[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16724]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               IN HONOR OF THE RIVERDALE COMMUNITY CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 3, 2011

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, neighborhoods become true communities when 
people band together for their common good. In Riverdale this happened 
when the Riverdale Community Center, a non-profit, grass roots, multi-
cultural, multi-service agency was founded in 1972 by the Parents' 
Association and principal of MS/HS 141, Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy, 
the school where it is located.
  Since then the RCC has provided cultural, recreational, academic and 
developmental activities for area residents and students with many 
youth programs provided at no cost through the generosity of state and 
city government agencies, private foundations, individual donors and 
elected officials. Each year, more than 1,000 children, teens, adults 
and seniors enjoy activities at the Center.
  Among the programs offered are an adult and youth education center 
with classes in wellness, languages, life skills, leisure activities, 
and arts and music among many others; after school programs for middle 
schools, including a comprehensive, holistic program that focuses on 
the whole child and assists young people in developing a sense of 
competence, usefulness, belonging, and empowerment; and for high school 
they have programs designed to help teens stay in school and on track 
towards graduation; a teen theater, teen action programs offering young 
people the opportunity to make a difference in their school and their 
community; and a career readiness workshop teaching valuable life 
skills that help students identify careers interests.
  RCC's primary mission today is the same as when it was founded: To 
provide within the community cultural, recreational, and developmental 
activities and entertainment, instruction, athletics, sports and other 
wholesome activities for children and adults, under supervision and 
guidance in order to aide and maintain the physical and mental health 
of the people in the community, as a basis and preventative means of 
combating delinquency and as a means of bringing people together under 
proper supervision in appropriate surroundings.
  The RCC is hugely successful in fulfilling its mission by 
contributing so much for so long to the community. I enthusiastically 
join in congratulating this fine organization on its fortieth 
anniversary for the many and varied contributions it has made to the 
community, and wish it many more years of success.

                          ____________________