle Center Staff as the SACC-Performing Arts Coordinator (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09)

Jessica Smith completed 1 term of the Buf-

falo AmeriCorps and received her GED and plans to attend ECC (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09)

Alexis Soto-Colorado completed 1 term of

the Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps is in his 2nd term and graduated from the University at Buffalo He is the Program Coordinator of the Asthma Home Environment Program at The Belle Center (Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps 09-10)

Yevette Suarez completed 1 term of the

Buffalo Recovery AmeriCorps (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10)

Elizabeth Santos-Torres completed 2

terms of the Buffalo AmeriCorps and is studying Anesthesiology at Dover University (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-09)

Haslin Torres completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and received her HS diploma and is attending ECC studying Early Childhood Education while working at Sister Hospital (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08)

Jorge Torres received his HS diploma from

Charter School for Applied Technology and is working (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10)

Ivy Trinadad received her AOS in Busi-

ness in May 2011 and is in the BBA program at Bryant and Stratton College (Buffalo AmeriCorps 10-11)

Martha Watson completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and completed a BS degree at Daemen College (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-10)

Felicia Welch completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and is in her 2nd term while studying at DrsquoYouville College (Buffalo AmeriCorps 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)

Desiree Williams completed 1 term of the


Samson William completed 2 terms of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and attends ECC He is a Teacher Aide in the Day Care at The Belle Center (Buffalo AmeriCorps 08-09)

Melissa Winiarski completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and received her AS in Physi-cal Education from ECC She received her BS in Kinesthesiology in May 2011 from Liberty Univer-sity She was promoted to The Belle Center Staff as the Aquatics Instructor (Buffalo AmeriCorps 07-08)

Whitney Yax completed 1 term of the


Rashad Younger completed 1 term of the

Buffalo AmeriCorps and competed his 2nd term (Buffalo AmeriCorps 09-11)

Pg 7



Family Community and Health Programs and Services


-Elmer G Letterman

A gateway in aiding families to build early literacy skills and pre-

pare children for success in school Through in-home sessions with trained home visitors families work on model reading playing and other literacy activities that not only enhance literacy skills but strengthen family ties (M - F) Contact Nina Kean at 845-0485 ext

224

It is our goal that

through this program we can enrich the lives of young people ages 13-16 mandated through the court system to attend the program by equipping and encouraging them to make healthier positive choices We will offer the youth the opportunity to build strong and meaningful relationships through mentoring tutoring educational enrichment organized community service projects and partake in college tours field trips motivational speakers and meaning of service discussions Our youth and staff will sit together to ldquobreak breadrdquo to further solidify the construction of healthy relationships while instilling positive reinforcement daily affirmation and a sense of empowerment It is our belief that in every child there is a hero waiting to flourish and we are here to offer a net-work of support to see the youth in our program take flight and become successful Contact Young Heroes (STSJP) Pro-gram Director Daytuan Antonetti at 845-0485 ext 204

Join a Senior Pro-

gram thatrsquos exciting and offers regular activitiesndash arts amp crafts bingo field trips a M-F nutritious lunch program exercise classes and more Transportation is available (M-F 930am -

230pm) Contact 845-0485 ext 200

Offers a variety of non-perishable items

for those who are in need If you or anyone you know is need and without food register at The Belle Center to be a recipient of a regular biweekly bag of goods (Every 2nd and 4th Friday 930am - 1130am amp 100pm - 300pm) Contact Priscilla Grant 845-0485 ext 232

Safe and friendly environment for

youth to get off the streets and perform recreational activities (M-F 600pm - 800pm) Contact Stanley Fernandez 845-0485 ext 301 Pg 8

Currently has openings at The Belle We can provide a volunteer

mentor for your child We meet one day a week from 330 pm to 500 pm Eligibility Re-

quirements-Children ages 5-14 Call Maryam Ghazanfari at 716-873-5833 All applications are confidential

ldquoDo Betterrdquo Get on the road to attaining the fundamentals

you need (GED ESL Culinary classes) to create a successful future at The Belle Center

Location (M-F 800am - 400pm) Just call 843-4023 Congratulations to all the Adult Edu-

cation graduates

The Community Health Worker Net-

work of Buffalorsquos Mission is to provide opportunities for vulnerable neighborhoods to realize their full potential for health and well being We achieve this through empowerment and asset-building strate-gies for individuals and communities developed and delivered by a diverse collaboration of Community Health Workers community members advocates and other stakeholder groups (CHW Brown Bag Lunches at The Belle Center the 4th Thursday of every month 1200 pm to 200 pm) Meetings are open to all Com-munity Health Workers and other interested community members Contact Jessica Bauer Walker 716-548-6727 email chwbuffaloyahoocom

Western New Yorks leading non-profit human services agency Through a variety

of services including residential employment community outreach health care and recreation pro-grams we help seniors families and people with disabilities live more healthy independent and pro-ductive lives Contact 845-0485 ext 226

is a program where our children get the opportunity to experience Sci-

ence 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 provide a strong foundation for our fu-ture scientists in the making (Fall M-F 430pm - 530pm) Contact 845-0485 ext 200

Contact Brenda Montanez (M-F 830am - 330pm)

845-0485 ext 219

If your child is in need of professional counsel-

ing services Contact Richard May (M W TH F 1200pm - 400pm) 845-0485 ext 207

For more information about how you can find out your status and re-

ceive a FREE and confidential AIDS test Contact Front Desk (Every other Friday) 845-0485 ext 200

weight room game room gym pool computer lab rental amp etc 845-0485 ext 221

Pg 9



Parent-Child Home Program


Dedication and persistency is what we value here at The Belle Center-Parent-Child Home Program While holding onto to these core val-ues we as a staff are able to ensure that our participating families are receiving the support needed in order to continue to build a successful future With the focus of PCHP being early liter-acy myself and home visitors continuously use different learning techniques to reinforce the literacy skills that need to be cultivated Just for a brief overview throughout the PCHP 2011 program year we have focused on con-cepts such as rhyming relationships colors shapes textures amp numbers In addition we have placed an emphasis on the following liter-acy skills vocabulary print motivation print awareness narrative skills letter knowledge amp phonological awareness While diligently com-mitting our time through home visitations we have seen a significant amount of improvement with our children participants As Home Visitors we are excited about our childrenrsquos increased

recognition of colors shapes textures vocabulary and the constant use of creativity We are excited over having such a successful year and we look forward to the launch of an-other program year during the FALL of 2011 The program is open to children ages 1 frac12- 4 If you are interested in enrolling your child please hurry because there are a limited amount of slots Please contact me at the information below


Parent-Child Home Program Coordinator Nina Kean 716-845-0485 ext 223

Email nkeanthebellecenterorg

Message From Parent-Child Home Program Coordi-nator Nina Kean

-Abigail Adams

Pg 10

Student from The Belle Center enjoying reading a good book



Seniors


Try A New Healthy Recipe

Traditional Chilean Stew

total time 1 hr 20 min Prep 20 min Servings 8 servings 1-12 cups each

The Chileans like to eat this stew with a fried egg served on top What you need 2-12 lb red potatoes (about 5) peeled cut into 12-inch cubes 1 lb butternut squash peeled cut into 12-inch cubes 1-12 qt (6 cups) beef broth 1 lb beef top round steak cut into 12-inch cubes 1 onion coarsely chopped 3 cloves garlic chopped 14 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing 1 Tbsp paprika 1 Tbsp dried oregano leaves 1 tsp pepper 1 pkg (16 oz) frozen mixed vegeta-bles (peas corn and carrots)

Make it BRING potatoes squash and broth to boil in stockpot on medium-high heat simmer on low heat 10 min MEANWHILE cook meat onions and garlic in dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat 5 min or until meat is evenly browned stirring occasionally Add seasonings cook 5 min stirring frequently ADD to potato mixture in stockpot stir Sim-mer 30 min stirring occasionally Stir in mixed vegetables simmer 10 min stirring occasionally Kraft Kitchens Tips FOOD FACTS This traditional Chilean dish is often made with cochayuyo a protein-packed dried sea-weed It is sold in bundles and is often used as a substitute for beef It is a leafy seaweed Its base is called ulte and the dried leaves are called cochachuyo Both parts are used in salads and fresh seafood preparations

(Recipe amp photo from wwwkraftrecipescom)

For more information contact Senior Wellness Program at Phone

845-0485

Message From The Senior Wellness

Program

-Mother Teresa

Pg 11




Message From Funds Development

Program Director Michael Szymanski

-Maria Robinson

Funds Development


It is with great excitement that I am pleased to announce that The Belle Center is undertaking a fundraising campaign for the first time in its history Led by Mike RiveraBoard Chairman Nestor HernandezExecutive Director Dr Jack Norton Callie Johnson and Michael Szymanski the team has been meeting on a regular basis and has been working with Independent Consultant Linda Ray on a full scale development plan We have instituted bi-weekly tours (wwwthebellecenterorgtake-a-tour) of the center on Thursday mornings that run from 830 am to approximately 930 am The goal of these tours is to provide awareness to the community as to The Belle Centerrsquos mission programming and future plans for controlled growth The response so far has been one of amazement Tour attendees who were not aware of the plethora of programs that are provided for the members of the community become enlightened After viewing the day care facil-ity and walking the building tour attendees get a much clearer view of our Cradle to College concept In conjunction with the bi-weekly tours Nestor and myself have been meeting with our vendorsbusiness partners to explain what The Belle Centerrsquos mission and future goals are By painting a picture to these various companies we will be better suited to meet our expected goal in the coming year Many of these business entities had no idea of the depth of the programs that are offered here When we explain in detail what is being undertaken the response is the same WOW As we build a better relationship with our vendors we will be able to cultivate a culture of giving This is going to be a major factor in the coming years We look forward to the challenge and will not let our mission fail I am happy to report that the First Annual Belle Center Golf Tournament was a success We had approximately 40 golfers who enjoyed a sun filled day of golf great food and camaraderie Ar-rowhead Golf Course provided all of the necessary pieces to ensure a great day of golf This was an excellent opportunity for our business partners supporters Board members and staff to come together and get acquainted while building some new friendships We would like to thank everyone who contributed of their time and resources A special thank you to Lori Beck and JoAnn Hernandez who did a fantastic job on making the gift baskets and were great on the course as beverage cart drivers This initial golf outing was an excellent foundation for future tournaments Stay tuned and mark your calendar for The Belle Centers 2nd Annual tournament in 2012 Visit wwwthebellecenterorggolf-classic


Funds Development Director Michael Szymanski at

Phone 845-0485 ext 215 Email mszymanskithebellecenterorg Pg 12

Nestor Hernandez-Executive Director of TBC at 1st Annual Belle Center Golf



Young Heroes (STSJP)


I am proud to announce a new initia-tive at The Belle Center called ldquoYoung Heroesrdquo -the Supervision and Treatment Services for Juve-niles Program It is our goal that through this program we can enrich the lives of young people ages 13-16 that are mandated through the court system to attend the program by equipping and encouraging them to make healthier positive choices We will offer the youth the opportunity to build strong and meaningful relation-

ships through mentoring tutoring educational enrichment organized community service projects and partake in college tours field trips motivational speakers and meaning of ser-vice discussions Last but most importantly our youth and staff will sit together to ldquobreak breadrdquo to further solidify the construction of healthy relationships while instilling positive rein-forcement daily affirmation and a sense of empowerment It is our belief that in every child there is a hero waiting to flourish and we are here to offer a network of support to see the youth in our program take flight and become successful

Say Hello To Our Staff Daytuan Antonetti- Program Director

Otu Obot- Program Coordinator Whitney Martin- Case Manager

Alexis Soto- Colorado- Case Monitor Jessica Rivera- Counselor Latoya Seals- Counselor

For more information contact Young Heroes (STSJP) Program Director

Daytuan Antonetti at 845-0485 ext 204 Email dantonettithebellecenterorg or

Young Heroes (STSJP) Program Coordinator Otu Obot at 845-0485 ext 203 Email oobotthebellecenterorg

Message From The Young Heroes

(STSJP) Program Director Daytuan

Antonetti

- Lou Holtz

Pg 13

Young Heroes (STSJP) Program Staff

Pg 14

Life In A Positive Light Below is a testimonial of a person who has

been positively impacted by the programs and services offered at The Belle Center

Buffalo AmeriCorps Member Since October 2010 Adam Ianni has helped Green Options Buffalo grow it membership base from 0 to

150 and is well on its way towards reaching its yearly goal of 200 Adam helped promote and run Buffalos Bike Month a whole month full of bike events including a fund raiser at the Flying Bison Brewery and I

Bike and a cyclist interviewing program Adam also taught a 12 week long Recycle a bike course to 6th graders at Southside elementary culminating in group bike rides with the students on the bikes they built

Recently he raised money to send himself and the shop manager to Bike Bike a non-profit bike shop conference in San Marcos Texas Recently after successfully completing his AmeriCorps term of service

he was promoted to a staff position at Blue Bike (Buffalo AmeriCorps 2010-2011)

Be Our Guest amp Join Us For A Memorable Experience Tour Allow Us 1 Hour of your time

At The Belle Center

104 Maryland Street Buffalo NY 14201

1 Hour Monthly Tours

Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or

Email mszymanskithebellecneterorg Register Online at wwwthebellecenterorgtake-a-tour

Congratulations

The Belle Center Winner of The 2011 Theatre of Youth-Toy Box Bash Award For Community Guardians That Make A Difference In The Lives Of WNY Children amp The NYS Youth Bureau Association Award

Nestor Hernandez Among the winners of Business Firstrsquos 40 Under 40 Award for 2011 amp Winner of The Child Care Resource Network 2011 Dorothy B Miller Award

Evelyn Pizarro Winner of the Hispanics United of Buffalo 2011 Educator Award James McNeil Winner of the Child Care Resource Network 2011 School Age Child Care Award

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

Government FundsndashGrants Erie County Youth Development amp 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 amp 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 MampT 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

Pg 15

Announcements

-Join Us For The Memorable Ex-perience Monthly Tours-830am-

930am Call716-845-0485 ext 215 or Email mszymanskithebellecneterorg or Register Online at wwwthebellecenterorgtake-a-tour -Now Enrolling For ALL Belle Cen-ter Programs To Register Visit (wwwthebellecenterorg) Or Call 845-0485 ext 10 -Big Brother Big Sister of Erie County Currently has openings at The Belle We can provide a volun-teer mentor for your child We meet one day a week from 330 pm to 500 pm Eligibility Require-ments-Children ages 5-14 Call Maryam Ghazanfari 873-5833 All applications are confidential -Hiking For The Belle Center go to wwwthebellecenterorg -Fall Festival ndash October 28th 2011 500pm ndash 700pm -Thanksgiving Celebration ndash No-vember 21st 2011 330pm ndash 530pm -Winter Festival ndash TBA

Students from The Early Childhood Center Universal Pre-K Program and School Age Child Care Program (SACC) at The Belle Center all read Llama Llama Red Pajama to join in on the celebration over literacy to help set the record for the amount of people reading the same book at once We thank the guest readers who came out to share the gift of literacy with our youth (Barbara J Farrow Aniela Baj ndash Thant and Wayne Tahara) The mass reading of this wonderful literary work is in conjunction with Read for the Record in partnership with Read to Succeed Buffalo The youth enjoyed reading the story and SACC students even received the opportunity to learn how to make their own specialized origami by one of the guest readers-Wayne Tahara who held a special activities class after he completed reading the book to students

Erie Regional Housing Development Corporation - The Belle Center


Greetings How are we doing I really want to know What do you think about the pro-grams and services at The Belle Center-are we meeting your needs Connect with us on our website (wwwthebellcenterorg) and let us know As Chairman of the Board itrsquos important to get valuable feedback from the community we are here for you and plan on continuing to be here for a very long time With budget cuts and poverty on the rise nation and worldwide we are moving to be more proactive through the creation of our funds development department The Belle Center has never had a history of fundraising however we have already begun this year by having our 1st Annual Belle Center Golf Classic and more events are to come We really need the support of the community in all of our initiatives as they are being implemented for the greater good of our youth and families in the community We want to see our youth and their fami-lies flourish and reach their maximum potential in life and we want to make sure that we are in the right place to catapult them towards success

Sincerely

Michael A Rivera

President of ERHDC Board

Look itrsquos a bird itrsquos a plane itrsquos The Belle Center marching down Niagara Street in the 9th Annual Puerto Rican Day Parade The Puerto Rican Day Pa-rade of Western New York Association held its 9th Annual Puerto Rican Day Parade which The Belle Center was pleased to be apart of as staff and stu-dents from the Center walked and drove in celebration of the Hispanic Cul-ture Evelyn Pizarro-21st Century Learning Program Director and staff assem-bled a red white and blue Puerto Rican themed balloon column that could be seen from miles away while marching down the street Students and staff also enjoyed distributing candy and touting The Belle Center organization as a bea-con of hope and opportunity not only on the Lower West Side of Buffalo but in Western New York

Pg 2

1st Annual Belle Center Golf Classic (Left) Executive

Director of The Belle Center-Nestor Hernandez President

of The Belle Center Board-Michael Rivera amp Chair of The

Belle Center Golf Classic-Modesto Candelario

Belle Center staff amp students at the Puerto Rican Day Parade






Early Childhood




-Mother Teresa

Pg 3




Elementary School



McNeil

-Frederick Douglass

















Director

-Evelyn Pizarro



Pg 5

















AmeriCorps Program

Pamela James

-Napoleon Hill

Buffalo AmeriCorps







Pg 6



















































09)



































































































































Pg 7





-Elmer G Letterman



224

It is our goal that


Join a Senior Pro-


230pm) Contact 845-0485 ext 200











cation graduates








845-0485 ext 219






Pg 9











-Abigail Adams

Pg 10




Seniors









845-0485


Program

-Mother Teresa

Pg 11






-Maria Robinson

Funds Development





















Antonetti

- Lou Holtz

Pg 13


Pg 14









At The Belle Center



Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or


Congratulations







Pg 15

Announcements











Early Childhood




-Mother Teresa

Pg 3




Elementary School



McNeil

-Frederick Douglass

















Director

-Evelyn Pizarro



Pg 5

















AmeriCorps Program

Pamela James

-Napoleon Hill

Buffalo AmeriCorps







Pg 6



















































09)



































































































































Pg 7





-Elmer G Letterman



224

It is our goal that


Join a Senior Pro-


230pm) Contact 845-0485 ext 200











cation graduates








845-0485 ext 219






Pg 9











-Abigail Adams

Pg 10




Seniors









845-0485


Program

-Mother Teresa

Pg 11






-Maria Robinson

Funds Development





















Antonetti

- Lou Holtz

Pg 13


Pg 14









At The Belle Center



Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or


Congratulations







Pg 15

Announcements








Elementary School



McNeil

-Frederick Douglass

















Director

-Evelyn Pizarro



Pg 5

















AmeriCorps Program

Pamela James

-Napoleon Hill

Buffalo AmeriCorps







Pg 6



















































09)



































































































































Pg 7





-Elmer G Letterman



224

It is our goal that


Join a Senior Pro-


230pm) Contact 845-0485 ext 200











cation graduates








845-0485 ext 219






Pg 9











-Abigail Adams

Pg 10




Seniors









845-0485


Program

-Mother Teresa

Pg 11






-Maria Robinson

Funds Development





















Antonetti

- Lou Holtz

Pg 13


Pg 14









At The Belle Center



Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or


Congratulations







Pg 15

Announcements










Director

-Evelyn Pizarro



Pg 5

















AmeriCorps Program

Pamela James

-Napoleon Hill

Buffalo AmeriCorps







Pg 6



















































09)



































































































































Pg 7





-Elmer G Letterman



224

It is our goal that


Join a Senior Pro-


230pm) Contact 845-0485 ext 200











cation graduates








845-0485 ext 219






Pg 9











-Abigail Adams

Pg 10




Seniors









845-0485


Program

-Mother Teresa

Pg 11






-Maria Robinson

Funds Development





















Antonetti

- Lou Holtz

Pg 13


Pg 14









At The Belle Center



Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or


Congratulations







Pg 15

Announcements









AmeriCorps Program

Pamela James

-Napoleon Hill

Buffalo AmeriCorps







Pg 6



















































09)



































































































































Pg 7





-Elmer G Letterman



224

It is our goal that


Join a Senior Pro-


230pm) Contact 845-0485 ext 200











cation graduates








845-0485 ext 219






Pg 9











-Abigail Adams

Pg 10




Seniors









845-0485


Program

-Mother Teresa

Pg 11






-Maria Robinson

Funds Development





















Antonetti

- Lou Holtz

Pg 13


Pg 14









At The Belle Center



Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or


Congratulations







Pg 15

Announcements























































09)



































































































































Pg 7





-Elmer G Letterman



224

It is our goal that


Join a Senior Pro-


230pm) Contact 845-0485 ext 200











cation graduates








845-0485 ext 219






Pg 9











-Abigail Adams

Pg 10




Seniors









845-0485


Program

-Mother Teresa

Pg 11






-Maria Robinson

Funds Development





















Antonetti

- Lou Holtz

Pg 13


Pg 14









At The Belle Center



Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or


Congratulations







Pg 15

Announcements










-Elmer G Letterman



224

It is our goal that


Join a Senior Pro-


230pm) Contact 845-0485 ext 200











cation graduates








845-0485 ext 219






Pg 9











-Abigail Adams

Pg 10




Seniors









845-0485


Program

-Mother Teresa

Pg 11






-Maria Robinson

Funds Development





















Antonetti

- Lou Holtz

Pg 13


Pg 14









At The Belle Center



Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or


Congratulations







Pg 15

Announcements












cation graduates








845-0485 ext 219






Pg 9











-Abigail Adams

Pg 10




Seniors









845-0485


Program

-Mother Teresa

Pg 11






-Maria Robinson

Funds Development





















Antonetti

- Lou Holtz

Pg 13


Pg 14









At The Belle Center



Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or


Congratulations







Pg 15

Announcements
















-Abigail Adams

Pg 10




Seniors









845-0485


Program

-Mother Teresa

Pg 11






-Maria Robinson

Funds Development





















Antonetti

- Lou Holtz

Pg 13


Pg 14









At The Belle Center



Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or


Congratulations







Pg 15

Announcements








Seniors









845-0485


Program

-Mother Teresa

Pg 11






-Maria Robinson

Funds Development





















Antonetti

- Lou Holtz

Pg 13


Pg 14









At The Belle Center



Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or


Congratulations







Pg 15

Announcements











-Maria Robinson

Funds Development





















Antonetti

- Lou Holtz

Pg 13


Pg 14









At The Belle Center



Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or


Congratulations







Pg 15

Announcements




















Antonetti

- Lou Holtz

Pg 13


Pg 14









At The Belle Center



Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or


Congratulations







Pg 15

Announcements






Pg 14









At The Belle Center



Call 716-845-0485 ext 215 or


Congratulations







Pg 15

Announcements









Pg 15

Announcements






Belle Newsletter Fall 2011

Documents

Transcript of Belle Newsletter Fall 2011