Habitat Photos
Wells Fargo's Leslie Hayes presents the check to Habitat Executive Director Sylvia Oberle as volunteers look on.
Dozens lent their time to the effort on Saturday.
Habitat Forsyth kicks-off NR program
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Habitat for Humanity of
Forsyth County, in partner
ship with the residents of the
North Cherry Street area,
officially ' kicked off
Neighborhood
Revitalization (NR) with a
clean-up and celebration day
on Saturday, June 23 at
Kimberley Park Elementary
School.
Residents and volunteers
from the Kimberly
Park/North Cherry
Street/Glenn Oaks areas,
along with volunteers from
Wells Fargo, took part in the
effort. They worked in the
North Cherry and West 23rd
streets area.
During the event, Wells
Fargo presented Habitat a
check for $140,000 to help
launch NR. The program is
part of a national Habitat
effort to rehabilitate entire
existing neighborhoods in
addition to its traditional
model of building new
homes. Habitat partnered
with Neighbors for Better
Neighborhoods to convene a
group of interested residents
this spring. At the first meet
ing, the residents held a
"visioning session" in which
they drew images and dis
cussed their dreams for the
area and concerns they
would like to address.
Among the goals the resi
dents identified were
improving the safety and
appearance of the neighbor
hood, which includes some
vacant, overgrown lots and
houses that are either board
ed up or in poor condition.
Out of that meeting grew
a coalition of residents who
organized the community
day as their first major proj
ect, said Patricia Caldwell, a
leader of the residents'
group.
"Community Day is
important because it allows .
neighborhoods to come
together with a sense
of pride to work with Habitat
and other city organizations
to build strong and safe com
munities," Caldwell said.
"When 1 became involved
with our neighborhood asso
ciation, it gave me a greater
appreciation and respect for
families that made the
neighborhood a very special
place to live for so many
years."
hor now, moitai win
concentrate its NR work in
the Cherry Street area
because of the organization's
previous involvement there.
Since 2009, Habitat has built
SS new homes in the neigh
borhood, and private devel
opers renovated several
existing houses and histori
cally significant "Y" stair
case apartment buildings.
Teen Night
from page Bl
Johnson explained.
"It could have been tied
back to the economy and
parents not wanting to drive
their children across town,"
she said of Teen Night,
which drew a modest sam
pling of youngsters to the
centers last week. "That was
part of the thought process of
us getting back to the local
communities."
The city has offered
localized programs for teens
in the past and seen solid
attendance, Scott-Johnson
said, and she expects the
turnout of roughly 60 youth
across the three centers will
grow. Scott-Johnson said it
is important for the
Department to incorporate
programming tor adoles
cents in its offerings regard
less of whether the programs
draw large crowds or small
groups.
"I think it's important for
their own self esteem for
them to feel valued. It's just
an additional way to say (to
teens), 'We do care about
you guys and we want you to
have a grand time at our
facilities.'" she remarked.
"If we get 50 kids in here on
a Friday night, that would be
great because that's 50 kids
that are in a positive envi
ronment."
Late Night Rec Leader
Ashley Brown said she
Photo by Layla Garms
Stefonz
Carter
believes hosting Teen Night
at the MLK Center where
she has worked the past four
summers might help to pique
the interest of neighborhood
teens who might not have
been able to make it to
theMIX.
"I think the thing that
was hindering them from
going to Hanes Hosiery was
transportation " said the 26
year-old. "Everybody
doesn't have transportation."
Jasmine Williams was
among those who came out
to Teen Night at the MLK
Center. Jasmine, a rising
sophomore at Mount Tabor,
said the program offered a
welcome chance to get out of
the house on a balmy Friday
evening.
"(I came just to come,"
said the 15 year-old, who
lives close enough to walk to
the center. "It's alright."
Thirteen year-old Stefonz
Carter was loving every
minute of his time at the
MLK Teen Night. The rising
seventh grader duked it out
with his friends on the Xbox
Kinect, trying his hands at
everything from boxing to
the "Michael Jackson: The
Experience" dancing game.
Stefonz, who plays bas
ketball at the center almost
everyday, said the game sys
tem, which allows players to
control the games by moving
their bodies, gave him a seri
ous workout.
"I've played on the Wii,
but I've never played on the
Kinect. It was a little chal
leging but fun," Stefonz said,
still panting from his exer
tion during the game, "...it's
harder, but it'll get you more
active than the Wii does. It's
just like playing basketball
downstdfrs."
Stefonz said the game
system was what drew him
in. He plans to become a
regular at Teen Night and
said he highly recommends
it to his peers.
"They should come out,"
he said of fellow teens.
"Anytime they have the time
to play, they should come out
and have fun."
For more information
about Teen Night, visit
www.cityofws.org or call
City Link, 311.
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schedules available online at
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Macedonia Holiness Church Of God
Of The Apostolic Faith, Inc.
Bishop Rl. Wis. Sr.
DJ)^ S.TJ). ? Potior
Sunday Services
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
M.Y.P.U 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday Services
Prayer & Bible Study 7:30 p.m.
4111 Whitfield Drive
Phone: 336-767-3700
Fax: 336-767-7006
?pen
Mon-Fri
11-3
ofreta's Restaurant
102 West 3rd Street, Suite Lp5 Sunday
Winston-Salem, NC 27101 J 2-4
Phone: (336)750-0811
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