| THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLACE - EL HOGAR DE LOS VECINOS |
We invite you to experience The Neighborhood Place firsthand. Please call 210-431-7500 for tours and information. A Marvelous Mosaic of People & Purpose To walk the cheerful hallways of The Neighborhood Place, visit its noisy playground of happy children, take a dance lesson, seek a service for your grandmother, shoot hoops in the gym, share parenting techniques with neighbors, see fathers coming together in common purpose, watch teens volunteer to make their community a better place, attend a festive graduation ceremony where the honorees are five-year-olds dressed in shiny red caps and gowns … is to experience The Neighborhood Place. Here is a sampling of what you’ll discover at The Neighborhood Place - El Hogar de los Vecinos … Youth Against Gang Activity (YAGA) – Teens working together to energetically inspire peers and younger students at neighborhood schools – spreading their anti-drug, anti-gang, anti-dropout, pro-positive lifestyle message with bold conviction. HOPES – Part of the Great Start Initiative that is giving at-risk parents knowledge and support to effectively raise their children with love, wisdom, stability and appropriate guidelines. Families And Schools Together (FAST) – A neighborhood office of the Family Service Association program that focuses on young children who are at risk for school failure, juvenile delinquency and substance abuse. FAST brings parents, teachers and children together to strengthen families, build community relationships, reduce school disciplinary problems and empower parents. Child Care Resource & Referral – A service of Family Service Association that provides parents with individualized information on quality childcare services where they work and live. Margaret’s Place Too – An abundant pantry of adults’ and children’s donated clothing, toys, diapers, wipes, car seats and other baby and child supplies for families in crisis. KidShare – A third location for this Family Service Association program that protects children – creating a safe, neutral environment where children of families in conflict may be transferred from one parent to another without the parents ever coming in contact. Adult Protective Services – A west side branch of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services division that is responsible for investigating abuse, neglect and exploitation of adults who are elderly or have disabilities. Child Protective Services – With this new location in the heart of the west side community, CPS can be quickly responsive to the needs of children. American Indians of TEEM Project – Developed by the UT Health Science Center-Houston, TEEM works with local schools, child care providers and Head Start to assess the early reading and social readiness of children to ensure they are adequately prepared to enter school. Dance Therapy, Dance your depression away, Inc. – Introduces dance as a fun, healthy exercise that includes therapeutic benefits such as relieving stress and depression, building self-confidence and self-esteem, and improving social networks. The organization offers free dance lessons for all ages every Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. Community Tool Shed – Volunteer groups may borrow an array of shiny new shovels, brooms, paintbrushes, rakes and other tools to use in community beautification projects. Meeting Rooms – Cheerful, friendly spaces where community groups are invited to meet, plan, organize and feel right at home in a neighborhood where such spaces were limited prior to the opening of The Neighborhood Place. Cafetorium – This 6,377square foot auditorium that previously served as the cafeteria for the elementary school is ideal for hosting neighborhood gatherings, celebrations and community meetings. The Gift of Volunteers & Other FriendsAs you tour the community spaces and visit the residential partners that share this space with Family Service Association, you can feel the joy that stems from people coming together in a common purpose. Long before this transformation from public elementary school to The Neighborhood Place, thousands of children and their dedicated teachers left their mark upon this space. You can still feel their energy, hope and sense of history. And we were able to revitalize that powerful spirit, thanks to hundreds of volunteers, other friends and corporate partners. A special thanks to … Rackspace – which sent almost 100 volunteer “Rackers,” who transformed the former library – painting, donating and installing library-quality bookshelves and children’s books; donating and installing 14 new computers from HP and Bell Microsystems; and setting up a projector and screen. They also painted our Tool Shed; stocked it with tools; installed shelves; inventoried and labeled tools; and built a ramp for easy access. They painted exterior building walls and doors; painted flowerpots; sorted and inventoried items for Margaret’s Place Too and created a curtain for the door … and donated $10,000! Merial Pharmaceuticals – which sent over 300 convention volunteers in cold, wet weather to plant sod and landscape the campus; rejuvenate the sprinkler system and completely refurbish the children’s playground; assemble picnic tables and park benches; build bleachers for the basketball court; paint 17,000 square feet of space; build and stock the Tool Shed; sort and inventory Margaret’s Place Too; set up the Children’s Resource and Referral Library and secure the air conditioning units … and contribute $45,000 to The Neighborhood Place! The Lantana Gardening Club – who brought beautiful color to the playground area by planting flowers. Family Service Association Volunteers – who gave of their time, energy and skills to help these corps of volunteers achieve their goals! Brother Cletus – celebrated local artist who was commissioned to create a festive watercolor in commemoration of The Neighborhood Place. The painting will hang prominently at the
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