Safe Places Program Honors Loyal Supporters

Over 100 people turned out for Concerned Citizens for Roslyn Youth’s annual Safe Places program and appreciation dinner held last Saturday at the Hector Gayle Commuity Center.
The evening featured achievement awards for the Safe Places students, while also honoring local residents who have been supportive of the program over its 37-year-old existence. There was also a melancholy air to the event. Janice Miles, president of Concerned Citizens, said that since the program will no longer be pursuing county funding, program officials are looking for alternative sources of funding. If such funding can’t be found, then the center will have to close its doors at the end of this year.
That aside, the evening was a celebration for what the program has achieved in making this afterschool program a success. Parents were informed of what services the program offers and how students have responded.
Local officials in attendance were Wayne Wink, an East Hills resident and town clerk for the Town of North Hempstead, Barbara Silverman, an afterschool volunteers; Tanya Baptiste, a Roslyn High School guidance counselor and Dot McCue, a local social workers
“It was a successful event,” Miles said. “Everyone was pleased with what has been done.”
The Safeplaces After School Program’s purpose is to provide Roslyn area students with quality after school supervision in a safe environment by enriching their lives through creative arts, using alternative learning activities, such as music and dance, while enhancing their quality of life in partnership with their families, their school, and their community. The intent is to provide a safe, relaxed, and stimulating environment for our students, who are often challenged, to meaningfully participate in a variety of planned activities between the end of school each day up to 6 p.m. The program directors will continue to look for funding so as to provide Roslyn youngsters with the program that have benefited them for nearly four decades.