A new community resource center at Keane Elementary School will allow district families to access a wide range of services, with the site including a renovated kitchen, food pantry and a laundry facility.
An opening ceremony for the renovated community room was held on Thursday morning, with district officials praising the Schenectady Rotary Club for assisting in raising the funding for the new site.
Dr. Carlos Cotto Jr., who was appointed the district’s new superintendent on Wednesday, with his term set to begin on May 1, said that the new community center will provide a vital service to local families.
“Just over a year ago, we identified crucial needs to enhance the community room space, making it more functional and welcoming for our families,” Cotto, the current assistant superintendent of innovation, equity & engagement said on Thursday. “It was a vision that resonated with our collective desire to create an environment that students, families and communities can be proud of.”
The Rotary held the “Cornhole for a Cause” fundraiser last July at Rivers Casino and raised over $22,000 to help fund the refurbishment of the Keane community room.
“The transformation of Keane Elementary’s community resource room has been a labor of love for all of us at Schenectady Rotary,” Lisa Jackson, President of the Schenectady Rotary, said on Thursday.
Volunteer labor helped build out the community room, with Alliance Laundry Systems donating a washer and dryer for community use for the site.
Keane Elementary Principal Kerri Messler said that over 15 community partners contributed to the renovation of the school’s community room. Messler said the room previously contained outdated furniture that has now been replaced by new tables, chairs and workstations for the district’s parent liaisons.
“We started small and then when the Rotary partnered with us it just took off,” she said on Thursday.
Keane Elementary serves as one of the district’s five community schools, which offer extended after school hours for students as part of an effort to turn each school into a community hub.
“It’s an opportunity for us to provide those very essential services to our students so we can meet every need that they need,” Board of Education President Bernice Rivera said of the community room. “We’re wrapping it around all of the services that are required that the families are requesting that they need or we see that they need.”
The space will host workshops, family activities and will provide a site for community members to meet with the district’s parent liaisons.
“Thanks to the generous support and dedication of the Schenectady Rotary Club and numerous members of our community, we’ve been able to embark on a transformative journey of renovating our community room space,” Community Schools Supervisor Kayla Ambesi said on Thursday. “The community room is a versatile space where families, staff and community members can convene.”
District families can utilize the community room’s services for free on an as-needed basis.
“I think it’s vitally important,” City Councilwoman Carmel Patrick said of the community room. “I’ve been proud to be part of the community schools advisory board in my role with the Schenectady City Council. I think what’s really important is this message that we all have a responsibility to support our school district. So the fact is that the community schools initiative has opened the doors to all of us in the community - parents, children, students, leaders and volunteers to really be able to support students and families at the community schools.”
View the original article posted on the Daily Gazette: https://www.dailygazette.com/news/refurbished-community-resource-room-opens-at-keane-elementary/article_b9432844-dd96-11ee-b1b5-7fbc46e9a59a.html
Watch the event on Youtube!
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