SNR Program Brings Schools and Communities Together

When Neighborhood Leadership Cleveland graduate Joyce Pratt (Class 6) was looking for a place to hold a street club meeting, she had to look no further than the school across the street from her Larchmere Boulevard home.

Sunbeam School is one of six schools in Cleveland that is open for community use through NLI's Schools as Neighborhood Resources (SNR) program. 

The program, which runs from mid-October through mid-April, recently concluded its 2008-2009 program year.

Programming at the SNR sites includes athletic activities such as basketball, swimming, and karate; creative activities such as instrumental music, arts and crafts, and cooking; and educational activities such as tutoring and computer instruction. 

All activities are free and open to the public. Participants range in age from elementary school children to senior citizens. More than 3,000 people participate in SNR activities annually.

During program hours, the buildings are also available for a variety of community uses, including youth group meetings, band rehearsals, community theater productions, and alumni association meetings.

In the Larchmere area, several community groups use Sunbeam for meetings. 

Janenell Smith (Class 24) belongs to the Upper Mt. Overlook Street Club and Team 5 Larchmere, a group of neighbors who first came together during the 2008 presidential campaign. 

Smith encouraged both groups to use Sunbeam for their meetings. "The meeting space is right down the street, and it's available for free," says Smith.

Pratt, who serves not only as a block captain but also as a precinct committeeperson, cites another practical advantage of using SNR sites for meetings: "The children can participate in activities while the parents participate in the meetings."

Smith believes that the Sunbeam SNR site plays an important role in creating a sense of community in the neighborhood.

"If neighbors see each other at the school," says Smith, "they become freer to mingle, to talk, to relate to each other."

Sunbeam principal Melanie Sinks embraces Sunbeam's role as a central meeting place for the surrounding community. 

"I think it's a win for both the community and the school," says Sinks. "It certainly fits with my vision of how a school should be a part of a community."