An Appeal to Albany

Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show...(the opening lines of David Copperfield as written by Charles Dickens;inspired by MTM). Or at least this ACCOUNT will, perhaps, have a reflection on whether I'm going to be the hero in my own life.

Oooh, wild horses I wanna be like you
Throwing caution to the wind, I'll run free too
Wish I Could Recklessly Love Like I'm Longing To
I wanna run with the wild horses
Run with the wild horses, oh
I wanna run too Natasha Bedingfield; Wild Horses


Susan K. Stern
Commission Chair

Mark J. Walter
Executive Director

It is with profound professional and personal disappointment that I have come to learn that NY State will no longer fund Buffalo AmeriCorps programs which serve those who desperately need them. Indeed, we AmeriCorps Buffalo members who currently serve our multi-nationality Lower West Side community, reach-out with many different programs to bring hope, and life in a positive light, to so many of the underprivileged and disadvantaged. Thanks to AmeriCorps Buffalo, we have the skills, training, references, resources and support to make this mission statement, a reality.

As a member of The Portal Program, of The Belle Center, of Americorps Buffalo; the below is a humble summation of the objectives and responsibilities that has me proudly serving as an Americorps Buffalo volunteer.

And I proudly serve professionally, even as I MUST do so with a tremendous personal set-back. You see, I do all of my professional responsibilities even though I deal with a very challenging disability, Familial Spastic Paraplegia. By struggling with two canes in hand, and a scooter in tow, and a power-lift in my van to transport my scooter, I make myself available to the potential liaisons, in-the-field, that will ultimately provide the on-the-job training opportunities and the entry-level apprenticeship programs that will help to facilitate the objectives of the Portal Program whom our 17-24 year-old young adults are enrolled in, and can be verified, benefiting from.

On your New York Volunteers HOMEPAGE, you BANNER: Home National Service Volunteer Organizations and Disability Inclusion. It is with a profound sense of disappointment to have to realize that the virtues that are espoused~~~are all spectacle, and no substance.


Subject: Re: Summary of Responsibility & Objectives

Ms. Beverly Newkirk, and Mr. Luis Acosta; I am enclosing a summary of my responsibilities because of what you are involved with, in terms of training at THE Asbury Shalom Zone. It appears to be a hands-on type of training/vocational application that we, at the Belle Center, would appreciate getting a chance to learn more about. I will be following up this correspondence to see if we can schedule a meeting. Your involvement with trade/vocational training was brought to my attention by Michael Brundidge. I sincerely appreciate your time and attention on this matter.

This is a summary of my responsibility and objectives for the Portal Program @
The Belle Center.

As the Operations Specialist for the Portal Program at THE BELLE CENTER, it is
my responsibility to develop windows-of-opportunity to get young adults, 17-24
years of age, ready for the "work world." And of course, the emphasis of the
Portal Program is to try to steer these young adults into some kind of
purposeful college direction. But not everybody is college material. We
however, do not want these young adults to fall through the cracks. These are
young adults whom by-and-large, have little or no skill-sets; little or no tools
in their tool belts. With these individuals, among other choices, we are
attempting to encourage looking at the Military as a career option. Included in
this career option would be the USMC, ARMY, NAVY, USAF, and USCG. We are
additionally trying to develop partnerships, working relationships, and
joint-ventures, with the private sector building-trades companies, Trade
Organizations, and Organized Labor. The intent here is to provide occupational
training workshops, on-the-job training internships, and entry-level
apprenticeship programs for The Portal Program clients. The one institution
in all of this that has consistently stepped forward to offer legitimate training strategies to get
the young adults 'work-world' ready---has been THE LABOR UNIONS, and some of
the NON-PROFITS. These training and advocacy 'engines' continue to recognize
that a well-trained, skilled employee has a better resume, and therefore more to
offer an employer. This makes the young adult more employable and gets him the
respect that allows him to receive a living-wage---and sustainability.

As a way of showcasing these relationships that The Belle Center has developed,
we had our, first ever, VOCATIONAL TRADE FAIR. This was not a Job Fair. It was
a genuine effort to get on the floor of the gym at The Belle Center for 4
hours in the afternoon of the 13th of May---as broad a scope of vocational and
trade choices, as possible. The Western New York community was able to see to
what lengths The Belle Center, Organized Labor, other Non-Profits, trade
organizations, and private-sector businesses, is willing to go to help
underprivileged and disadvantaged young adults find self-sustainability in
the 'work-world'.

We want an exciting Vista; a Panorama of Possibilities!!! The young adults need
to know that there is so much more for them to aspire to, for their WORK
WORLD self-sustainability, then cleaning stainless-steel counter-tops---and
flipping burgers, for a living.


As a viable consideration, The Empire State Regional Council of Carpenters Local 289
of 1159 Maryvale Dr Cheektowaga, NY, and its elaborate training apparatus at the
Rochester, NY location is the Creme de la Creme for carpenter and building-trades training
applications. And boasting...We Built This City; You Can Too, The International Union of
Operating Engineers will be conducting their 6th Annual CONSTRUCTION CAREER DAYS
Training Workshop at the end of September, 2010. This two-day extravaganza will include an
intensive mix of detailed classroom and, in-the-field entry-level hands-on training.
The timid need-not-apply!!

Rather than reinventing the wheel, operatives of the Portal Program would
be given the opportunity to review first-hand, the applications and the methods-of-operation
by which your training apparatus functions. It is ultimately our intention to enroll and
have our clients develop their skill-sets therein.

As an AOSOS(American One-Stop Operating-Systems) Clerical;
must data-enter all training, certification, and progress-report updates
into the NYSDOL's elaborate input program for the clients; members
of the Portal Program. The enrollment at this point, is 45 members.

Lou Marconi
Operations Specialist
The Belle Center
The Portal Program
716.845.0485 x 19
716.578.8568 cell
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Hickok
The Promise