[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15771]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING NEPPERHAN COMMUNITY CENTER 75TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 10, 2017

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, in my district there are several community 
focused organizations that do amazing work on behalf of my 
constituents. The Nepperhan Community Center in Yonkers is one of those 
standout organizations, and this year it celebrates its incredible 75th 
anniversary.
  Nepperhan Community Center (NCC) was founded by a group of concerned 
neighbors in the Nepperhan section of Yonkers (now Runyon Heights) in 
the late 1930s. This group wanted a meeting place that could also 
accommodate recreational activities and classes for the youth. In 1942, 
NCC became officially incorporated, and with the help of United Way, 
purchased a building at 117 Palisades Avenue. The activities offered at 
this location expanded to include cooking, basketball, sewing and 
occasional social dances. Scholarships were also offered to deserving 
students for upstate campsites. Through the years, the programs and 
services offered by NCC increased by more than twenty-fold. Even though 
the demand for services was increasing, NCC was still functioning on a 
part-time basis. In the late 1960s, NCC relocated to 302 Warburton 
Avenue, where it undertook new programming, along with Yonkers YCAP, in 
the field of education, tutoring, remedial reading and math. NCC also 
started its first parental involvement program.
  NCC initiated a Black Studies and Cultural Enrichment program, which 
for the first time, afforded many young individuals in the community 
the experience of going to black theater, plays, and seeing ballets. 
Today, NCC still carries on that tradition, in addition to presenting 
our own theatrical productions. During this time, NCC became aware of 
the many social ills that were affecting our community in the areas of 
employment, housing, education, high youth crime, etc. NCC addressed 
these issues by setting up an Ex-Offender Program and a few years later 
a Youthful Offender program, with built-in help that offered assistance 
with employment, housing, life coping skills and education. Other 
programs included: welfare rights, veterans services, pre-trial 
intervention, drug programs, social and recreational programs.
  NCC has grown from a part-time social agency, serving a few people 
yearly, to now providing direct services, referral and supportive 
services on a full-time basis. The addition of these capabilities has 
enabled NCC to assist thousands of children and their families. Today 
under strong leadership from Dr. Jim Bostic and his team, it continues 
to offer invaluable service to the Yonkers community and beyond. I want 
to congratulate them on 75 terrific years and say here's to 75 more.

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