MANAYUNK

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others;” and North Light Community Center has done just that.  Since it started during the Depression, the center has grown organically, allowing the needs of the community to shape its programs and its supports, but always with the same mission: to never turn anybody away.  In doing so, North Light has not only grown into an organization which serves the Manayunk-Roxborough-Wissahickon community, but one that is integrated into and part of the community it exists within.

The North Light Community Center was started in 1936 as a partnership between Police Captain Franklin Luckman and Anne Wright, the principal of the local school, as a way to keep boys from breaking into box cars after school.  Called the North Light Boys Club, it was housed in a store front on Main Street and offered recreational programs, such as ping pong.  During the 1940’s, as fathers headed off to war and more and more mothers joined the workforce, North Light expanded to offer afterschool and childcare programs.  The center also began welcoming girls and added social supports, including their food cupboard which still exists today.  Throughout the years since then, North Light has continued to grow and expand its programs to best serve its community.

Today, North Light offers programs and services designed to serve all ages and income levels.  Its longest running program is Kidzone, its afterschool program: “In many ways, it’s more than just an afterschool program, it’s very much an enrichment program,” says Dana Dabek, Director of Institutional Advancement. During Kidzone, children have access to sports, homework assistance, cooking club for nutritional snacks, and other activities.  North Light’s teen programs are focused on improving college and career readiness while also providing teens with fruitful activities outside of school.  Teen programs include North Light’s Urban Sustainability Leadership Academy, workshops for college and financial aid applications, and tutoring services.  In partnership with the Federation of Neighborhood Centers and the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, North Light operates a small urban farm at which children and teens can help manage and harvest while learning about farm to table.  North Light also provides mentoring programs and paid internship placements with the support of Philly Youth Network.

North Light’s fastest growing programs are its social supports.  The food cupboard, one of its longest running social supports, started as an actual cupboard in which people could put extra canned goods and others could take what they need.   Since then, the program has grown exponentially year after year; in 2013, 88,000 lbs of food came through the food cupboard.  With the support of local stores, including the Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting and the Target on City Line Ave, the cupboard has expanded to also offer fresh produce and non-food necessities, like paper goods and soap.  North Light also offers short term case management through a Masters of Social Work intern from Widener University and, thanks to a grant from WWSmith, provides short-term utility assistance.

While North Light has expanded and changed its programs to serve the people of Manayunk, Roxborough, and Wissahickon over the past 78 years, it has also carved out a space and identity for itself within the community.  North Light strives to be “open to the community as a community center,” says Dana; in addition to providing specific services, North Light also works to bring people who may not know about or need its services by offering community classes, such as ceramics and karate.  In September, with the help of over 200 volunteers, North Light built a brand new playground in six hours and will soon be adding swings and an outdoor classroom; all of which are designed to welcome the community.  In return, the community has welcomed North Light.  The center fundraises 90% of its budget and much of that support comes from the community; one of North Light’s largest fundraisers, Pints for North Light, is 100% donated.  Through the NoVal Alliance, Villanova University sent 70 students to volunteer at North Light this year.  Many of North Light’s mentors and internship placements for their teen programs come from local businesses.  This continued support from its community is a huge part of how North Light has been able to serve the area so well and for so long.

 

So, in closing, how does North Light really view Manayunk? As home.  Irene Madrak, who has been the executive director of North Light since 1982, grew up in Manayunk: “Not only does she know [everyone in Manayunk] but they respect her, love her and want to help her and by extension want to help North Light,” says Dana of Irene’s relationship with the community.  Dana, who is also a Manayunk resident, describes Manayunk and its relationship with North Light best:

North Light Community Center is a supporter of the community, supported by the community.  If you’re interested in any of North Light’s programs or would like to find out how you can volunteer at or support North Light, visit their website at http://www.northlightcommunitycenter.org/ or email them at info@northlightcommunitycenter.org