March 6, 2004

Column by Northwest Herald News Editor Melanie Balog

Friday marked another milestone for the residents of Woodstock's Lakewood Apartments and everybody involved with the Lakewood Neighborhood Resource Center in Woodstock.

Westwood Elementary School student Cristina Lopez received an award for doing her homework and being cooperative.

She got to meet Police Chief Joe Marvin, and she got a plaque recognizing her efforts.

The many groups who have worked and continue to work to make the center a success want Cristina's award to be the first of many monthly recognitions.

And if the past four years are any indication, it will be.

Four years after its inception, the center is a true gathering place for residents of the 320-unit complex.

The resource center has blossomed.

For parents who work outside the home, the center provides a safe, nurturing environment for children after school.

But it's clearly more than that.

It provides what the residents need: children's books in English and Spanish, and adult programs on a variety of topics, such as parenting and computer use.

Thanks to the folks at the Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association, there are indoor games and outdoor sports activities once a week.

The Rotary Club of Crystal Lake Dawnbreakers group donated books to the center at the end of last year, and kids couldn't wait to get their hands on them.

And those are just some of the many groups that make the center what it is.

This is truly a community undertaking, and with this new step, the community is reinforcing its commitment to the resource center and the residents of Lakewood Apartments.

The crime rate has dropped there since the center opened four years ago.

No place is a utopia, and there still is work to do.

In December, a man impersonating a police officer forced his way into an apartment and stabbed the woman who lived there. He also robbed her before he fled.

But working with the center has created a more positive relationship between police and residents, Marvin has said.

And with Friday's kickoff award to Cristina, the center is doing something else: recognizing children for doing good work and continuing to reinforce positive behavior.

It can be easy to keep a successful program running at status quo, to lapse into complacency or to reject new ideas for even more improvement.

Clearly that's not the case with the folks involved in the resource center.

Thank goodness for them.