Dear Orange Friends:
Syracuse University is enriched by many programs that bring the people of the City of Syracuse to our campus. I am particularly grateful for initiatives that provide opportunities to children from local neighborhoods.
One of these is the Neighborhood Youth Recreation Program (NYRP). Coordinated by the Department of Recreation Services staff, and in collaboration with Syracuse undergraduates, the program provides free recreational opportunities to area children ages 5 to 13. The NYRP hosts dozens of children on Saturdays throughout the school year in Archbold Gymnasium.
This past academic year, I watched with both pride and pleasure as our students and staff members fueled the dreams of local kids by building up both mind and body. Through tutoring, mentoring, and instructional workshops, skills in math, writing, and reading are strengthened and grades improve. And there’s lots of healthy recreational activity, including basketball, soccer, swimming, gymnastics, and even yoga.
The NYRP is led by Assistant Director Ernie Rivera and David Jackson ’17, a recent alumnus who served as a program supervisor. For more than 40 years, the program has helped to close the achievement gap among schoolchildren at risk. These are kids of our city who grow up a little more Orange thanks to Ernie, David, and their team. I thank them.
Sincerely,
Chancellor Kent Syverud