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October 2021 Newsletter

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT TIME!

First- please enjoy this slideshow of photos from our event with Jay Stetzer’s lovely story about SEAC’s beginning!

Thank you so much for being part of SEAC’s “blender” (our brand of a gala) at Sager Beer Works on Sept. 10th! Our largest annual fundraiser, we really “mixed things up” as we celebrated our southeast city community! Old friends, new neighbors, small businesses and benevolent companies and organizations all came together to enjoy a pint, learn more about what SEAC does, and share memories from more than 50 years of working to build a better community with you!

We want to extend special recognition to our very generous event sponsors, without whom we could not have pulled off the celebration. Thank you to:

Premiere Fireworks: Facehead Digital

Bonfire: ESL

Roaring Fireplace: Woods, Oviatt, Gilman, University ofRochester, Genesee Regional Bank, and Harter, Secrest, Emory, LLP

Sunrise: Wegman’s, FCL NY, the Locust Club, and Park Grove, LLC

Candles in the Dark: HBT Architects and Green Light Networks

We also want to thank the fabulous Don, Paul, Hannah, Nike, and the Sager Beer Works team for serving up a delectable spread of solid and liquid digestibles! Thank you to our honorary chair, Assemblyperson SarahClark, for inspiring us to keep tending both our roots and branches as we grow our community. Kudos to musician Jackson Cavalier, photographer Kay Novicky, community partners Mount Hope World Singers and 490 Farmers, storyteller Jay Stetzer, Print Roc, the Village Bakery at the Armory, the McQuaid volunteer valet service, and our incredible SEAC Board of Directors! Bravo! So many hands made much lighter work and perfectly demonstrated how our village continually rises to the occasion, proverbially washing each other’s hands! Please take a moment to check out click on their links and support these awesome local community partners and businesses. Consider them for your next event, project, or celebration!

The generous donations from our last fundraiser in 2019 allowed SEAC to provide, among other things:

· 100 quadrant residents’ vouchers for their purchases of fresh produce at Foodlink’s Curbside Markets in our area.

· To subsidize a two-week photography summer camp for RCSD middle school students at the Flower City Arts Center on Monroe Ave.

· Four vocational scholarships for young people at the Center For Youth to apply toward their pursuit of job training or education like nursing, electrical, or CDL operator.

· ROCing the Takeout initiative designed to support local restaurants during the pandemic shutdown.

None of this is possible without generous contributions like yours, which help to raise the needed funding for the many ways we positively impact our southeast city community. Your neighborhood is your best investment and we’re grateful for contributors like you.

We are thrilled to share that we raised over $14,000 at the blender! More than 73 local businesses and individuals donated their time, talent, or treasure for our on-line auction, totaling more than $8,700 worth of biddable items. The heavy favorites on the block were the “consumables””- Battle of the Beers”, “Sweet and Steamy”, home-grown honey, and anything involving wine. Congratulations to neighbor Tom W. for winning our Set Sail grand prize raffle and thanks to all who took a chance (or three) on it!

Wanted to do more for SEAC but ran out of time, got out-bid, or didn’t want all the “stuff” from the auction? Now’s your chance! Please consider donating to our Call to Action- Supporting the SEAC Tool Shed! All proceeds will go towards funding SEAC’s start up, inventory development, and operation of a community-wide comprehensive tool lending library. Imagine a place where you can borrow that tool you’ll only need once or are a small local contractor trying to get off the ground, we’ll have you covered. Whether you hit the “Blueprint” or “Nuts and Bolts” mark, every dollar will help make this much needed and requested dream a reality in 2022.

Missed the world-debut of our SEAC promotional video, kindly created and funded by Facehead Digital? Please enjoy the video and learn more about who we are and what we do! SEAC is committed to working with you to keep building a healthy, safe, and happy community. We are REALLY proud of this video and hope you enjoy it.

Many thanks and we look forward to seeing you at Sager’s next September! Remember to sign up for our newsletter to stay abreast of all our news and plans!

With much appreciation,

Kiki Smith

Fundraising Coordinator

A Quick Note From Mike

I really can’t say it better than Kiki, so I’m not going to try- but I do want to say thank you. Seriously. Thank you for the support and taking the time to come hang out with us. Kiki, Lori, and I love what we do! It is so great to collaborate and work alongside so many awesome residents, businesses, City staff and elected officials, and community partners. So yeah- thank you for the excitement, support, and trust. Thanks to all the businesses and organizations and vendors that supported us with donations for our auction. Thanks to Sagers and their awesome staff! You all made it a magical night.

I hope you will consider supporting our efforts to rebuild and launch SEAC’s Tool Shed. Our program will make sure that anyone has accessibility to the tools they need to tackle home repair and renovations, take on contracting jobs and engage in fun neighborhood beautifications like Clean Sweeps, Block in Bloom, and more!

Be well,

Mike Evans

Executive Director

CLEAN SWEEPIN’!

Kiki and I tagged along with a great group of volunteers from ESL and picked up garbage along Monroe Ave.

We had a great time cleaning up our neighborhood, drinking coffee, meeting new people… and finding some very interesting objects along our way.

MEETING OUR BOARD

Tom Pastecki is SEAC’s Board Chair and active member of the community. We are proud to take a moment to celebrate his dedication to SEAC, the South East Area, and learn more about him!

1) What are some of your hobbies?

Cooking, volunteering and working around the hose

2) What neighborhood do you live in?

ABC Streets. Best neighbors and friends. Always a hello and always a helping hand. We count on each other. It's a nice feeling.

3) Who is your favorite band and/or style of music?

No chuckling, I like Sinatra and big band music, Benny Goodman, Throw in some country too

4) What is your favorite movie?

Finding Nemo or Shawshank Redemption. I like a variety of movies

5) What is your favorite restaurant in all of Rochester?

The kitchen on Calumet Street. Our Kitchen. My wife Marianne is an amazing cook. Our whole family loves to cook.

6) What do you do (or did do) for a living?

I was in the pizza business for many years. Did a stint at EK (best part time job ever) and always owned rental properties. Still doing the housing thing

7) What do you love about the South East Area?

The variety of neighborhoods, parks, and easy access to the center of the city.

8) What got you involved with SEAC?

I have always volunteered in the community. It's something I need to do. From PTA's , Little League coaching, neighborhood associations (current President of the ABC's). SEAC gives me an opportunity to do a variety of good things for a larger sector.

9) Why did you want to serve on the board? How long have you been on the board?

SEAC services the area of the city where we have lived for a long time. I wanted to be part of an organization that serves and gives to a diverse group of residences in many ways. SEAC provides the means for me to participate in the things I care about. From poverty initiatives, to children programs, neighborhood improvement projects and supporting local businesses. My individual commitment to these actions would not have the impact that the SEAC team has in the community. We have a tremendous caring board of directors that are all on the same page.

I am going on my third year.

10) What is something you would love to see happen in the South East Area (or all of Rochester)?

Better communication between the city and the residents. Many times we are left out of the process. It's a work in progress. It's getting there.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

HIGHLAND PARK AREA HISTORIC DISTRICTS

HIGHLAND PARK, LILAC, AND AZALEA RESIDENTS:

Several areas surrounding Highland Park (see map below) are eligible to become National Register Historic Districts, which would make homeowners eligible for the NYS Historic Homeowners Tax Credit program! The Landmark Society is working with Highland Park Neighborhood Association and representatives from the Azalea and Lilac neighborhoods, as well as SEAC, to spread the word about this program and gather community support.

A Zoom meeting on Wednesday, October 27th at 5:30pm will provide information about the project. Click here to register!

https://www.landmarksociety.org/highland/

Click the link complete details about this exciting project!

Neighborhood Service Centers

Did you know there’s a Neighborhood Service Center for the South East Area of Rochester? Find out more info by checking out this link.

We wanted to highlight this awesome City-ran community/neighborhood tool in our area, so we sent off a few questions to Daisy Algarin, Director of Neighborhood Service Centers so she can give a little bit of info.

Thanks so much Daisy for taking the time to answer these questions. Let’s start with a few to tell us about yourself.

1) How long have you lived in Rochester?

50 years

2) Who’s your favorite band or style of music?

James Taylor

3) Where is your favorite place to eat in all of Rochester?

Jines. Especially in the summer.

4) How long have you worked for the City of Rochester?

21 years

5) What do you love about the South East Area?

Highland Park

Now let’s move on to talking about Neighborhood Service Centers.

6) What is a Neighborhood Service Center? What are the tools and services they provide?

It’s a City service that provides residents/business and property owners access to information/resources and assistance right in the neighborhood. We provide the following:

• Handicap Permits

• Business Permits

• Garden Permits

• Property Rehab Grants

• Support to business and neighborhood associations

• Training to residents on leadership

• Technical and tool support for mini clean sweeps, block club gatherings and community events and needs

• Partnership with local agencies and community based organizations

7) What is the difference between a Neighborhood Service Center and a Community Based Organization like SEAC?

NSC is able to act on (react) immediately on a complaint or request with resources and enforcement. A CBO like SEAC can partner with NSC to accomplish neighborhood projects, engage in initiatives and provide the city input and guidance on behalf of the neighborhood.

8) When were Neighborhood Service Centers Created?

In 1996, Johnson Administration

9) You are the Director of the Neighborhood Service Centers. What can you tell us about your position? Your responsibilities?

I oversee the day to day operation. I ensure NSC is operating on a consistent and uniform standard across all offices. I monitor a $1.5 million budget and oversee a staff of 27 people. In addition to our services provided at each NSC office, I oversee the Nuisance Abatement Points System (NAPS) citywide.

10) What are some of the goals for Neighborhood Service Centers in the next two to three years?

To become more of a service center and engage residents by providing them with tools and resources to do so.

11) What is something you’d recommend to someone who just moved to Rochester?

The City of Rochester has many opportunities to be engaged from activities like a community garden to an actual commission, so think about joining us in uplifting our neighborhoods.