President’s Message Karen Emerson November is the month we give thanks. Thanks for all we have, thanks for our friends and family and thanks for a community. I am thankful for all of you who have given me advice, support, encouragement, and help in so many ways. I am thankful that we have a community who takes care of one another by filling our food pantries and little libraries. Our office manager Ruth takes calls from concerned neighbors who are trying to make a better neighborhood. Because our neighbors are committed, we have started some events which I believe will make our neighborhood stronger and more resilient. We had our first mini Clean Sweep October 9th. We had 7 participants and we collected 6 big bags of garbage. I was amazed at the amount of waves, horn beeps and cheers from neighbors. It is a small effort but it speaks volumes in showing that we care about how our community looks. We are planning another Clean Sweep November 13th at the corner of Brooks and Thurston from 10am-12noon. Please feel free to join us for some or all of the time. You will have a chance to meet your neighbors […]
Newsletter
Update 19 – October 2021
President’s Message Karen Emerson Welcome to autumn, pumpkin spice, sweaters, blankets, socks, thoughts of Halloween goblins, turkeys roasting in the oven and the November elections. What’s going on in the neighborhood? We started Scout Troop #1965. We are starting monthly Mini Clean Sweeps, Meet and Greets, convention with a twist. We are beginning to think about MLK luminary night Mini Clean Sweeps I have had many of our neighbors asking for help with street clean up on some of our main thoroughfares. A monthly event is being planned with the help of our scouts, Rotary Club and some of the fraternities/sororities at the University of Rochester. Our goal is to touch areas that need some TLC and create neighborhood. We will supply gloves, some tools and bags. Our first event will be the second Saturday of the month. Saturday October 9th event will start at the corner of Thurston and Chili from 10am-12pm. Park in the old Key Bank parking lot. Scouts The Association has made a commitment to supporting these young people and we are covering the costs of troop start up and registration. We had the first meeting September 30th. We had 8 young people equally divided amongst […]
Update 19 September 2021
President’s Message Karen Emerson In a newsletter received from Sister Diana Dolci of Hope Hall, she wrote about community, hope and changing lives. She defined community as ”a group of people who come together for a particular purpose and who care about what happens to each member of that group.” Our neighborhood/city is struggling with having a sense of community. Recent incidents have made me sad, mad and befuddled. I know that we are a neighborhood and a city that cares. How do I know this? We have little free libraries, little free food pantries, neighbors who organize to help those who are burned out of their homes, and we have groups that go to every homicide in the city to give support to grieving families. We also have our share of problems: failing schools, drugs, violence and noise. It is my observation that the problems suck up all the attention and obscure our view of the amazing good things that happen daily in our neighborhood. Sometimes it becomes overwhelming and easy to believe that things will never change. My dear neighbors do not despair; a lot of good things are being done. We have strong business associations, we have […]
Update 19 – August 2021
President’s Message – Karen Emerson I hope you have been enjoying the lovely summer. In May the summer was a promise of all sorts of fun and exciting adventures. Easing of COVID restrictions and getting some normalcy back. Well, that was shattered by increased street violence in our nation and our city and the Delta variant. As we move toward the end of the summer we are facing continued uncertainty about restrictions due to COVID. What’s going on? We see and hear about all the bad things going on but rarely do we see the work being done behind the scenes. I will admit I did not know the extent of the work that our city and neighbors are doing but here are a few examples. I had the opportunity to attend the Violence Prevention Summit last week. I listened to Melvin Cross, Jr, the head of Pathways to Peace, speaking about the peacemakers who are out on the streets and at our community centers nightly making connections with our troubled youth. Helping them navigate their complicated lives and interactions with others. I also attended the PCIC (Police and Citizen Interaction Committee) meeting held every third Wednesday at the […]
Update 19 – July 2021
President’s Message Karen Emerson Karen Emerson, President SUMMER has begun! There continues to be a steady flow of food coming and going from our food pantry. It is so interesting to see what thoughtful things are left in the cupboard: toiletries, spices, formula, baby foods, breakfast cereals and picnic supplies for the holiday. Thanks to all who are providing needed food for our neighbors in need. I know we all have concerns about the violence that is pervasive in our city and country. What can we DO? I am meeting with our Neighborhood Service Center (NSC) representatives, our public safety committee and Captain Michael Jones, RPD to familiarize our organization with the current situation. I would encourage anyone who is interested to also attend the Police and Citizen Interaction Committee (PCIC) meeting held every second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 PM at Public Safety Building Auditorium, 185 Exchange Boulevard, Rochester, NY 14614. These meetings help keep us informed. The next meeting is July 14, 2021. Our NSC is located at Southwest Quadrant Neighborhood Service Center(585) 428-7630923 Genesee StRochester, NY 14611James H. Demps III, Administrator. James Demps and John McMahon are our representatives. This is the place where you can call about […]
Update 19 – June 2021
President’s Message Karen Emerson So much is going on! We are sponsoring Boy Scout Troop #1965. It is a new troop which will allow a safe environment for our young boys and girls to learn through activities and service. The troop number is the significant because it is the year the 19th Ward Community Association started. We have a small group of neighborhood children that are ready to get started. If you have been a scout or wanted to be, please consider volunteering. We need children to join and adults to help lead. Call the office and we can get you connected. The 19th Ward Virtual Trivia Night, scheduled for June 17, is being postponed until September. This will allow the committee to provide a more exciting opportunity for our neighbors and friends. We hope you will join in on the fun in September! After decades of talking, the city announced that the Bull’s Head Redevelopment Project is going to start. I had the opportunity to meet several of the developers. Many of them have 19th Ward connections. Melissa James Geska’s company will be working on the project. She grew up in the neighborhood, and her family owned the […]
Update 19 – May 2021
President’s Message Karen Emerson As the weather becomes more pleasant and the COVID restrictions are lessening, there are some exciting things going on in the neighborhood! This month, May 22-29, Ease on Down is the first event of the season. Charlotte Burch has worked tirelessly with the Thurston Brooks Merchants Association to bring neighbors and our merchants together. This is the 10th year! This is a family friendly event that takes place between Brooks Avenue, Thurston Village and around the corner to Arnett Blvd. The kick off day for this one week long street promotion begins Saturday, May 22nd at 10 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. through May 29, 2021. Per Ms Burch, “We believe that working to build strong relationships between neighbors and businesses that serve the community is an important step in a positive direction in creating and building a community where positive growth happens. “ The next event is being planned by a dedicated group of neighbors. It is a Kahoot trivia night fundraiser for the 19th Ward Community Association. This will be held June 17th and is a one hour event. We are hoping you will join us for a chance to get to know interesting facts about […]
Update 19 – April 2021
President’s Message Karen Emerson When I told Ruth that I thought I would write about the history of the 19th Ward Community Association, she was delighted! She had decided to pick the 19WCA as the Proudly 19 Neighbor of the month. Great minds think alike 🙂 It is not surprising that many of the same issues we are experiencing now are the same issues that plagued neighbors in the 1960’s when the Association was formed. These issues are owner occupancy, speculative buying for rental, economic stability, activism and “Red lining/Block busting”. It was felt that it was neighbors who needed to have strong commitment and tenacity to preserve a stable neighborhood. As in the early part of the Association, it is through the dedication and efforts of the neighbors that our Association has the respect of city, county, state and federal governments. It is rare when our collective voice is not requested or valued. I began my search with the very informative “Neighborhood as Community” written by our neighbor Doris Meadows in 1984. This booklet gives the reader a glimpse at the historic struggles of our neighborhood. The Home Realty Company advertised the Hillcrest area (now Warwick Ave.) as “Rochester’s […]
Update 19 – March 2021
President’s Message Karen Emerson I was reminded that March is Women’s History month. I happen to be reading the Women’s Suffrage Movement edited by Sally Roesch Wagner. Her introduction struck me as most appropriate for the present moment. She states, “As we move to create a more perfect union in this cultural revolution we are undergoing, we are creating a new history. Not the top-down history that focuses on great white men, their great deeds and their great wars. We are shaping history to reflect and guide the bottom up diversity of voices that changed, is changing and will change the world. Yes, if we don’t know our history we are bound to repeat it. But is also true that if we do know our rich and diverse history of those who worked for social justice, we are empowered to repeat it. Their voices have often been shouted down by those at the top. It’s to time we gave them a listen.” Over fifty years ago some of our past and present neighbors created the Association with the following purpose: I am always proud of the things we do in the 19th Ward to create community. Skating party, MLK Luminary […]
Update 19 – January 2021
President’s Message Karen Emerson Hello – I would like to introduce myself. I am Karen Emerson, the 2021 19th Ward Community Association President. I am a proud 19th Ward resident since 1976. I rented an apartment on Hillendale Street and then purchased a house in 1977, on Rosalind Street where I reside today. I have been involved with the 19th Ward Community Association in many roles over the past 44 years. My late husband and I raised two daughters who graduated from Wilson. I am a nurse practitioner and currently work part time at the St. Mary’s Campus with Healthcare for the Homeless. We face a lot of challenges in 2021, since COVID continues to alter the ways we can interact. We have to come up with new and innovative ways to make sure we remain socially and fiscally viable. We are working closely with the county health department and medical systems to make sure our neighborhood has access to the resources for COVID vaccination. I would encourage everyone to get vaccinated. Vaccination is the best way for us as a community to battle this pandemic. Our convention in November also highlighted some of the issues around race and equity we need to address. […]
