Meet Heidi and Kelley!

NHS of South Buffalo has been working with AmeriCorps volunteers for several years, and right now we are pleased to have two in our offices! Heidi Eckstein and Kelley Brannon, both serving through the AmeriCorps VISTA program, have been working to spread awareness of our programs and workshops.

Heidi Eckstein teaches a pre-k class about recycling.

Meet Kurt!

Kurt Vogt was looking for a senior project - the capstone of his four years at Canisius College. He went to the Office of Community Based Learning and learned about community organizations seeking volunteers. Interested in NHS of South Buffalo's programs, he contacted us and offered to create a documentary as a service-learning project.

GHHI and Weatherization

There’s a new group in town—the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI). No, it’s not yet another well-intentioned citizen starting a non-profit to change the world. In fact, GHHI is almost the opposite.

Simply put, the goal of GHHI is to ensure that “all families and children live in homes that are healthy, safe, energy-efficient and sustainable.” That may seem like a lot of work, and it is. Take it from us; tackling even one of those issues is hard enough!

Preservation and Weatherization

Preservation has been a hot topic in Buffalo this year, crowned by hosting the National PreservationConference last October. Once our national guests left, the excitement kept going. At the end of May the group Preservation Buffalo Niagara will be holding its Third Annual Preservation Awards in the Statler Building—itself a newly dusted off and restored historical venue downtown. Buildings can have historic value for a number of reasons--association with a great event or person, exemplification of a particular architectural style, or part of a larger historic neighborhood--and Buffalo has all three.

Interview with Pam Tait-Kwiatkowski

As I sit down to talk with Pam I take a moment to glance around her office. It’s a large space, with seating for the clients she works with and photos of her family lining the cabinets. I know from previous conversations that she is especially happy with the walls – this summer a group of World Changers volunteers removed the horribly dated wallpaper and painted everything a crisp white. Today, Pam told me, she would be free to talk. Monday is a “paperwork day”.

Q: How long have you been with NHS?

2011 in Review

New Year’s resolutions and nostalgia could be a national pastime. Like many other Americans, a couple of weeks ago you probably spent plenty of time thinking about the upcoming year – envisioning your goals, longing for the warmth of summer, marveling at how time flies. You also may have spent some time reflecting on last year: what surprises did you face, and what did you achieve?

And, let’s be honest, you probably haven’t been thinking about, “What did NHS of South Buffalo do in 2011?” Much of the work we do is quiet, yet powerful, which is why we want to take this opportunity to share our stories with you.