Next up in our People of the Neighborhood Resilience Project series, meet Marli and her son, Jamieson! 

Marli: “I’m Marli VanHorne and I like art. I grew up in Indiana County, but I’ve been in Pittsburgh for three years now. Here at the Neighborhood Resilience Project, I am a Community Health Deputy, so I spend time canvassing, passing out flyers, and informing people that they have resources. If they don’t have health insurance, they can come here and go to a doctor or go to a dentist. I also help cook downstairs, pass out the food, and work in the Backpack Feeding Program. My proudest moments are when we set up in the community and we let the people know that they can get all their shots – their COVID shots, other vaccines, wellness checks for diabetes, and stuff like that. Because I like to see that people are aware of other resources if they can’t find resources.

Before working here, I was part of the community getting a free lunch here. From my perspective, being here gives people hope, it gives them comfort. It gives them somebody they can rely on. Working here has made me adopt a new family. Since working here, I’m more talkative, I guess you could say. I used to be a quiet, reserved person. Now, I’m not. Because working here has built different strengths in my life—for example, talking to people when I canvas. Working here, there’s mercy to the community. Whereas at other places I feel like they don’t really show you mercy. And when there’s mercy, it takes the weight off your shoulders.”

Jamieson: “My name is Jamieson. I’m 15. I like riding scooters, and I like doing sports. So I like basketball, volleyball. The reason why I like coming to church here is because I get to work behind the altar, because it’s my favorite thing to do. Some things I love about St. Moses Church are: they help serve the community, provide jobs for people, food banks… plus they provide a trauma specialist, a trauma van specialist. Some of my happiest moments here were going to a Pittsburgh Pirates game with everybody, being baptized in this church with my family, and being on the news with Fr. Paul, giving him a high five. I still have a picture of that. Fr. Paul has also helped me to learn about the prayers and about how to communicate with other people, how to listen to and obey other people, and how to be kind and respectful. And I’ve learned a lot about Orthodoxy, plus I learned a lot about how to serve behind the altar. Well, thank you to everybody in the church for teaching me a lot of things.”

“My favorite part about the Neighborhood Resilience Project is the service—the church service. And the activities we do here. And the food. But other than that, just spending time with people down here, getting to know people. When I come down here, I feel a sigh of relief because I can express how I feel. I can talk to people who I know are gonna support me through anything that I’m going through. 

The Neighborhood Resilience Project helped me get through school. It helped me get through a lot of things, to be honest. You know, y’all people here, y’all are like family. To me, that’s why I come because I feel like y’all are more like my family than my whole family, because I could come down here and tell y’all anything. 

What it means to me is just being a part of something, volunteering, helping out, and like I said, getting to know everybody, and feeling welcome.”

This week, meet another face in our People of the Neighborhood Resilience Project series! Aleta is a Trauma Response Team volunteer. 

“I am originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, which is about two hours from Pittsburgh. I’ve been living in Pittsburgh for about 14 years now. I’ve always been in social services—I work for NAMI, which is the National Alliance on Mental Illness. I am their director of mental health equity and community engagement. NAMI in Pittsburgh actually serves all of Pennsylvania so we help support all PA affiliates from here to Philadelphia. 

I heard about the Neighborhood Resilience Project some years ago and I just became interested in the Trauma Response Team and what they do. I’ve been personally affected by gun violence and can empathize with community members, so I wanted to give back in that way and provide resources and just be like a shoulder or an ear – whatever they need. Just being able to talk with people and let them know that there’s things out there that could help them through their situation means a lot to me. 

Volunteering with the Trauma Response Team gives you a sense of hope. I really like to see that there are people that did not grow up in these communities but they still have a love for and want to help these folks. That’s something that they don’t have to do. It really does give you a sense of hope that people actually care. 

I am so happy that this resource exists and, at the same time, I wish it didn’t have to. But until—you know—we can somehow end gun violence, I’m glad that something like this is in place.” 

In honor of Juneteenth we are featuring Kyree – a face of the People of the Neighborhood Resilience Project who is working to bring resources to youth in the community. As we honor the struggle and freedom of those who were enslaved, we also continue to work to provide opportunity for everyone. 

“I’m originally from Wilkinsburg in Pittsburgh. That’s where I’ve lived my whole life. Outside of work, I coach youth football, which is a part of the reason why I do the job that I do. I coach five and six year olds, so it’s a challenge, but I love those kids. Just being with them is such an exciting and rewarding time. When I saw the youth engagement position was open, my eyes actually lit up. I was already coaching football at the time and looking to move into a better position where I could have a deeper impact with the youth. I’m a person who speaks in and cares about my community a lot, so seeing how the Neighborhood Resilience Project cares about the community meant a lot to me. 

Right now, we’re running four cohorts at Friendship Academy focused on leadership and advocacy—teaching youth how to be leaders in their communities and schools, and how to find positive ways to go against gun violence. It’s really rewarding because you see the impact on the youth who have gone through a lot of traumatic events that land them in the circumstances and situations that they’re in. I love just seeing how they light up when talking about their future and wanting to be better. A lot of people look at Friendship Academy as a school for students with issues. But in reality, it’s just a school with kids that need a chance – a person to talk to and provide them with opportunity. Just today, I was hearing from students that what I’m doing really means so much to them, because they haven’t ever had anything like it. 

To me, the Neighborhood Resilience Project means family. A lot of the families that we serve, they come from broken homes. They come from broken families. So when I think of NRP, I think of family. I think of coming into work every day and saying good morning to everyone, laughing, joking, and enjoying my job. And the way that I look at it as someone from the community is that we’re here to help. We’re here to give everyone that opportunity, that voice that they might not have had, and provide them with better opportunities to succeed in their lives.

Working here has made a very big impact on me. My team is so supportive, honestly, of everything that I do. I can’t really explain it, because I enjoy it that much. But just being here – knowing that I’m making an impact, being a part of something that will be on a bigger scale, and providing myself with the opportunities to succeed – it’s pushed me to be a better person at home and also in my community, for both the kids and parents that I serve. It makes me want to pour out more into the community.” 

Up this month on People of the Neighborhood Resilience Project, meet Ms. Betty! 

“I grew up in the Hill District, right in this area. I don’t live over here now, but I’m trying to get back over here. I love it here. I had a wonderful childhood—there were nine of us, so there was never a dull moment. Now, I work at the Neighborhood Resilience Project because I like helping people, and here, they help people. They’re not selfish. So I love working here. I love working in the community. What drew me here was Fr. Paul—just the things that he’s doing for the community. I wanted to be a part of it. You know, I wanted to be a part of helping the community. That’s my proudest moment, just coming to work. That I’m able to come to work and be surrounded by love.

The Neighborhood Resilience Project means a lot. For somebody to come and help the community that was dying – that had died – and to help build it back up. It means a lot. And I’m so excited about the things that they’re doing over here. I lead a grieving group for mothers who have lost their children. We talk, we cry, we laugh, we do activities—we surround each other with love. We are there for each other. It’s just a love group. And I’ve seen lives change— there were some that wouldn’t even come out of their house for a minute. But they do now.”

This week for The People of the Neighborhood Resilience Project, meet Dorcas Rumble, a Community Health Deputy in Clairton!

“I’m from Clairton, born and raised—60 years here in Clairton. I come from a family of eight. This town was booming back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. We had everything—grocery stores, movie theaters, a bowling alley, jewelry stores, clothing stores—and it was because of the mill. The mill was our big resource, that was where we got the money. And then during the early 80s is when the mill started laying off a lot of people, a lot of people lost their jobs. And when that happened, everything started shutting down. So by the end of the 90s, we had hardly anything here. Now, we have no bank, no grocery stores. In order to do our banking or get groceries, we have to go outside of Clairton, which is very inconvenient.

Before I started with the Neighborhood Resilience Project, I had a little jitney service. We have no transportation. For people to get to their doctor’s appointments, their groceries, it’s hard—especially for people that are disabled, and I’m disabled. So I decided to take it upon myself to start a little jitney service for those who need to go to the doctor, grocery store, all that. And I’ve been doing that since 2022.

I love working with people, especially my community. My community is in a depressed, distressed area, and there’s nothing here. Children have nothing to do. When I was growing up, we had so much to do in this community. So, when Flo [one of our other community health deputies] approached me, I was already helping the community, and she told me other things I could be doing—helping with their needs, whatever they need.

The work of Neighborhood Resilience Project in Clairton means everything. Everything. Resources that we’ve been needing for years. You know there are a lot of single moms here. And a lot of people moved in from different areas of Pittsburgh, all the different areas. So it’s hard for them to get to places and they don’t know anything about where to go. So with the Neighborhood Resilience Project coming in to help them, it’s gonna be a big help, especially to the single moms and their kids.

Dorcas Rumble’s here. If the Clairton community needs anything, they can ask me, call me, get in contact with me. That’s what I’m here for. I want them to know I’m here to help them.”

Next on our People of the Neighborhood Resilience Project series, meet Ms. Rhonda! 

“I needed something to do so I came here and volunteered for two years. And once I was here, they were like, “Wow, you’re here every day. You might as well come on board.” And I did. Once I got in here, I saw how much people really cared. And I also got to see how many people needed help. Before I didn’t really see myself being able to help people, but once I got here, I saw that I could.

You know, we all make mistakes, and sometimes we feel like it’s the end, but it’s not. With love and hope and support, we can pick ourselves back up, but we can’t do it by ourselves. We need somebody, and I found that here for myself. This place here has allowed me to still smile. I’ve had three sons shot, living here on the Hill. My grandson, he’s been shot. But I don’t look at myself as a victim. It’s life. But being here just helped me to move on. Being here, it just gives me hope. I wouldn’t leave here for anything in the world. I’ve been learning how to forgive, like, dealing with people’s different attitudes, and learning how when they’re upset, they’re not really upset with me. They’re upset with themselves, but taking it out on me. I’ve worked on being able to ignore it and still be there. Working here has given me hope, and I’m so glad that I’m a part of it today. You know, I just don’t attend this place. I have a family here, and I love it. I really do. It’s really beautiful.” 

“I grew up in the Hill District, on Perry Street. I can remember going to a little kindergarten and growing up poor. Not having the clothes and food that we needed when I was younger, then going to school, not really knowing how to read or write or getting the right education, you know, ended up messing my life up. 

But being raised up in the Hill wasn’t too bad. Even though we were poor, we still had fun. Everybody knew each other. We all played. We ate at each other’s houses, and we were all friends. It was like one big, happy family with no shootings, killings or any of that. We had unity back then, everybody was helping each other, even though we didn’t have that much food. There weren’t too many starving people because everybody shared. There was a time when the Hill District was really a popping place. I used to sneak out of the house because all the bands, like Lena Horne, all the old jazz players, they all used to come to the center. Now you can’t do any of that. 

Drugs and not having an education, that’s what knocked me down. But being in jail, I learned a little bit once I came out, and I never went back. So I see hope. I definitely see hope. I see, like, these new houses and stuff coming up. Because they’re building and they’re trying, they’re trying to get it right. And Father Paul’s here too. Father Paul is, he’s like, the best thing that really happened to me. When I first came out of jail, he was the only person that would hire me. And I’ve been here since 2017 with them. You know, they took me up under their wing, and I’ve been here with them ever since learning from them.”

Continuing our series, People of the Neighborhood Resilience Project, meet Ms. Lesia, one of our beloved cooks!

“I grew up with my twin sister in the Hill District. We were born in ‘63. We went to A. Leo Weil school, then Fifth Avenue, and Brashear High School. I quit school there, and then I got my GED. Me and my sister both did. Then I went to Sawyer School of Business, and my sister went to school in Media for healthcare. 

Back then, I was also a part of the NAACP. They had a real beauty contest years ago. Some girl named Sabrina McBride won, and I was the first runner up. And then they had a magazine called Top magazine, and I competed in some things and I won the title Miss Top. That was way back. And then I grew up, and I got married when I was 21 or 22, but my husband died a year later. 

After that, I started my career. I never went to school for cooking, but my mother taught me how. I started in her restaurant, but it didn’t go anywhere. So, I started cooking and managing in various restaurants. But when I was like 51 I got sick and had to have my hips replaced, and that put my career on hold. Later I made another career choice through the Urban League of Pittsburgh, and that’s how I ended up here. This is where I found my truth – my parish, my new church, my new family.”