Get to know your neighbors - Vassar College

Rooted in Poughkeepsie since 1922, Catharine Street offers education, health and cultural programming to serve the entire community. Vassar students assist teachers in the after school program with homework help and extracurricular activities, like the Kidzsquash Program and outdoor games.

Located in the old Lady Washington Firehouse in downtown Poughkeepsie, CMP offers programs, workshops and public events surrounding media and technology. Their programming for youth includes the DROP TV youth-produced television show that airs on local networks and online. Vassar students have assisted with both non-profit administrative activities, like grant-writing and event planning, as well as with media projects, like editing for DROP TV.

The mission of DCHS is to preserve and share the history of Dutchess County with the greater public. Their historic sites in Poughkeepsie date back to the 1760s and include Clinton House, now used as the DCHS offices, library and archival storage, and Glebe House, which can be toured by school groups and organizations. Vassar students have worked on archival projects, indexing, curatorial work and exhibitions.

Dutchess Outreach is an emergency relief agency which provides basic needs to Duchess County families. Services range from providing advocacy and utilities assistance to running a food pantry, clothes closet and the Lunchbox soup kitchen. Vassar students assist with client intakes and advocacy, stock, organize and distribute food, and serve meals.

The FPC is a former school building located in the heart of downtown Poughkeepsie, now housing over twenty social service agencies, ranging from emergency assistance to youth programming to a health clinic and soup kitchen. Vassar students have worked with the FPC administration on a range of initiatives aimed at improving coordination of efforts in various fields, including Youth Services, Jobs and Economic Security, and Re-Entry Programs.

Serving seven New York counties, GSHH offers programming for over 34,000 girls ages 5-17 to build confidence, character, skills and community. Vassar students help develop and facilitate programming, as well as PR, development, and administration.

Grace Smith House is an agency designed to address issues of domestic violence affecting women and their children. Their services and works includes shelter and temporary housing options, educating the general public and fighting for public policy to support and assist victims of domestic violence. Vassar students must complete three training sessions and then can work at the Residential or non-Residential centers. They provide activities and mentoring for children in the Homework Club after school program, participate in evening programs and do advocacy assistance in the shelter.

Green Teen is an organization designed to empower youth ages 7-21 through learning hands-on about food, farming, entrepreneurship, health and community-building. Green Teen operates in Beacon and Poughkeepsie, and partners with local organizations like the Poughkeepsie Farm Project and the Astor Day Treatment Center. Vassar students assist with youth programming, as well as tend to the community garden, located behind the Family Partnership Center.

Harriet Tubman Terrace is an apartment complex with a centralized Community Room in which the Academic Skills and Enrichment Program is housed for youth in kindergarten through sixth grade. Vassar students assist the program teachers with classroom management and individual and group tutoring.

The Krieger Elementary After School Program offers homework help and extra-curricular activities, as well as counseling for students and families. Vassar students can design and implement curriculum, as well as participate in interviews with students and facilitate group sessions.

Nubian Directions’ aims to make technology accessible to all community members by providing hands-on experience with computers and the internet. Their programming, including an after school program and GED tutoring, promotes self-sufficiency among youths, families, small businesses and other local non-profits. Vassar students have assisted with their after school tutoring program for Middle School age students, as well as the GED classes.

The PFP’s mission is to support a sustainable food system in the Mid-Hudson Valley. They operate a member-supported farm right across from the Vassar College campus, provide education to the community about food and farming, coordinate a Farmers’ Market in downtown Poughkeepsie and donate produce to local soup kitchens and shelters. Vassar students work the fields, assist with workshops on topics like Seed Saving, and help at the Farmers’ Market.

RMM is a multi-faith organization that seeks to support and empower rural and migrant people in New York. Their programming works with youth to build leadership and voice, educate about farmworker rights and immigration issues, use art as a tool for social justice, and advocate with and for organized farmworkers in New York State. Vassar students have worked with RMM’s Youth Arts Group, helped plan a Rural Womens’ Conference and the “Justice for All” Speakers’ Forum.

A local environmental organization since 1963, Scenic Hudson works to protect and restore the Hudson River and its surroundings as a majestic landscape for residents and visitors to enjoy, as well as a precious natural resource to preserve for future generations. Vassar students have assisted with educational outreach programs on environmental issues and the Hudson River.

The Vassar Warner Home has been a senior residence facility in Poughkeepsie since 1871, with a warm environment and creative programming for their residents. They provide independent living, assisted living and respite services for individuals age 60 and older. Vassar students help with program planning and implementation of activities, as well as interviewing residents.

The DC YMCA offers programming and services to “build strong kids, strong families, strong communities,” in the local area. Their services include a range of fitness and recreational facilities and programs, health education, summer camps and teen programs. Vassar students assist with administrative activities, like grant-writing and research, website design, fundraising and GIS data mapping.

Since 1998, businesses, schools and others in the Arlington neighborhood, directly adjacent to Vassar’s campus, have collaborated to help revitalize and enhance community life and promote economic growth in the district. Some BID projects that Vassar are especially involved with include the weekly Arlington Farmers’ Market on the Alumnae House lawn from the spring through early fall, and scaled down during the winter in Vassar’s College Center, and the annual Arlington Street Fair.