March 26, 2009

By Rick Winterson

Every corner in the Neighborhood House’s newly renovated 136 H Street complex has been redesigned and put to work.  Programs are the same or better.  Most important of all, this modernization was the result of a miraculous series of volunteer efforts.  Find out more about “the miracle” next Thursday evening, April 2, at the Annual Reception and Auction.

The renovations of the new South Boston Neighborhood House, now fully consolidated at 136 H Street, are complete.  From 8:00 in the morning till 8:00 in the evening, the place hums – perhaps the word “buzz” is more up to date – as youth, teen, and senior programs continue for some 2,500 “Ollie” members.

Executive Director Barbara McDonough Macdonald has termed the transition “a miracle”.  She’s right, of course.  But like good luck, miracles happen to those who are prepared for them and are open to them. 

You see, three years ago, the Neighborhood House had purchased the old Gate of Heaven Hall for a relocation and expansion.  Simultaneously, the Olivia James House on Seventh Street – the original “Ollie” – began showing severe signs of its age, and then the economy started to go south, very far south.  It seemed like a sure recipe for disaster, which it well might have been.

But South Boston’s friends stepped up.  Mayor Menino was contacted and he responded.  He put John Lynch of the City’s Office of Neighborhood Development on it.  Grant money was found.  All of our elected officials jumped on board this effort as well.  Unions were contacted.  Local companies were phoned up.  Not one held back.

The Neighborhood House staff thought “out-of-the-box” and began reaching out for shared facilities (“outsourcing”, if you will).  Helen Allix came forward, as she always does, providing pool time at the Condon and gym space at the Tynan.  Help from the “Kids Can Cook” program on Albany Street and the Southie Bowladrome was enlisted.

Companies and unions provided materials, muscle, and craftwork.  It’s impossible to give enough credit to them all in a couple of short paragraphs, but many employees of P&G Gillette and ING (Quincy) put on their work clothes.  Lumber Liquidators kicked in materials, as did the Drive-In Paint Mart and Pappas Enterprises.

The unions who volunteered to renovate the 136 H Street facility in just a few weeks included IBEW Local 103, apprentices of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, Sheet Metal Workers Local 17, and the Painters and Allied Trades District Council 35.  Many of these union members are out of work because of the current construction slowdown.  Nevertheless, they put their own difficulties aside in order to volunteer at the Neighborhood House.

The seniors who had been using the 136 H Street facility every day graciously accepted the need to shut their place down for renovations during January and February.  Then in late February, they accepted the young people from the “Ollie” on Seventh Street even more graciously.

Use whatever cliché you would like about the transformation of the Neighborhood House – “Necessity is the mother of invention”, “Making do”, or “The Lord helps those who help themselves”.  We’ll stick with Barbara’s description of it as “A miracle”.

Were there strong emotions over leaving the original Olivia James House on Seventh Street?  Of course there were.  The “Ollie” has been serving families for longer than anyone can remember and now, because it can’t be economically repaired, it is to be put out to pasture and sold.  The South Boston Neighborhood House itself is tradition of its own.  It was founded in 1901, a year it shares with the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade and with groundbreaking for the Dorchester Heights Monument.  But more than any individual building, “The ‘Ollie’ is the people inside it.”

Now, a new tradition has started, which renews and builds upon the tradition that has existed for 108 years.

Mention was made of the upcoming Annual Benefit Reception and Auction on Thursday evening, April 2, which will be held in the Plaza Ballroom at the Seaport Hotel (how many great “times” has South Boston had there?).  This year, the tickets cost only $50, compared to a $125 tab in prior years.  This is in part to recognize the current economic times; in part, to reach out and invite everyone to take part in the Neighborhood House miracle.  That slogan “The House Is Where the Heart Is” will never be truer than during this particular evening.

The usual auction items – Sox tickets, vacation getaways, etc. – will be there for you.  As an added incentive, how about tickets to the U2 concert at Gillette Stadium?  Hey, it’s bigger than the Somerville Theater!  And as a symbol of the Neighborhood House’s new home, you’ll find deluxe items for your own home to bid on, such as a roomful of child’s furniture and even a dishwasher.  In addition, the DJ will stay over until 10, so you can dance away the evening after the awards and auctions are over.

You can’t beat that with a stick.  Call Keli at (617)268-1619, Ext. 207.  See you there.      

And by the way, the 136H Street facility is available for weekend, family-oriented functions, like christenings, wedding anniversaries, and so on.  Check with Kathy Lafferty.