Welcoming the new kids on The BLOC

Tucked behind the shiny new Kroger store on Warsaw Avenue in East Price Hill, an old, once-majestic red brick church welcomes a new wave of immigrants. At the McPherson Avenue BLOC Center, Guatemalan families find English and Acculturation classes, homework help for their children, computer training and a growing sense of community.

The BLOC, a non-profit, faith-based organization, was founded in 1998 by Executive Director Dwight Young and his wife Stephanie, a licensed counselor.

Its Price Hill and Cleves centers offer at-risk youth after-school programs, from theater classes to tutoring to sports and games. Some lift weights, others play pool or navigate new computer programs. All students who hang at The BLOC create their own communities and learn how to make positive decisions part of their daily routines. They take those lessons home, and, Young believes, contribute to building stronger families because of them.

"We just try to help them with everyday life," he says.

A new initiative, though, brings The BLOC closer to the homes of some of its most at-risk neighbors.

Young wanted to serve the growing number of Hispanic families in Price Hill—families with parents struggling to learn English and children struggling to fit in. Providing healthy, affordable housing, and establishing a community one street at a time, seemed like the perfect way to start.

Bolstered with a grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, The BLOC has launched a concerted effort to renovate three homes and an eight-unit building on McPherson, providing space for 12 to 14 Guatemalan families, by this summer.

"Our goal is to bring a better attitude to the people who live on that street," he says.

Do Good:

• Donate: Support the efforts online at The BLOC. Each apartment unit will cost $5,000 to renovate. All donations welcome.

• Have some coffee: Visit one of the two Corner BLOC Coffee Houses.

• Make a Friend: Like BLOC Ministries on Facebook.