In 1997, Slippery Rock University students were introduced to New Castle’s East Side through a class-based service-learning project when they tutored elementary children and offered safe, non-school social opportunities for area youth. Recognizing early that children at risk generally have families at risk, program offerings widened to include opportunities for parents and local senior citizens. Since then, University students and faculty, through classes and as members of the University’s AmeriCorps program, have coordinated dozens of programs for East Side children, youth, their parents, and senior citizens. We have used space provided in various churches and government buildings, always at the mercy of the host organization’s schedule. Constant relocation of programs limits community impact, confuses program participants and agency partners, and minimizes the number of faculty and students who can be involved.
In 2001, Slippery Rock University Foundation, Inc. received a mini-grant through the Corporation for National Service for the purpose of institutionalizing the University’s presence on the East Side. A large, newly remodeled house at 602 Court Street was available for lease during summer 2002. Grant funds were used to lease the building that is now known as the I CARE House. A significant amount of financial and human resources have gone into the establishment of the I CARE House. Had the landlord decided to sell the property these resources would have been lost and our service-learning programs in New Castle would have been in jeopardy. In January of 2004 the City of New Castle gave Slippery Rock University Foundation money to purchase the property at 602 Court Street. Ownership of the I CARE House formalized the University presence in the neighborhood thereby allowing University faculty, students, and staff to engage in long-term service-learning experiences that enhance student learning, social awareness, and civic participation and provide research opportunities for faculty while improving quality of life for East Side residents.
Connection to Slippery Rock University
The I CARE House initiative is coordinated by the Institute for Community, Service-Learning, and Nonprofit Leadership, a program of Slippery Rock University. A VISTA volunteer, graduate students, and AmeriCorps members manage day-to-day operations at the I CARE House, schedule programs, and provide general upkeep of the facility. Other Institute staff evaluate programs and prepare subsequent reports, develop networks across the City, prepare funding proposals, and work closely with University faculty to create service-learning components that benefit East Side residents.
Senior Citizens 
