What does a healthy neighborhood look like to you?

In every community there is a neighborhood or two that seems to have a societal stigma attached to it, whether from ill-founded cultural biases to actual disparaging factors that may exist.

If you live in Springfield, one of the areas in the community that appears to have such a stigma is the 01109 zip code, which is five sections of the city largely identified as Mason Square. 

People believe there is so much violence and drugs in these neighborhoods that students who attend the surrounding colleges are sometimes warned to not get too far away from their campus. I believe the Mason Square area is no more violent or drug infested than any other zip code in Springfield. If the police collected data on violence and drugs in this area, they would probably come to the same conclusion.

A healthy neighborhood has neighbors who know each other; they greet each other in the morning and bid each other good night in the evening when they are out. They look out for their neighbor’s property and children. A healthy neighborhood looks like a community the President of the United States would be glad to bring his or her children for vacation or to see the Basketball Hall of Fame. What do you think a healthy neighborhood looks like? Go to masonsquarehealthtaskforce.org and check out the website, and then I encourage you to submit your opinion to zgovan@mlkjrfamilyservices.org.  I know your ideas will resemble Mason Square.

If you want to get involved in helping to continue to keep Mason Square healthy and make it even healthier, join the Mason Square Health Task Force. The quarterly meeting will be on Dec. 16, 2010 at Rebecca Johnson School. For more information, contact me at (413) 739-4901 or email me at zgovan@mlkjrfamilyservices.org. 

Growing up in Springfield, I remember being able to hang out with my friends and my brothers'  friends and just having a good time. The city is still the same!  The media would like to portray Springfield as a crime infested city that no one wants to live in. That is the farthest thing from the truth. Traveling to California, Louisiana, Florida, New York and other major cities, it is clear that Springfield is a great city to live in. Mason Square is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the City of Homes. The old Victorian homes are something to treasure and exhibit. Many great things and people have lived here, and great things happened in this area including the birth of basketball, the Indian motorcycle, great leader Primus Mason, great colleges, and many more. Great things continue to happen here, and great people continue to live here.

The next time you drive up and down State Street take notice of the positive things in Mason Square. Look at the new trees that were planted recently, the paved streets and the beautiful friendly people waiting for the bus, or walking down the street. If the media would focus on these, they would see that there is more positive than negative in Mason Square. The children walking to and from school are innocent and need to be protected from negative influences. It is our responsibility to do this. To start, we have to focus on the positive. Give them an  opportunity to grow up healthy and safe from the ills that face us and other places in this country.

Access to resources makes a world of difference

One name, two fates.

“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” Nobel Peace Prize winner Kofi Annan

This quote reminds me of the story of Wes Moore, a Rhodes scholar, a White House fellow and a business leader who overcame the odds to succeed.

Moore wrote a biography, "The Other Wes Moore," released in April, about his experiences growing up in inner city Baltimore, raised by a single mom who worked tirelessly to use the resources around her to give him greater access to education and opportunity.

That's one side to the story. The book is also about the other Wes Moore, a man who grew up in the same neighborhood, around the same time, with the name name, who ultimately was convicted of murdering a police officer during a robbery attempt. He is in prison for life without parole. This Wes Moore had a strong mother too, but while she was working to support the family, her sons - ages 11 and 12 at the time - began dealing drugs. This mother has publicly said she didn't know where to go for help, didn't know what resources were available to her sons, and she wished she had done things differently.

This story is not entirely unique.  Here in Springfield, we have youth who grow up in the same community, under similar circumstances, yet make extremely different choices. Often, the reason behind their divergent paths is one person having access to community programs, resources, opportunities and support programs, while the other one does not.

The Mason Square Health Task Force is an agency working alongside so many others to improve the quality of life for our youth and adults here. We want our youth to lead productive lives like the first Wes Moore, whose book became an instant New York Times best-seller. 

In our efforts to continue to inform you about the array of services provided to residents in our community, we are putting together the Mason Square Resource Initiative, a comprehensive directory for substance abuse, prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery support for youth, families and adults.

We are seeking submissions about your programs with your name, contact information, location, and other relevant material for placement in the guide. The guide will be posted on the Mason Square Health Task Force website and updated routinely. Please send information to Govan@mlkjrfamilyservices.org.

To learn more or to purchase a copy of the book visit the author's website at http://theotherwesmoore.com.)

Men of Color Health Awareness kicks off campaign

Health disparities between men of color and whites are alarming: men of color have the highest rates of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and are more frequently the victims of violent crimes.

That's why the Mason Square Health Task Force is so excited about the Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA), a program aimed at improving the health of men of color in Greater Springfield.

The Task Force is part of a community collaborative working with MOCHA that includes Baystate Health, Black Men of Greater Springfield, the YMCA of Greater Springfield and others. The YMCA will facilitate a variety of wellness classes ranging from food and fitness to financial literacy.

Earlier this month nearly 150 people, mostly black and Latino men, joined on the steps of Springfield City Hall to announce that MOCHA had received a $250,000 grant from the state Department of Public Health.

The Mason Square Health Task Force applauds MOCHA and encourages all men to get and stay healthy!