Cultural center to open its doors in Olean
Amanda Klein
Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: News
Moore said in the six years the building has been vacated, it's miraculous nothing has happened to it.
"You know our winters. It has had no heat, and nothing's broken. No pipe is broken," she said. "They say that's a bad neighborhood. It's not a bad neighborhood. Nobody has written graffiti on it. Nobody has broken in on it."
Currently, the center needs to be made wheelchair accessible and have a working bathroom for it to open. The Rotary Club in Olean has been working with the center to make this possible.
The founders are also applying for a 501©(3), or non-profit status. The center needs to have this to accept official donations and grants, Moore said.
Wolfe has big plans for the center, including afterschool programs for local children.
"One of the centers that we went to in Buffalo had a program where they had a teacher come in and they give violin lessons free of charge," she said. "We'd love to connect local musicians and local artists with the center."
Moore also plans on resurrecting a documentary-style show she used to host based on the people in Olean.
"I'm going to ask the neighbors if they mind telling me their stories," she said. "That's going to be part of the resource material and living history in the center."
Moore said she wants to contribute to the neighborhood.
"I just want to spread the history around and make the neighborhood prouder than it is," she said. "There's a lot of pride in that neighborhood."
Not only will the center make the neighborhood proud, but it will also carry on the church's legacy.
"It was a beacon on that corner," Moore said. "Now it's going to carry on."
e-mail: kleinaj@sbu.edu
"You know our winters. It has had no heat, and nothing's broken. No pipe is broken," she said. "They say that's a bad neighborhood. It's not a bad neighborhood. Nobody has written graffiti on it. Nobody has broken in on it."
Currently, the center needs to be made wheelchair accessible and have a working bathroom for it to open. The Rotary Club in Olean has been working with the center to make this possible.
The founders are also applying for a 501©(3), or non-profit status. The center needs to have this to accept official donations and grants, Moore said.
Wolfe has big plans for the center, including afterschool programs for local children.
"One of the centers that we went to in Buffalo had a program where they had a teacher come in and they give violin lessons free of charge," she said. "We'd love to connect local musicians and local artists with the center."
Moore also plans on resurrecting a documentary-style show she used to host based on the people in Olean.
"I'm going to ask the neighbors if they mind telling me their stories," she said. "That's going to be part of the resource material and living history in the center."
Moore said she wants to contribute to the neighborhood.
"I just want to spread the history around and make the neighborhood prouder than it is," she said. "There's a lot of pride in that neighborhood."
Not only will the center make the neighborhood proud, but it will also carry on the church's legacy.
"It was a beacon on that corner," Moore said. "Now it's going to carry on."
e-mail: kleinaj@sbu.edu
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