A Special Thanks

Annal's Angels 5K fun run. Earlier this year, Maureen and Tom Annal donated hundreds of books to Elmcrest. The Annals lost both their daughters, Maryella, then age 11, and Elizabeth, then 9, in a Thruway accident in 2020. Since that time, these parents, (also injured) have lived by the motto “do the next right thing.” Read More »

Passports to Imagination

The girls in Cottage 9 have been traveling in a world of imagination. When two recent birthdays arrived, their talented supervisor, with creative assistance from their peers, created dazzling settings to match the interests of the birthday girls. Everyone grabbed their “passports” and soon traveled to Japan for celebration number one. Majestic backdrops brought this Read More »

Into the Woods

Boys of Cottage 3 hiking in Highland Forest Park. Four  youth from Cottage 3 spent an overnight camping this summer at Camp Valley in Highland Forest Park, Fabius.  No snack packs for this foursome; they built a fire, cooked a whole chicken for their dinner, and topped it off with Smores. Breakfast the next morning Read More »

Summer Fun

The Science Fair projects still resonate with the student participants and staff at Elmcrest. A  grant from National Grid brought this Summer STEM Learning Program to boys and girls on the Elmcrest campus. They learned novel crafts in a variety of workshops and designed  some very clever experiments. Entries  such as, “Can a battery be Read More »

It’s Officer Jackson!

Officer Jackson speaking with Elmcrest Northside Early Ed children. The children in pre-Kindergarten class at Northside Elmcrest’s Early Education Center happily welcomed Syracuse Police Officer Jackson for a visit.  Officer Jackson is part of the Syracuse Police Community Relations department. Her role is to build supportive and trustworthy relationships between the SPD and the people Read More »

A Fair Affair

Residents and staff enjoyed seeing the clever hypotheses that resulted in ingenious displays at the Elmcrest Science Fair. Twenty-four student participants covered a wide range of science topics and created their own representations of some novel ideas.    The first-place winner  surprised  her science teacher by presenting a case that described what  it takes to Read More »

Cozy Contributions

Janene Bartell (left) and Barb Smith (right) hold up quilts donated from the Towpath Quilt Guild. When the outgoing co-president of the Towpath Quilt Guild was asked what she would like as an appreciation gift for her service, she replied “quilts for kids.” And Barb Smith (pictured on right with Elmcrest’s Janene Bartell) got her Read More »

They Did It!

Elmcrest graduates from the on campus Syracuse City School. Three young men began their Elmcrest experience out of challenging personal environments. They struggled through new routines, character building exercises, and expectations of studying and setting goals. And they persevered! On a recent day in mid-June, all three of these boys graduated from the Elmcrest campus Read More »

What’s Your Path?

Elmcrest youth perform military physical training in a career workshop. Twenty-five Elmcrest residents, ages 13 and older, participated in a two-hour workshop on “What’s Your Path?” They were encouraged to explore different career options following high school graduation. These included college, career, vocational school, or military and how these could lead to independence, stability, and Read More »