By Fran McCann
Bengal News West Reporter
Canisius High School, a private all boys’ Jesuit institution on Delaware Avenue, is known for helping perceived “less fortunate” communities
like the West Side.
But one trip in December to Frank A. Sedita School 30 not only
changed the pre-conceived notions some students had but changed their hearts
as well.
Griffin Schultz, a Canisius senior and East Amherst resident,
had a stereotype of the West Side that some can relate to. He used to eschew
the idea of living or even traveling to the region, since it had a high crime
rate.
“This year my view towards the West Side really changed,” Schultz
said. “Going to School 30 and seeing all these kids reminded me of when I was a
kid and at that age there is no real difference between anybody.”
About 50 percent of the West Side is Hispanic and African
American. According to www.city-data.comhttp://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/West-Side-Buffalo-NY.html, 44.3 percent of people fall below the
poverty line in the region. Along with this, 15.2 percent of them speak very
little English, or none at all.
Schultz and 40 of his classmates traveled in December to School 30,
located at 21 Lowell St., to help with holiday celebrations and participate in
afterschool activities with kids in kindergarten and first and second grades.
They decorated the gym and threw a holiday party for all the kids. Schultz and
his classmates put smiles on the kids’ faces and left an impression not only
with them, but also with Schultz himself.
And earlier this month, Canisius returned to School 30 for a visit that paired about 25 high school students with sixth and seventh graders to serve as "big brothers," Ann Marie Moscovic, a Canisius counselor and the program’s leader,
said.
“With a lot of the
kids coming from different backgrounds, most of them spoke Spanish and almost
no English,” Moscovic said. “Fortunately, we had two students with us who spoke Spanish fluently so the
kids took to us very quickly. They were happy, had fun, and overall it was a
great experience.”
One of the students who spoke Spanish fluently is Thomas
Ezquerro, a senior at Canisius. Ezquerro, a Lackawanna native, said he spent a
great deal of his early childhood on the West Side.
“My best friend lives on the West Side and I’ve seen the
good and bad parts of it,” Ezquerro said. “I have seen drug deals go on
countless times and I heard gun shots one time when I was at his house.”
Ezquerro explained that even though the region has its
struggles, there are many great things that go on there.
“I’ve seen the bond between the neighbors and I believe that
it is stronger than anywhere else,” he said. "They
look out for each other and talk to one another when they believe something
suspicious might be going on.”
Many students from Canisius come from the suburbs, and a lot
are overwhelmed by the West Side at first. Ezquerro explained that many of his
classmates were frightened due to the pre-conceived notions they had for the
region.
“I noticed many students were jumpy and nervous when they
went on their first service. They would ask me where they should park their
car, if they should lock their doors, or cover anything up,” Ezquerro said.
Ezquerro said that many students’ stereotypes dissolved soon
after they realized the West Side “wasn’t such a bad place after all.”
There are many volunteer groups that do service projects on the West Side. One might wonder what the people living in the region think about these groups. Imagine you were living on the West Side and you saw a wealthy all boys’ institution come into your community and help out for a few hours, then leave. Would you think that they were just making themselves feel good that they did their good deed for the day, or would you be grateful that they came and helped? Thomas Ezquerro believes that pessimists would think the former, but most people living in the region would think the latter. Ezquerro believes the people “don’t care where the help is coming from, and they’re happy it’s coming in general.” --Fran McCann
ReplyDelete