We all know how nice it is to have so many collegiate institutions in the region, especially since the advent of Service Learning programs. There is one university that's located 150 miles away that should also get some credit for lending a hand to our grassroots organizations. 

This summer, Cornell University offered its students a Service Learning and Action Research program called The High Road Runs Through the City/ The program teamed students up with local organizations affiliated with Partnership for Public Good. The goal was to immerse the students into hands-on learning

Back in June WCP reported that an upgrade was underway at this apartment building on Elmwood Avenue. While owner Barons of Buffalo, LLC has been busy on Elmwood, another apartment complex in the company's portfolio is getting similar treatment on Main Street.

Built as The Wayne apartments in 1914, the interior units eventually became downtrodden, and that was their condition when they were purchased by new owners. I spoke to General Manager Marilyn Rodgers who told me that

Every Saturday I will be featuring an obscure architectural element found in the city, to see if someone can figure out where it is.

We used to run this same sort of post every once in a while, but somehow got away from it.

There are no clues - just a photo depicting the item. I'm sure that there are a lot of BRO readers out there who have scoured the city and have seen just about all that there is to see. Others might learn about some of the more obscure detailing found in the different neighborhoods. Either way, I'll keep mixing it up each week to keep you guessing...

By Hannya Boulos - Buffalo ReformED:
 
After initial turnaround plans to receive School Improvement Grant (SIG) funding were denied by the New York State Education Department, The Buffalo Public School District has been given until August 31st to submit improvement plans or SURR plans for 7 of its persistently lowest achieving schools.
 
Although the district has until January 1 to submit plans to be considered for state funding, the district MUST submit to the state a school improvement plan by August 31st, regardless of the financial incentive. It is expected

A few months ago I wrote about St. John of God Church in Chicago (see here).  The closed and vacant church has been sold to another congregation in the Chicago suburbs and is currently being strip mined for reassembly several miles from the site it was designed for.  The interior of this church and all of its substructure will be sent to the dump.  The interior of another closed Chicago church will be assembled behind the facade of this church.  This Chicago scenario is disturbingly

By Nikki Drag:

464 Gallery owner, Marcus Wise, has done it again.  Tonight, Friday, August 12, he will introduce his newest contribution to the Arts Community in Buffalo. Studio 464, which will be located upstairs from 464 Gallery and offers rental workspaces available to local artists. It is a clean and serene area where creativity and spirited inventiveness is fostered.

Studio 464 was previously a 4-Bedroom Apartment that has been converted into four individual studio spaces with access to a full kitchen, full bathroom, attic storage, and a large open common

What place in Buffalo matters to you? Buffalo's Young Preservationists (BYP) wants you to show them.  In conjunction with the "This Place Matters" campaign and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, BYP is looking for photo submissions of the places that matter to you.

The concept is simple, take pictures of yourself or your friends in front of the places that

The Northwest Buffalo Community Health Care Center is now the Neighborhood Health Center.  The new name and brand was unveiled at a press event with local and state elected officials as part of National Health Center Week, an initiative to raise awareness about how federally qualified health centers are delivering a unique approach that targets the health care needs of local communities while saving taxpayer dollars.

Among the elected officials attending the event were New York State Senators Mark Grisanti and Tim Kennedy and

Please forgive me for keeping it light this week; I'll give you something heavy to think about next Thursday.  Today, I want you to lend a helping hand to some great people from Buffalo that are on the verge of finding a much larger audience, Brothers McClurg (formerly Relevant Worship).  This past week, they released their new EP "Alive," and the Western New York CD release show is tomorrow night at Evangel Church in Clarence.
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By Thea Hassan:

The African American Cultural Center and Groundwork Buffalo have completed a community garden at 350 Masten Avenue.  

Groundwork Buffalo's Green Team repurposed the vacant lot into a teaching garden for the youth of the Cultural Center's Jumpin' Jambalaya Summer Program to learn and explore. The Green Team is composed of high school students from East High School, Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts (PS # 192), Grover Cleveland School,  and South Park High School. Groundwork Buffalo, is an affiliate of Groundwork USA, trains

The Black Rock Canal Park Steering Committee has selected Nussbaumer & Clarke, Inc. for Phase 1 construction of Black Rock Canal Park.   The concept of Black Rock Canal Park is to remedy the many deficiencies in the current designs of the Ontario Street Boat Launch as well as the south end of the park.

Phase I work represents a collaboration of community, city, county, state and federal entities working together to improve the waterfront and create a regional asset.

This Saturday, August 13th, will mark the second annual "Ride Along the Waterfront", a 14 mile bike ride and 3 mile canoe/kayak paddle brought to you by the Black Rock Canal Park Steering Committee and the Niagara River Greenway Commission.  The bike portion of the event will begin at 9 a.m. (with registration beginning at 8am) at Black Rock Canal Park (currently the Ontario Street Boat Launch).  It will be followed by the paddle event, also launching from Black Rock Canal Park, at 10:15 a.m. with registration beginning at 9 a.m.  There will also be a Wellness Fair from 9 a.m. to

I wrote my first article about efforts to make homes lead safe shortly after I began writing for Buffalo Rising.  It's a crucial issue in community development, and some outstanding folks from my hometown were among the earliest voices raising it to statewide prominence.  Shortly after moving to Buffalo, I was delighted to cover the kickoff of the local Wipe Out Lead campaign,

This weekend, the Buffalo waterfront is going to get fired up as some of the biggest, baddest performance boats gather to compete in the city's Fourth Annual Buffalo Poker Run. Last year 60 boats showed up, which is more than double the number from three years ago. I was invited to be a guest on one of the boats for a past poker run, and let me tell you that seeing these powerhouses gather in one place is exhilarating. This year proceeds benefit Excalibur Leisure Skills, an organization that helps to get disabled and disadvantaged people out onto the water.

Honestly, even if you can't

An interview with You and Who Founder Dan Gigante on his quest to spread the company's mission to all corners of the country in only three months.

In a video announcement last week, You and Who--a buy-one-give-one company based in Buffalo--launched a new campaign in conjunction with JetBlue's BluePass promotion. Originating from Boston or Long Beach, BluePass holders can travel limitlessly anywhere the airline flies to from August 22 through

Recent images of the ornate dome being removed from the south tower of one of the city's most grand east side churches is enough to strike fear in the heart of anyone interested in saving Buffalo's precious heritage.  With so many Buffalo churches rotting, plans for St Gerard's being sold off for use by an Atlanta parking lot church and the prospect of nearby St. Adalbert's Basilica being forced into the Catholic Church's cynically named "Journey In Faith and Grace" program (otherwise known as closing), the sight of this magnificent edifice being deconstructed could easily be interpreted as

The Painting for Preservation team is heading to North Buffalo this weekend.  "Art-In" number seven is taking place at the circa-1897 Fairfield Library in the Parkside neighborhood.  The library is located at 1659 Amherst Street near Starin.  The Art-In events seek to raise awareness of properties at risk of demolition, distressed and under-utilized locations and their neighborhoods.  Artists will start their work at 9:30 and should be finished by 12:30.

Designed by the equally skilled partner of E.B.

Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper is being awarded a $167,000 grant in federal funding through the work of Congressman Brian Higgins. The grant comes from the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration which will help fund Phase II of the Buffalo Riverbend project. Riverkeeper was also awarded $657,245 through the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative last year for the Riverbend project.

The project site is located adjacent to the Riverbend Commerce Park, a

With a company based in Buffalo that sells 2000 products in 100 countries, Bob Rich is doing a lot more than publishing books on fishing and the Queen City on the Lake. In this week's interview with FOX News, Bob plugs Buffalo, Rich Products, buying American, his sponsored soccer team and his new book.

In the interview, Bob talks about sales overseas and how his privately held food company has managed to diversify, and continues to diversify in a

Our dreams of lighting a few of the grain elevators and bridges along the Buffalo River might be one step closer to reality. Lighting Design Innovations (LDI) has been testing a few concepts at RiverFest Park that have proved to not only work, but to be practical and feasible as well. People have been talking about lighting up these industrial landmarks for years, but just recently RiverFest Park supporters have been doing more than just research. They've been experimenting with the real deal in order to attract additional support for the project. Fortunately, supporters for this project, such