Support of NEIGHBORHOOD schools and students

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For nearly 20 years, the SGCDC has partnered with the local public grade school, Laura Wheeler Waring Elementary, at 18th and Green Streets, to provide a full-time art teacher, as well as, at times, classroom aides, a receptionist, a music teacher, a hall monitor, and many other programs, services, supplies, and support. The programs have significantly enhanced the educational experiences (and opened up exciting new vistas) for the Waring children, virtually all of whom come from low income families and live in affordable housing in Spring Garden and abutting communities, and in family shelters.  

The SGCDC is currently working on a proposal to “green” the bleak, depressing asphalt expanse that comprises the Waring School Play Yard, to improve the physical and emotional well-being of the Waring School students and nearby residents. 

The SGCDC provides scholarships for students to attend private schools such as Mi Casita, a Spanish Immersion pre-school, private grade schools for traumatized children, and specialized high schools to enable young people to obtain high school diplomas in a more supportive, one-on-one environment. 

SGCDC works with students on school and college admissions, and scholarships, and it assists students with school uniforms and transportation. For over 10 years, SGCDC has also provided a free after-school homework help program which it combined with Roberto Clemente Playground's program after the 2011-12 Playground revitalization, and has continued to provide program staff, funding, and resources since then.

The SGCDC has also partnered with a local dance troupe for dance programs for local youths; it worked for many years with another local non-profit to obtain refurbished computers for children from Spring Garden and nearby communities; it provides work opportunities for young people through its Youth/Young Adult Job Corps; and it assists them in finding after-school and seasonal jobs in the private sector.

For over 15 years, the SGCDC has provided a free summer day camp for area youths. It founded and operated its own free summer day camp beginning in 2004 to provide a safe and fun summer experience for neighborhood children, including twice-weekly swimming lessons. After the Roberto Clemente Playground revitalization, and new Playground staffing, we combined our own after-school and summer day camp programs with the Playground programs, and have continued to provide staff, funding, and resources to both the after-school program and the summer day camp (including day camp scholarships for local youths), every year since then.

During the same period, the SGCDC has also provided overnight camp experiences for area youths, including Outward Bound Camps in Utah, Colorado, Boston Harbor, Maine, the Cascades, and other locations; overnight camps in New Jersey and the Poconos; specialized camps for weight loss; the Sixers Camp; and other area camps. SGCDC provides camp fees, transportation, and camp clothing, equipment and supplies. It has also sponsored/facilitated day camp experiences for area youths at Dream Camp, the Franklin Institute, the National Constitution Center, and other area day camps, including providing transportation and fees, where needed.