Colby Update: Tracy Schloss '03

When community activist Tracy Schloss '03 graduated, she figured she was leaving her pet project--a learning center for young children in Waterville's South End--in good hands. Turns out she was right.

Since Schloss left Waterville in May, work has continued on the learning-center project as a variety of community groups have pitched in to keep the dream alive. In the fall, the learning center received a boost when the Paul Newman Foundation kicked in $15,000 for the center. Newman was filming scenes in the neighborhood for the HBO film adaptation of Richard Russo's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Empire Falls. That donation quickly doubled when a family foundation with ties to a Colby faculty member got wind of the Newman pledge and decided to match it.

In addition to the unexpected grants, the children's center plan took a big step forward when the Kennebec Valley Community Action Program agreed to provide pilot space for the new program at the KVCAP building on Water Street. As of last month, the plan was for the center to open in September.

"It is literally a dream come true--unbelievable," Schloss said. "I am so grateful to those who have believed in this dream and donated their time, space, funding and effort to make this a reality. I often go down to the South End Teen Center [opened in 2002], and there are always young kids there begging to come in on rainy and snowy days. Now they will have their own place to go."

She has seen some of these developments firsthand. After stints with a New York public relations firm and the Maine Arts Commission, Schloss returned to Waterville in November. While waiting to enter the University of Michigan Law School next fall, Schloss has been working for a nonprofit that helps provide academic support for at-risk youth through the Colby Cares About Kids mentoring program. The nonprofit also provides arts, culture, community service and physical recreation opportunities for children and youth throughout Waterville who would not normally have access to such opportunities.

All of these interrelated efforts have a strong Colby connection, thanks in large part to Schloss's efforts during her senior year. With other students, she founded the Colby South End Coalition, which links Colby students to neighborhood teenagers. Program leaders now meet regularly with neighborhood activists as the College becomes more and more a part of the South End's revitalization.

"The most important thing is that Colby is now seen as a partner at the table," Schloss said, "a group that can be called upon for participation and aid in the neighborhood. . . . Now they trust and rely on Colby students."