The University Presbyterian Church‘s Community Soup is back on Sunday, March 13th at 5:00PM. Share a great meal with your neighbors and help get a great idea off the ground!

The Soup Grant is a grassroots model for funding small projects through community meals. A group of people come together to share a meal at an affordable price. All income from the meal is given as a grant to support a project to benefit the Buffalo community. Everyone who purchases a meal has one vote to decide who gets the grant.

Dinner costs just $5.00 and project proposals are encouraged from those between the ages of 15 and 25.

Proposals are due two weeks before the soup event (by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.). E-mail them to Lee Ann Grace at laghhupc@roadrunner.com.

Download the full program brochure

Be sure to follow the University Presbyterian Church on Facebook for ongoing updates on this and other community events.

Join the many community partners that have been working on the Healthy Corner Store Initiative over the past year for a grand opening on Friday, January 29th from 3:00PM to 5:30PM. The grand opening will take place at the first two corner stores participating in the initiative – Food Plus Market located at 414 E. Amherst Street and Buff City Exclusive Market located at 90 Lisbon Avenue.

The Healthy Corner Store Initiative, started as part of the Oishei Foundation’s Mobile Safety Net, is a new approach to improving residents’ access to fresh and affordable produce by bringing local fruits and vegetables into neighborhood corner stores.

According to several studies, including one conducted in 2014 by the Mobile Safety-Net Team, in conjunction with the University at Buffalo Regional Institute, cite many parts of the East Side of Buffalo as food deserts.  The USDA defines food deserts as census tracts where “at least 33 percent of the census tract’s population must reside more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store”.

The Healthy Corner Store Initiative, which will incentivize store owners to offer fresh fruits and vegetables, support local food providers, and educate residents about healthy eating habits, has been a collective effort of many community partners including:

• Bailey Avenue Business Association
• Buffalo Promise Neighborhood
• University District Councilmember Rasheed N.C. Wyatt
• Community Action Organization of Erie County
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County – Eat Smart New York
• Erie County Department of Health
• Erie County Department of Social Services
• Food Bank of WNY
• Friends of the Night People
• Gerard Place
• Harmac Medical Products
• Millennium Collaborative Care
• Mobile Safety-Net Team
• P2 Collaborative of WNY
• The John R. Oishei Foundation
• University at Buffalo School of Public Health
• University District Community Development Association
• Urban Fruits & Veggies, LLC

Learn more about the Healthy Corner Store Initiative and the partners working together to bring more fresh and affordable produce to Buffalo. Cornell Cooperative Extension Eat Smart New York will be on site with taste tests and healthy tips showing that nutritious can be delicious! You can also get a jump start on eating healthier with a chance to win a magic bullet personal blender/ food processor!

Buffalo, NY – A neighborhood theatre and East Side landmark will open its doors to the public for the first time in over a decade on Friday, February 12^th at 3PM. The Varsity Theatre located at 3165 Bailey Avenue has been reborn thanks to Ibrahim Cissé, the theatre’s tenacious owner and President of the Bailey Avenue Business Association (BABA), and a $150,000 grant awarded to the University District Community Development Association (UDCDA).

“Neighborhoods become great when they’re built for and by the people who use them. From the grassroots cleanups, to grant-sponsored renovation work, the Varsity Theatre has become a symbol of what a community can accomplish when working toward a common vision. Sweat equity has become the new capital of University District and we hope this is just the start!” remarked Roseann Scibilia, Executive Director of the UDCDA

The grand opening celebration caps off nearly five years of work to bring the theatre back into operating condition.  Purchased in 2010, Mr. Cissé has put more than $400,000 into the property, renovating the theatre in addition to several offices, including one that houses his own IT firm. The most recent renovations including an upgraded HVAC system, new bathrooms, dressing rooms, insulated walls and exit doors, building waterproofing, new fire and burglar alarm system, a video security system, a reconfigured seating area, and architectural repair work.

The finished interior space of the Varsity Theatre includes two seating platforms on either wing that will host banquet style tables and chairs for events. Full capacity for the venue is 670 guests.

This work was made possible thanks to a grant from the New York State Division of Homes and Community Renewal, energy efficiency work funded in part through NYSERDA and PUSH Green, and financing provided by Evans Bank and PathStone Enterprise.

Opened in the mid-1920s as the 1,000 seat Basil Brothers’ Varsity Theatre, the latest renovations have transformed the theatre into a multi-functional event space that includes a 300 seat theatre space, as well as a tiered seating and banquet area that can accommodate an additional 270 patrons. The Varsity will not only provide a unique venue for the neighborhood, but also the entire city.

“The rebirth of this historic landmark will help to bring attractions to Bailey Ave and is a blueprint to further business development in the University District” stated University District Council Member Rasheed NC Wyatt.

The theatre was known by many names including the Circle Arts, Capri Art Theatre, and Uptown Theatre of Performing Arts before closing its doors. Located in the Kensington-Bailey neighborhood, the Varsity is well positioned as a neighborhood anchor, especially as similar theatres have been demolished or are threatened. Mr. Cissé, the UDCDA, and additional community, business, and government partners believe the theatre can be a linchpin in the revitalization of Bailey Avenue and the surrounding University and Masten District neighborhoods. Thanks to a dedicated owner and a community rallying behind him, the building has become a symbol of grassroots revitalization, instilling hope and pride in the neighborhood, changing outside perceptions, and drawing visitors from around the city and region.

“The renovation of the Varsity Theater marks another milestone in the community stakeholders plan to revitalize the Bailey Ave business corridor,” said Kenya Hobbs, BPN Director of Development & Communications.  “In 2013, we opened Buffalo Promise Neighborhood Children’s Academy, the first new build along the corridor in several years and we view the great work of Ibrahim Cisse and other community partners, as a wonderful example of the synergy that’s building to make the corridor a destination spot for other residents in the area to visit.”

The Bailey Avenue Business Association, Buffalo’s Young Preservationists, and the Tool Library sponsor a community cleanup and workday at the Varsity Theatre. Students from neighboring schools also get in on the action!

The theatre has also been called an example of modern-day “community barnraising”. Hundreds of hours of volunteer work thanks to residents, business owners, and students have helped push this project forward from its inception. Partners on the project have included the Bailey Avenue Business Association, Buffalo Promise Neighborhood, Junior League, University at Buffalo, University District Block Club Coalition, University District Community Development Association, University District Council Member Rasheed Wyatt, University Heights Collaborative, University Heights Tool Library, Villa Maria College, and countless others. The theatre has also served as a staging ground for a number of community projects; storing hundreds of trees for ReTree the District and construction materials for Bailey Fights Blight. The theatre will also play host to a public art initiative this spring as part of Bailey Fights Blight with a mural going up on the south side of the building.

Bailey Fights Blight is a program working to board and secure vacant buildings, while using public art as a way to fight blight and provide a canvas to share the neighborhood’s story. Volunteers prep the side of the Varsity Theatre for a mural that the community will collaborate on this spring and summer.

Additional plans for the theatre include exterior masonry work, returning full glass storefronts, and the recreation of signature marquee signage. Mr. Cissé and the UDCDA plan to apply to the next round of the Better Buffalo Fund to further reinvest in this East Side landmark and stabilize the Bailey Avenue Commercial Corridor.

“The Varsity Theatre has definitely set sail in Buffalo, New York to become the premiere local inner city entertainment venue, showcasing arts shows, theater, music history, musicals, and special events. Yes, the long awaited stage has been set by Ibrahim Cissé” said Levino L. Johnson, resident and owner of Executive Investigation and Security.

The grand opening will take place on Friday, February 12^th at 3PM at the Varsity Theatre located at 3165 Bailey Avenue. A press conference will take place from 3-4PM, while live music, food, and tours will greet attendees from 4-6PM.

For additional photos of the Theatre’s transformation, please visit the UDCDA’s Flickr.

The University District Community Development Association (UDCDA) is a full service agency offering a wide array of youth, teen, and senior service programs to residents out of the Gloria J. Parks Community Center located at 3242 Main Street while also spearheading community and housing development projects throughout Buffalo’s Northeast from its offices located at 995 Kensington Avenue. The agency works with residents, block clubs, community nonprofits, educational institutions, and local government to invest resources in the people and places that matter most to the community.

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Contact:    
Darren Cotton
University District Community Development Association
d.cotton@udcda.org | 716-857-0096

Buffalo, NY – More public art will soon be headed to Bailey Avenue thanks to a $2,000 grant from the Arts Service Initiative of Western New York awarded to the University District Community Development Association (UDCDA). The grant will help continue the work started in Fall of 2014 with a project called Bailey Fights Blight. The project, spearheaded by a reenergized Bailey Avenue Business Association (BABA), brought over 200 volunteers from the community, area schools and universities, and businesses to board vacant and blighted buildings and prime the boards for art along Bailey Avenue.

A new mural located on the side of 3162 Bailey Avenue that resulted in a partnership between the Bailey Avenue Business Association and Villa Maria College’s Fine Arts Program.

The new program will use these boarded up storefronts as canvases for public art inspired by the businesses along Bailey as well as the history and culture of the street. The goal is to re-imagine vacant or underutilized properties as opportunities for future development. Collaborative work days will also strengthen involvement and engagement in the neighborhood, building relationships across business owners, residents, and students and helping a community transform its built environment through volunteerism.

“The increasing amount of public, private, and grassroots collaboration in University District over the past few years is a testament to the level of commitment residents and businesses have to this community. They’ve rolled up their sleeves and are tackling neighborhood challenges head on. It’s an exciting time for our corner of the city!” remarked Roseann Scibilia, Executive Director of the University District Community Development Association

Thanks to this grant, the UDCDA and BABA will be able to work collaboratively with Nick Miller, a mural artist who recently moved to Buffalo. He brings his experience working closely with Philadelphia’s mural arts program, one of the largest in the country, and has done a lot of work with schools and engaging children in the artistic process.

An example of artist Nick Miller’s work.

Nick Miller will lead a number of community workshops in the spring to allow residents, business owners, and students an opportunity to help craft the ultimate design of each mural. There will then be open painting days where members of the community will be able to come out and participate in the creation of each mural. Those interested can stay updated on the project online at www.udcda.org/baileyfightsblight.

Nick Miller recently completed a mural with the WASH Project on the West Side of Buffalo. The 34×12 foot mural is of the fighting peacock, a symbol of the Burmese Student Pro-Democracy Uprising led by Burmese students on August 8, 1988, in their struggle for an education and society free from government control and oppression. The mural pays tribute to the large number of Burmese refugees that now call the West Side home.

While issues of blight and disinvestment continue to affect Bailey Avenue, the corridor still benefits from the presence of many long standing local businesses including a very unique urban fashion corridor that boasts close to 20 colorful men’s and women’s clothing and apparel shops. These murals will be influenced by what is inside these stores, bringing the color and design work from inside the stores onto the walls of Bailey.

“The efforts of the UDCDA in working collaboratively with BABA on commercial district planning activities, including integrating public art along the corridor, has set the stage for business district revitalization that builds on Bailey-Kensington’s rich history and culture.” said Michael Clarke, Local Initiative’s Support Corp.

Bailey Fights Blight has already helped bring together key community stakeholders, such as the Bailey Avenue Business Association, Buffalo Promise Neighborhood, Junior League of Buffalo, LISC Buffalo, University at Buffalo, University District Block Club Coalition, University District Community Development Association, University District Council Office, University Heights Collaborative, University Heights Tool Library and Villa Maria College.

“This grant will continue the critical work of enhancing Bailey Avenue storefronts to improve the commercial corridor.” stated University District Councilmember Wyatt.

Ibrahim CIsse, President of the Bailey Avenue Business Association works alongside Mickey Vertino, President of the University Heights Collaborative and UB Honors Students to board up a building on Bailey Ave and prep it for public art.

With nearly 20,000 cars traveling down Bailey every day, turning vacant and blighted buildings into pieces of art and visual statements on the neighborhood not only transforms Bailey’s physical fabric, but also can begin to change people’s perceptions and attitudes toward the street. They can capitalize on the cultural and artistic vibrancy of Bailey that is oftentimes overlooked or ignored. By looking at the issues of vacancy, vandalism, and graffiti as opportunities for community-driven change, artists, business owners, residents, and students can work together on community-based solutions to quality of life challenges.

The University District Community Development Association (UDCDA) is a full service agency offering a wide array of youth, teen, and senior service programs to residents out of the Gloria J. Parks Community Center located at 3242 Main Street while also spearheading community and housing development projects throughout Buffalo’s Northeast from its offices located at 995 Kensington Avenue. The agency works with residents, block clubs, community nonprofits, educational institutions, and local government to invest resources in the people and places that matter most to the community.