hello
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.”