The
Heart Beat Winter 2013
A Legacy, Deeply Rooted
Photo courtesy of Chris LaChall/ Courier Post. Used with permission
In the year 1905, Sacred Heart Church was 18 years old, Croft Mills was 19, and Holy Saviour Church was 24. New York Ship Corporation was 5, having built its first ship, the H M Guffey in 1901. All these were near each other on Broadway, South Camden. Teddy Roosevelt was President and Nicholas II was the Czar of Russia, the Ukraine, and other areas. 1905 was a year of blood and oppression under the Czar that eventually led to the Revolution of 1917, and the end of Czars. In 1905, Alexander and Helen Yiller, in the midst of terrible turmoil, succeeded in getting out of the Ukraine, crossing the sea to the US and settling in South Camden at 1742 South 6th Street. In time, their daughter Mary married Joseph Simonetti in Philadelphia, but later returned with her family to 1719 South Sixth Street to help her mother.
Exactly 100 years after the Yillers took hold of their lives and came to Camden, their greatgranddaughter, Helene Simonetti Pierson, in 2005, took hold of their old community, now Waterfront South, when she became Executive Director of the Heart of Camden Housing, and created an unbelievable transformation of the neighborhood of her mothers, great and grand. Helene, the fruit of their labor in every sense, will always be known by the fruit of her labor in Waterfront South. These are some of her obvious achievements in Waterfront South, and like a tree, what we do not see is just as important as what we see: (1) In her nine years, we can count 90 houses restored or newly built; (2) Streets green with trees; (3) Beautification of the 1700 block of Ferry Avenue; (4) Two berms with trees to block pollution; (5) Transformation of the devastated Star Theatre into a fourstar gym to our Helene’s great-grandparents save
Stepping Down
After twelve years at Heart of Camden, nine of them as Executive Director, Helene Pierson is moving on. Interim director Meyer Pincelli has been retained, and the Board of Directors is hoping to fill the position permanently by the end of the year. young people, under the same roof: a) a Neighborhood Center, b) The Hynes Meeting Room, c) The Heart of Camden Offices, and d) The Healing Room; (6) Athlete’s Alley to the gym paved in bricks with athletes’ names; (7) The Poets’ Walk paved in bricks with poets’ names; (8) The Waterfront South Live Theatre; (9) A place for the crosses of Joe Balzano and Anjenea Williams; (10) The Peace Park; (11) Picnic Area for Joe’s Place; (12) The best rain garden in Camden; (13) A Shipyard and Maritime Museum in Holy Saviour Church; (14) Transformation of a firehouse into an Art Center ( in process); (15) A greenhouse; (16) The Phoenix Park on the Delaware set in motion with the help of Andy Kricun and the Camden County Freeholders; (17) The Nick Virgilio Writer’s House and Café (in process); and (18) Welcome Signs at entrances south and north of Waterfront South. Cont’d. on page 2
A Cafe & A Place To Write In Peace by Pat Mulligan
The beautiful stained glass windows in Sacred Heart Church at Broadway and Ferry Ave. in Camden were donated by the dedicated people who belonged to the parish in 1886 when they were installed; very generous, but not unusual. If you check the last one towards the back of the church on the right hand side you will notice that one of the donors was Dr. John W. Donges. Unlike the many other donors, Dr. Donges was Lutheran. Look across Jasper Street from the front door of Sacred Heart and you will see, on the corner of Broadway and Jasper, the house in which Dr. Donges lived and worked as a local physician and an active civic leader. The house, 1801 Broadway, has been vacant for some time, like many of the surrounding properties. But not for long! Like many of the once vacant and unoccupied properties in Waterfront South, it is about to get a rebirth. Helene Pierson, the former Executive Director of The Heart of Camden Housing, led
American Water generously contributed funding toward development of the Writer’s House.
parishioner at Sacred Heart for many years, Nick Virgilio. (1929 – 1989) Initially a radio man in Texas, Nick’s work has been published and praised by the best haiku writers in the world. He rests in Harleigh Cemetery, close to the grave and mausoleum of one of America’s greatest poets, Walt Whitman. Whitman’s Leaves of Grass was considered by none less than Ralph Waldo Emerson as “the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed.” Whitman lived at 330 Mickle Street in Camden for the last twenty years of his life. So a Writers’ House is a natural for Camden; a place where the tradition of great writing can be continued. It will be a place to come and sit and read and muse and write the thoughts and dreams that emerge. It is a perfect location, the corner of Broadway and Ferry and Jasper Streets, across the street from the grand historic Church of Sacred Heart. It will have a small café and a beautiful garden where the writer can sit in peace and play with words, far from the “madding crowd.” And who knows what may emerge from such a Writers’ House.
Above all, she rescued Waterfront South, threatened with extinction by political power, and gave it strength and longevity, worth and reputation, life and beauty. Only God can measure her sweat and tears in helping the many afflicted by grief, violence and poverty … the dear children to whom she opened her heart and her home. It would be hard to say more with 13 letters than Helene Pierson. God Bless her! From the Heart, Fr. Michael Doyle
a renaissance of the neighborhood, with the help and inspiration of Fr. Michael Doyle, Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish. They and the Nick Virgilio Haiku Association want to make 1801 Broadway a Writers’ House. Helene, who resigned her Heart of Camden post in August, will still shepherd one more rebirth, in a long list of facilities that have added to and enhanced the social and cultural life of the neighborhood. They include: the Michael J. Doyle Field House, the Maritime Museum, the Thrift Store, Joe’s Place, The South Camden Theater. And now, a Writers’ House. And what could be more appropriate in a city and a neighborhood with a wonderful history of great writers, past and present? Our own resident poet and story teller, Fr. Michael Doyle, has produced a great volume of stories and poetry, some of which have been published in the Green Book, “It’s A Terrible Day, Thanks Be to God.” Chris Haw, a resident for many years until Notre Dame stole him away with a scholarship, has been recognized for his book, “From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart,” and, someone I am sure, we will see more from in the future. And of course we had the honor of having the greatest haiku poet in the U.S. as a resident of Camden and a
2
www.heartofcamden.org
Helene’s Legacy
Cont’d. from page 1
Heart Beat 2013
A Fieldhouse Where Worries Melt Away by Nick Barba Our mission here at The Heart of Camden has always been to improve the quality of life for the children of the neighborhood of Waterfront South. In August of 2012 we took one step closer to accomplishing that mission by opening The Michael J. Doyle Fieldhouse which provides a safe, nurturing, and clean environment for the children and teens of Waterfront South. Since that summer our pride and joy from the gym has come in the form of our afterschool open gym program which runs weekly. The conference room and foyer attached to it have been the home to baby showers, children’s parties, and even a free dental clinic where 300 children from the city came to our Fieldhouse to get a free check up on their beautiful little smiles. Children, teens, and even adults have come pouring into the gym to enjoy a number of amazing qualities of The Michael J. Doyle Fieldhouse: the majesty of the wood ceiling and big bare beams, the sense of feeling safe, the joy of competition, and the emotion we all strive for in that of being accepted. Numerous teens have expressed their feelings of gratitude for what we do at the Fieldhouse and for making their worries from home and school just melt away when they are here. One young man in particular came to us with numerous problems in
school and at home. He was receiving bad grades and on top of that had a bad attitude towards his teachers, classmates, and fellow Fieldhouse goers. After a few months of coming to the Fieldhouse after school we started to see a change in him. He was more respectful, more outgoing, and we found out he was doing significantly better in school. His mother came in to talk to us and credited his coming to our facility after school to helping him find that sense of direction and giving him a positive, clean outlet for him to thrive in what can be a harsh environment. The summer of 2013 was one of empowerment. We hosted the first Miss Camden Teen Pageant in over 40 years and it was a rousing success with teen girls from around the city showing off their beautiful voices and inspiring poetry. A very special program was started this past summer called Youth Happy Hour. Essentially, teens from Waterfront South designed
Athlete’s Alley, the brick walkway leading to the Michael J. Doyle Field House, was dedicated in memory of Mary Louise Scanlan in September, 2013. The John and Mary Louise Scanlan Foundation has been a long-time contributor to the Heart of Camden, and its generosity has launched many neighborhood projects including the greenhouse, which was dedicated in the name of John Scanlan. Heart Beat 2013
www.heartofcamden.org
their own activities and games to play once a week with the younger children in the neighborhood. This gave the children a chance to play in a safe place while teaching the teens some invaluable lessons on leadership and commitment. The fall of 2013 saw a brand new program called Soccer for Success come to the Fieldhouse. In partnership with the East Camden Boys and Girls Club, children and teens from Waterfront South, and some beyond, come three times a week to learn how to play the global game of soccer properly, with an emphasis on healthy eating and living. The instructors for this program regularly check their weight and BMI. In the coming weeks, months, and years we will continue to strive toward the betterment of Waterfront South and be that resource that our children and teens so desperately need in this neighborhood. We ask that you always keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Gym Upkeep
The new gym is well-built and well-equipped thanks to generous start-up funding, but there is an ongoing need to maintain equipment and the full schedule of programming. See the back page for details on how to support the fieldhouse.
3
Heart Beat 2013
NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #28 BELLMAWR, NJ
1840 Broadway Camden, NJ 08104 Address Service Requested
Thank You for supporting Heart of Camden, a non-profit community development corporation that is revitalizing the Waterfront South neighborhood of Camden, NJ. You are receiving this newsletter
because you have supported us in some way, whether monetary, volunteer or through your words and prayers. With your help, we are accomplishing our mission of restoring dignity and quality of life in the comunity through housing restoration, economic expansion and human development. www.heartofcamden.org Look for our redesigned website coming soon!
At Fireworks, Art Starts at the Front Door
Join Us for 2014!
January 31 - Celtic Spring Concert
at Sacred Heart Church. Thank you to Patrick Mulligan who tends to this event so faithfully every year. April 13 - Palm Sunday Ceilli at Stardust Ballroom, Bellmawr, NJ. Big thanks to Joyce Hanley and her team at the Stardust! and Muriel Prickett and her crew. May 23 - Annual Sister Peg Hynes Memorial Golf Tournament. Huge thanks to Jim McFarlane and the incredible golf committee.
Decorative wrought iron gates and stately 11-foot-high mahogony doors (both manufactured in Camden) provide stunning curb appeal for the Fireworks Art Center project in progress on Broadway. These features visible from the street are a hint of things to come as Heart of Camden redevelops the 1889 firehouse into affordable studio space for artists as a place to nurture fine art and craftsmanship. Inside, a donated printing press sits crated and a woodworking shop is taking shape. While wood framing now delineates the gallery space just inside the front door and the studios upstairs, the project didn’t avoid a cliche of historic renovation, which is to “expect the unexpected.” Complications came in the form of difficult water and sewer line connections that required additional,
unbudgeted work, as well as a delay for unexpected inspections and permits. Once these issues are resolved, walls will go up, reclaimed flooring will be laid, and it is hoped a mid-2014 opening will be celebrated.
Join us in continuing to restore Waterfront South! Together we can accomplish miracles against great financial odds to bless Waterfront South with art, writing, sports and so much more. DONATE at www. heartofcamden.org or send checks payable to Heart of Camden, 1840 Broadway, Camden, NJ 08104.