Surviving a tumultuous year

With the help of creative budgeting and devoted volunteers, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center managed to survive the past year without funding from the Nassau County Youth Board.

Last February, then County Executive Tom Suozzi cut $4.5 million from the Youth Board —which administers the county’s contracts with youth-services providers like the MLK Center — to make up for a $150 million shortfall in the county's $2.5 billion budget. The MLK Center saw its $209,000 contract with the county cut by 75 percent, and Executive Director Myrnissa Stone made an appeal to the community, asking for donations of money and volunteers’ time to help keep the center operating.

"Overall, the year went well," said Stone. "At times we were not certain, but we always went forward with the hope all would be well."

The cut spurred an impromptu meeting last February that drew more than 150 parents, children, teenagers and senior citizens who were concerned about the fate of the center. Stone vowed to keep it open despite the funding cut and asked anyone with time to spare to volunteer.

The community responded, and with the help of fundraising events, including dinners, basketball games and a phone-a-thon, money flowed into the center for the three months after the county's announcement. Volunteers also called anyone in the center's data banks, soliciting donations.

"In our after-school program we had a lot of support from the teachers who volunteered a lot of hours," said Stone. Teachers throughout the Long Beach school district volunteer to tutor 55 Long Beach students and oversee recreation for some 150 residents. Stone said that teachers increased the number of hours they spent at the center helping students with their studies.

Stone was forced to manage that program and others when three employees of the center left, fearing that their salaries would be cut. Instead of replacing them, Stone and other employees took on additional responsibilities and worked extra hours —- even taking on maintenance task.

The center also partnered with FEGS, a work experience program for public-assistance recipients, and the Education and Assistance Corporation, a program that connects people with court-ordered community service with facilities like the MLK Center, where they do administrative or maintenance work.

Stone said that before the November election, Suozzi informed agencies affected by the funding cuts that their budgets would be restored for the following year, and the center hired a program coordinator and a maintenance worker. The center will soon hire three more people, she said, bringing the staff back up to full capacity.

This year, Stone said, the center is looking forward to the grand opening of a computer room in March. While the computers have been set up, the center is awaiting some additional funding to purchase a Smart Board and educational software.

Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.