Presidents Message

How quickly the month of March arrived – we have been so busy! Later this month, the leadership team of the 19th Ward Community Association will be asking “how can we best serve you”  via a survey.  It will arrive in your inbox for you to complete and return.  If you think your email needs updating, please reach out to our office at 19thward@19wca.org. 

As of March 15th check out our NEW! 19WCA billboard at Chili and Cairn Rd.

March is also bringing our Family Skating Party back, in collaboration with UR students!  March 25th, 2-4pm at the Genesee Valley Park Sports Complex is the date – free skate rental and refreshments – please come out and enjoy the fun!  

2023 is an election year.  The 19WCA is a non-partisan community organization and therefore we do not support any candidate over another.  It is important, however, that our non-voting residents understand the power they have through voting.  Please encourage our neighbors to attend the March 11 and 25th Board of Elections presentation “The Power of Voting” hosted by the 19WCA and being held at the Arnett Branch Library and Phylis Wheatley Branch Library, respectively.

The Williams Park Girl Scout troop will be hosting their drive through cookie sale March 18th at St. Monica’s Church – great time to stock up on Girl Scout cookies!

If you get a chance please join the monthly SW Roc community gatherings at various restaurants, alternating between breakfast and dinner. It’s a good way to meet neighbors while sharing a meal.

We’ve started the planning process for Square Fair 2023 to be held June 3rd. This is a fun family event with something for everyone to experience – more details to come! Volunteers are always needed – Whether you have an hour or more to give of your time, we welcome your help!

We completed our move from the Thurston Rd. and are operating virtually.  Tremendous thanks goes out to everyone who made it happen so effortlessly!  Please continue to call our office at 585-328-6571 or via email at 19thward@19wca.org.  You are still able to make donations via PayPal, U.S. mail (P.O. Box 24754, 14624) or to the NSC drop box, 923 Genesee St. (checks or money orders only!)

King and I continue to enjoy our neighborhood walks – we hope to see some of you along our way!

Josie McClary

President, 19th Ward Community Association

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD

In Person Candle Light Dinners Returned

On February 11, 2023 the 19th Ward experienced another sign of the return to normal from the restrictions of the COVID pandemic. On that pleasant evening 52 neighbors gathered in person for our annual Candlelight Dinners after 2 years of Zoom visits instead of dinners.   8 hosts opened their homes to randomly assigned guests. The hosts provided the main course and the guests provided side dishes, appetizers and desserts. Many thanks to our hosts: Jackie Farrell, Amy and Howard Ressel, Joanne and Dan DeMarle, Charleen and Pete Witkowicz, Cecelia and Stuart Hencke, Kate Washington, Lynn and Mike Mordenga, and Carol Kramer and Ron Stallworth.

As always the comments show the hospitality and graciousness of our neighbors. Even the somewhat shy or hesitant folks among us end up enjoying the dinner and conversation with old and new friends.

What follows are comments and pictures from some of the neighbors who participated:

● I’m happy to comment on the happy time all of us had who gathered at the warm and welcoming home of Joanne and Dan DeMarle. It felt so good to be together! Sharing (delicious!) food and conversation with five new “neighbors” made it a very special evening. – Gail

● It was a pleasure. – Kate

● This was a perfect way for us to get to know neighbors and welcome them into our home. If we weren’t able to do this, we would have never known that one of them lives on our street! – Lynn

● Charlene and Pete were wonderful hosts and opened their home to us, we had a full tour of their Victorian Home along with the history of it. Our dinner was a nice mix of a few people I knew and some new friends and neighbors. I can’t wait until next year. – Sandra

● We enjoyed another memorable winter evening getting to know 19th ward neighbors over a delicious multi course dinner, with stimulating conversation, in a lovingly maintained home. The hours flew by! Many thanks to Howard & Amy Ressel for opening their home to us. – Karen and Brad

● Pete and I thoroughly enjoyed hosting one of the Candlelight Dinners this year. It was a pleasure meeting “new” neighbors and participating in so many lively conversations about topics that affect us all – both personally and as group! They were all incredible guests! – Charlene

● As a complete newbie to the 19th ward, I was so glad to have a candlelight dinner to go to! Host Kate Washington and the guests at her house were great. – Sue

● Having lived in the 19th Ward for 40 years, we are surprised that we don’t really know some people we have seen and interacted with many times. The intimacy of the Candlelight dinner introduced us in a delightful way to several such neighbors. We learned family stories, tales of kitchen renovations, heard of the brave integration experiences of some who paved the way for our present diversity, and in the process made new friends. What a delightful way to deepen our community ties!- Charlotte and Doug

● Lynn and I had a great time at the candle light dinner. Our hosts were Mike and Lynn Mordenga and other guests Mary Dan and Bob. Lynn shared her Taiwan heritage in the menu which was delicious. For years I have walked by Mike and Lynn’s house on Roslyn St. and now I know I know another family on my street. – Jane

● I want to thank you and Jackie for setting up the Candlelight Dinners. We always enjoy them, but this year with Joanne and Dan DeMarle seemed to be extra special. It was a vegetarian meal so that added a different and delicious element! Our hosts have a beautiful home with plenty of interesting artwork and lots of history. Dan, Gail, and Elizabeth provided so much historical information about the 19th Ward, it was amazing! We also found out more about the Megiddo community where Stella and her Mom, Lien, live – also very interesting. 

Oh, and did I say the food was delicious? From roasted salmon and vegetables to pound cake with a delicious chocolate sauce – it was a very satisfying way to meet and enjoy our neighbors.

Thank you again. I hope this tradition continues for many years! – Laura

What great feedback from established neighbors and new friends! So if those comments make you feel like you missed a good time don’t worry! We will be back with Candlelight Dinners again next year. Look for initial sign ups at Convention in November, and during the month of January. The first Candlelight Dinners were held in 1987, when over 100 people participated. That’s our goal for 2024 – to increase hosts and guests to at least 100 people. Keep it mind! Carol Kramer

Keeping Our Neighborhoods Healthy & Beautiful

Hi  Neighbors,  You may have noticed that as many as a dozen and a half trees just in our immediate neighborhood (District 15) have been cut down by the city in the last few weeks. I’m sure this was very disturbing to some of you because you know the importance of having trees in your yard, and the positive effect on the climate and property values.  But we do have a solution!  My contact at the city’s department of forestry has told me that the trees were removed because they showed signs of damage and/or not being  able to survive five years. He indicated that where those trees were removed, postcards were left for the homeowner (or tenant) to contact the forestry division if they wanted their tree replaced.  REPLACEMENT OR NEW PLACEMENT IS TOTALLY FREE OF COST AND FREE OF  MAINTENANCE!  If you didn’t get the postcard and/or would like a tree planted in your front treeline (the space between the sidewalk and the street), you can call the forestry department (585-524-3438) and request a tree. Of course, you can contact me by phone or text (585-305-2177) if you want me to make the call. All I need is some communication from you that you want a free tree. You should act soon so that orders can be placed with the city vendor.  There are many neighbors who are not on this email list. If you could pass this information on to them, especially if they have a treeless treeline, it will be greatly appreciated.  Thank you for your help in keeping our neighborhood healthy and beautiful!  Laura Suda District 15 Alternate Delegate 19th Ward Community Association llsuda@rochester.rr.com 585-305-2177

Rochester City School District – School No. 10

Thank you to City Council President Miguel A. Meléndez, Jr. and Councilwoman LaShay Harris for visiting with Kalena Guadalupe at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy School No. 10. They presented Kalena with a certificate and a letter for her efforts to organize a blanket donation for the Open Door Mission – Rochester, NY.

This past December, after becoming aware of the need in our community, Kalena approached her principal, Dr. Eva Thomas, about collecting blankets at school to donate to individuals who utilize the services of the Open Door Mission.

On Tuesday, January 24, 2023, Kalena, her mother, and Dr. Thomas made a donation of over 50 blankets at the Open Door Mission on Plymouth Avenue.

“The homeless would be cold and have nothing to wear, so I thought of the idea of blankets,” said Guadalupe.

Elouise Headlam, Kalena’s mother, said she is proud of her daughter for being persistent and willing to make a difference. “I told her that some homeless people do not have blankets or coats, which is why she developed the idea to donate. She stuck with it and continually talked about it. We talked to her principal, Dr. Thomas, who agreed it was a great idea. She supported us along with the rest of our School No. 10 family.”

Westside Farmers Market

The Westside Farmers Market is seeking a Market Manager that will report to WFM Market Steering Committee. Deadline for applying is March 10th. Additional information can be found at https://tinyurl.com/4vut6we6

Job Type: Seasonal, part-time (April – November)

Compensation: 20 hours per week at $20 per hour

Work Schedule: Market days: Tuesdays June – October 12:00 – 8:00 PM;

Non-market work schedule may be flexible. Some evening work is required.

Anticipated start date is April 1, 2023.

Work location: Market site on Tuesdays, other work hours may be done remotely or in community spaces as needed.

Arnett Branch Library

To all of the kind and generous souls who contributed their time and their dollars to our third annual book giveaway – an enormous and heartfelt thank you.  Thank you from the kids who walked away from Arnett Branch Library carrying a book of their own; thank you from the grownups who will sit next to those kids reading those books to them (hopefully, many times) and thank you from all of us who simply believe that a book has a unique and timeless way of expanding its reader’s world.

Thanks to you, we raised $3175.00 this year, purchased 272 books from Hipocampo, a truly fascinating local bookstore, and with the unending assistance of Bruce Tehan, Arnett Branch Librarian, distributed them to a host of enthusiastic 19^th ward kids.

We had no way of knowing, when we began this project with a target of gifting, maybe 50 books, that we would discover Bruce – or Pamela and Henry (Hipocampo’s owners) – three textbook examples of adults who delight in helping kids learn and grow. 

And we certainly did not forsee the kind of response we got from all of you – a response that has resulted, over the last three years, in $7234 in donations, 748 books, and the sort of “everybody’s happy here” situation that – these days, especially – is a really encouraging thing to see. 

As one of my book club friends put it, if it “takes a village” this is a very nice village to be a part of.

We cannot say thank you too many times.

Terry Parks, Lois Camphausen, Barbara Crossley

Books for Kids 2022 Project CoChairs

The First Tuesday Book Club and Friends

CIVICS CORNER

School 16 Tutoring Below is the link to the sign-up sheet for the 19th Ward Community Association School 16 tutoring support. This link will allow members to sign-up electronically. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GAkiWsqszJx4DIN2Fo2nhV0WZHG4ENrw5CfsK_bsGOw/edit

The City of Rochester, Department of Recreation and Human Services 2023 Spring R-Guide is now available!

Sign your kids up for an after school program, outdoor adventure, sports, or join other families at the Public Market for fun events.

We have something for everyone!  

Click here to download Your R-Guide

FLYERS

 

Health & Wellness

The Food Pantry @ Church of Love. Now serving, City of Rochester residents of zip codes; 14608, 14611 and 14619.

Committee Information

Reach out to our office manager if you would like to get involved.