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Their House Is a Very Fine House

ORU students spend their summer at the South Peoria Neighborhood House

By Lacey Clay

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Click Photo to Enlarge Children from the community play games at one of the Friday-afternoon cookouts.

Click Photo to Enlarge Local residents can use the House's computers to search for jobs, learn to type, or take other computer classes.

Click Photo to Enlarge Kathy Ridgway is busy working in the food pantry. The food pantry provides food to area residents through a grant from FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Grant Program.

Click Photo to Enlarge Patty LaFon and Kathy Ridgway spent May through August running the South Peoria Neighborhood House as part of their senior practicum.

Kathy Ridgway and Patty LaFon, ORU senior social work students, spent all summer being good neighbors as they ran the "House." The two women were doing their senior practicum, which was organized by Dr. Lanny Endicott, director of the social work program and longtime board member of the South Peoria Neighborhood Connection Foundation, the neighborhood association that sponsors the Neighborhood House.

According to Ridgway, they "service primarily people within 1 ½ square miles around the House." So, this house truly is a localized place of assistance for the community. The mission of the House, which was founded in 1993 to combat crime and other social issues, is to "promote economic development, safety, health and education, beautification, and a sense of community in Riverwood."

"Everything we do is around [the mission statement], which gives us kind of a broad area to work with," said LaFon. She went on to explain that the House is like the hub of a wheel that brings together all sorts of other organizations such as the Food Bank, Domestic Violence Intervention Services, the Parent Child Center, and CREOKS Mental Health, so that they can be accessible to the area residents.

Since its conception in the early '90s, the neighborhood association has been involved in projects that include demolishing devastated apartments and rebuilding new, affordable homes, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, a food bank, clothes closet, and various self-help projects. They also work with apartment managers in the area on safety and crime issues "so that everybody knows what the others are doing and what works," said LaFon.

According to Ridgway, they also provide bus tokens "to people with job interviews or doctors appointments... [The computers] are meant to be used for job searches or anything that might help people improve their lives." They also have typing programs to teach children to type, cookouts on Friday afternoons, computer classes, and a reading program for the children.

Ridgway and LaFon both feel that working at the House has been hugely beneficial for them, since they are able to work with so many different organizations. Ridgway also feels that they benefit because "we're building a foundation by learning to work with different people from different economic statuses and races, so you learn a lot by being around that day to day, whereas you don't really get that out of a book."

The House has been able to provide services because of grants given through the City of Tulsa's Community Development Block Grant Program, and the Bernsen, Brodsky, and Kaiser Foundations. The Oklahoma Juvenile Authority also provided funding for a character education program for area children. And, ORU received service learning grants through the Temple Foundation and Bank of Oklahoma during 2002-04 to conduct after-school programs and continuation of ESL training, which was conducted in partnership with the House.

The House also accepts private monetary donations, and donations of food and clothing. The facilities are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

If you or anyone you know in the Riverwood area needs assistance, you are welcome at the House. You will need to bring a picture ID, Social Security card, proof of residence, and proof of income.