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The Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center opened in
1997 to serve the Crotona community of the Bronx.
Programs at the Center are born out of a thirty-year
struggle to improve this neighborhood. The Center
and its programs bare out the idea that committed
individuals providing needed services have the power
to transform individuals and communities. The
mission of the Center is to improve the lives of
youth and families living in the Crotona section of
the Bronx through programs that expand
opportunities, develop leadership and build
community.
In the late 1970’s Crotona, located in the South
Bronx, was burning due to arson and property
abandonment. Homes and building were reduced to
rubble and the neighborhood had hundreds of vacant
lots. While many people fled the devastation, some
people insisted that they would not move, but
improve their community. Mary Mitchell opened her
home for families in need and engaged youth in
sports and play activities on the street. She opened
one of New York City’s first Play Streets and had a
vision to create a community center for youth and
family activities.
Ms. Mitchell died in 1983 but her dream was
championed by the neighbors she inspired. After a
fifteen-year campaign, in 1997, the Mary Mitchell
Center opened! The Center has developed after school
youth programs, created a community technology
center and supports the effort of over 25 small,
volunteer-run groups. Members of the Mary Mitchell
Center Board have fought for thirty years to have
vacant lots turned in to ball fields and community
gardens and to see local parks restored for soccer,
tennis and football. Now the Center provides many
opportunities for youth and families.
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