BCC holds clairvoyant fundraiser

The Blackstone Community Center (BCC) hopes to brighten its future with its first-ever fundraiser, an evening of music and fortune-telling this Saturday, May 3, 6:30 PM at the BCC auditorium, 50 West Brookline Street. The event's entertainment is The Ego and The Oracle, an interactive show in which audience members ask questions about their future, spin a wheel, and receive musical "fortunes" in songs by the Boston band, Jim's Big Ego. A 5:00 PM cocktail reception at Stella, 1525 Washington Street, will fortify guests for the portentous evening to come. The proceeds will benefit BCC's programs for all ages, which include educational enrichment, arts and culture, fitness, computer training and senior wellness activities.

Explaining the fundraiser's novel format, BCC council president Carolyn McNeil said, "A Council member is in the band. Ego and the Oracle has played gigs in Somerville, and there is some connection to Berklee. I think what makes this fun is that it is interactive." The council hopes that the ticket prices, $50 for the cocktail hour and show or $20 for the show alone, will draw a good crowd. McNeil continued, "We are making this cost-effective and accessible for everyone. We want people from all over South End and Lower Roxbury to come and enjoy a fun night. We don't have a fundraising goal. As a first fundraiser, this will serve as a benchmark for other events down the road. We want to fill up the room." McNeil is excited to have Stella as host and sponsor of the pre-show reception. "We are really excited to have Stella partner with us on this. They're our neighbor, and it's a nice little collaboration."

With both professional and volunteer experience in community organizing as director of the Boston Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Unit and co-founder of South End Soccer, McNeil feels the BCC is a good resource to bring the neighborhood together by offering much-needed services. "Community centers are a really good resource for families. We serve all ages, including the really young all the way up to senior citizens. Our goal is to increase membership, raise awareness and to get people to use this wonderful center. We have a beautiful pool, a gorgeous gym. It's a wonderful program." McNeil emphasized that BCC memberships are priced to be within everyone's reach. "It's extremely reasonable. It costs $50 to join if you are under 18 years of age. We want it to be cost-effective so people actually use it. We have educational enrichment, arts and culture, teen programming, a computer lab, and for seniors we have senior swims, senior workout and nutrition programming," she added. The BCC is familiar to many neighbors for its outdoor salsa music and dance lessons on Monday nights in the warm -weather months. While McNeil lives in West Roxbury, she has deep South End ties. "I worked in the South End for many years at District 4. I have a lot of love for and connection to the South End," she said.

Following a somewhat dormant period, BCC's board of directors, called the Council, has reconvened with some new personnel and renewed ambition to support BCC's work. "Our job is to support the work of the BCC in terms of programming and fundraising and to supplement funding for programs the community needs and/or wants. We really have been working hard over the last year and a half. We have a fantastic working and functional board now. It's really diverse and it's composed of people who live in the community, people who work in the community and people who grew up in the community. The Center has done an incredible amount of work with little funding and I want to do more." Along with raising money, increasing awareness is an important goal for this Saturday's fundraiser. "A lot of people don't know the community center exists," McNeil observed. "We hope this will be the first of many fun and exciting things that will bring the community through the door and closer together."

Tickets for the fundraiser are available on-line through the BCC website, www.yourblackstone.org and at the door. The Blackstone Community Center is one of 35 Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF), and the Blackstone Community Center Council is a 501(c)(3) organization.