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Part of Westminster House To Note 8-Decade Tradition of Aid, November 16, 1974
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House
Westminster
8-Decade Tradition
By HENRY D. LOCKE JR.
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1 1/2
2
In 1894 the Westminster Community House was
established to administer
t
relief to 55 German families.
On Sunday, the facility will celebrate its 80th anniversary still · providing needed services to area resi-
dents.
.
makeup
2 1/2
of the
Although the
neighborhood has changed
from a predominantly German
community to
predominantly
black community now, available
programs there are still geared
a
3
to the human needs
dents.
4
5½
6
7
of the resi-
Mrs. Carolyn B. Thomas, interim director of the center who
has supervised the planning of
the · celebration, expects . hun
dreds of persons who "had pride
fuin our past and faith in
ture," to attend
the anniversary program from 2 to 5 Sunday afternoon.
Backed by Church
·
The center. originally financially supported by Westminster
Presbyterian .Church, 724 Delaware, until 1965 when the Pres'1YterY of . Western New York
joined in with financial support,
is now supported by, the United
Way of Buffalo and Erie County.
When the- center was founded
the purpose was to help ease the
. burden of . the Charity Aide
Society, which was faced with
a grave depression problem at
that time.
Various programs offered
throughout the past 80years
also have been, to make. .the
financial burden lighter on other
social agencies. But mainly, the
programs were designed to provide better and needed services
our
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addition, some surplus foods,
such as frozen orange juice,
grapefruit juice, dried milk,
peanut butter, flour, oatmeal,
rice, ground beef and canned
chicken also were provided by
USDA.
The meals are prepared by
Mrs. Alice Reed community
vo1unteer, including mothers of
children in the program, serve
the meals and clean up the
Holmes Room, where the meals
are served each school morning.
.. . . ..
Limited
Incomes
Mrs. Thomas noted that the
meals are made available because tlie area consists of families with low and limited . incomes she said.
In addition, about 70 senior
citizens are served free hot
lunches five days a week in
the center. Elderly persons who
are unable to travel to the center each day to eat their meals
receive their meals from a community volunteer who delivers
them.
Aaron Page, comunity develop-
~ ment specialist for the Westmin-
ster House, devotes 10 per cent
of his time administering the
senior citizen program.
Funds for that program also
are provided
by the USDA,
through the Office of the Aging
on
Delaware Ave.
.. .
Head Start
.
The center also offers
Head
Startprogram for about 30 preto the residents of that
.
school students through the Task
munity.
Mrs.. .Thomas said most of the
Force of Cooperative Urban Ministry,
located in Grace United
program participants reside in
Church of
Christ, E. Delavan
the area bounded by Broadway,
and Moselle st.
.
, Fillmore, Jefferson Ave., and
.
generally
the Kensington
•
ExThatreligious group also
operates a Wider Horizons Tupressway.
torial Reading Program each
Free Breakfasts
_school day from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30
About 80 grade school and
p.m. for grade school children
junior
high school students
who have difficulties in reading.
Most of the students come from
receive free breakfasts in the
facillty each morning before
nearby School 4l at 641 Jeffer· going to school. This program
·
son Ave., but Mrs. Thomas sai d
was started b •the Black Stustudents from other nearby
Union at the
University of
schools also participate in '.the
program.
dent
paid for with
Also found in the center is a
meals are
money received from the U.S.
Planned Parenthood outreach
Dept. of Agriculture (USDA). I n program, operated by Planne d
com-
8
...
CODE:
a
Note
of Aid
To
for an extended period of ' time
have joined in the
celebration.
planning of the
The Rev
Wade Russell is general chair
Parenthood of Buffalo Inc.
man, Mrs. Mamye W_orkman is
Times for Sessions
Those sessions are held on
cochairman, Mrs. Jane Morris.
principal of School 41, is chair
Tuesday and Thursday afternoon
man
of historical research and
from 1 to 5 p.m. and Monday
James c. Jackson is publicity
evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30
chairman.
. p.m. It has been in operation
Other contributors are Mrs.
years, and as one of
for seven
Geneva Scruggs, Mrs. Ruth Williams
Mrs. Ora Lee Lewis.
the first 'planned parenthood
outreach station in Buffalo.
Miss Lorayne Simmons, group
·· The Erie County Health Dept.
worker, Thurman Leigh, pro· also operates an outreach stagram· director, and Miss Trina
tion in thecenter.Persons from
Perry, youth volunteer.
that office spend mornings in
. the center, but in the afternoon,
they go from door to door to
find • persons who may need
medical assistance. They then
refer them to the appropriate
health agency.
The center also operates an
,extensive recreation and group
counseling program to · teach
youths to relate to their peer
groups more effectively. Mrs.
Thomas said much of their counselors' efforts to used to aid
youths who experience stress
and strain .that they feel can
be corrected through c o u n s e l ing.
a
Recreation
The recreation programs in clude basketball
basebal
boxing and other gymnasium acti-
vities. The gym, Mrs. Thomas
noted,still has the
original floor
used when recreational and· athletic programs were begun in
1896.
A camp program that began in
the center during the summer
and at Angola on the Lake. Westminister Presbyterian Church
donated· its former camp site to
the center last year. Mrs. T h o mas said they have scheduled
outings for
.family and group
each weekend during the winter
months at the camp site in Angola.
Employes from the Task
Force of Urban Ministry and the
Neighborhood Youth Corps. a
job development program, h e l p
to staff the .camp programs.
Plaque
Planned
p
Mrs.
Thomassaid that in addition to.celebrating the center's·
anniversary, they will unveil a
Date
plaque in the honor of Miss
. Elizabeth . A.· Roblin, executive
1933
director of the center from
to 1965, when she retired. She
died two weeks ago.
Many community volunteers,
including Mrs.. . Willa Folmar,
who earlier this year organized
youths and cleaned the streets
after the area went uncleaned
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