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Back To School Picnic Michigan Avenue Block Club

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Contributed by: Norma Higgs on 9/18/2007

Tonight I went to a "Back To School Picnic" sponsored by the Michigan Avenue Block Club. This is a neighborhood watch group led by president Sally Perez. They have been organized for about three years and their boundaries are on Michigan Avenue from 11th Street to 16th Street. This is an inner city neighborhood with deteriorating housing stock but this group is very positive about change. I lived here in the mid 1960s and it was a great place to be with lots of small grocery stores and a hardware store named McGrath & Durk's on Linwood and 16th Street.

The block club hosted a picnic at the Center for Joy a small house on the corner lot of Michigan and 11th Street. This is where they hold their meetings. The Center for Joy is operated by Sister Beth and she is a smiling, happy go lucky nun who has a very caring heart for everyone. When the club formed she jumped right in and offered to help.

The photos I attached show a good time was had by all. They served hot dogs with chips,drink and brownies and ice cream. Even Detective Shawn Bosi joined in the ice cream treat. He attends most block club events and talks to the kids about police work. Det. Bosi was a patrol officer in this area and now is part of the Community Relations Unit of the Niagara Falls Police Department. Officers Henderson and Berti also stopped by during their patrol duty to meet Sally and Sister Beth. This is what block clubs and police department are all about - collaboration and working together.

The Niagara Falls Fire Department also spent time at this event. Al Hornung, Life Safety Educator with Fire Prevention, brought the Fire Safety House along. This is a mobile trailer unit that looks like a house and inside he teaches kids (and big people too) how to escape from a burning house. A great experieince. If this arrives in your neighborhood be sure to go inside for the program. The fire trucks from 10th Street Fire House came for a visit and I believe they enjoyed a little ice cream treat also. The kids love to see the firemen and one young man kept saying after they left "I want to be a firefighter". Det. Bosi said why not a police officer. "I want to be a fire fighter" was all he said. They both look great in their uniformsbut have a dangerous job and we should all treat them with respect.

It was a couple of hours of camaraderie with friends I have met in this neighborhood by visiting their block club meetings. The weather was absolutely beautiful and hot dogs were good. Cooked just right by Marie Wilson, a neighbor and member here.

The kids played games, received books and pencil cases and other goodies.
I hope you enjoy the photos as much as we all enjoyed the picnic. Click on them for a better look.

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