Impact Centers Will Be Game Changers For Community

I am writing in response to Rev. Joseph Salerno's submission from a few weeks ago. In his column, Father Joe shared his moment when he knew change was needed in this community. He got me thinking about the moment I felt the same.

I grew up in Cornhill. I was married here. I raised a family here. We're a basketball family. I've been running the courts in this area for as long as I can remember. I played as a kid, I coached my kids as an adult and I'm still active as an official to this day. The basketball court is my family's sacred space. They are sacred spaces for many in this community.

Your readers all remember the unfortunate incident a couple of summers ago when crime entered one of these spaces. Two shots were fired, but fortunately, nobody was hurt. One of our sacred spaces was no longer safe. To this day, there is a scar on the surface of the court that serves as a painful reminder. Father Joe had his moment. When I visited that court again recently, I had mine. 

Basketball is one way I'm connected to this community; another is through the Mid-Utica Neighborhood Preservation Corporation (MUNPC) - better known within the neighborhood as Leisure Time - where my wife and I have been board members for more than a decade. The team at MUNPC understands the importance of having a safe space in this community where all are accepted and welcome. It's what we strive for every day. And, like Father Joe, we know we need to do more.

We are doing more and we're proud to partner with the Community Foundation in that effort. 

The Impact Centers that Father Joe spoke of will create renewed and enhanced neighborhood spaces, they will build those community connections, they will help this community grow and reach its full potential. 

And, yes, the Impact Centers will have basketball courts, but for this community they will mean much more. To borrow a basketball phrase, they're game-changers. 

~ Victor Voss, Utica