'It's like a family' | How the Sabres support the Resource Council of WNY's mission on Buffalo's East Side

Keri Socker is walking through the crowded lobby at the Resource Council of Western New York when a familiar face catches her eye.

She hugs the 74-year-old man, East Side resident Vernon Duncan, and for a moment, the past and present of 347 East Ferry Street are intertwined.

The building opened in 1926 as the Humboldt YMCA, a fixture on the East Side of Buffalo for nearly eight decades. Today it is home to the Resource Council, which opened in 2021 with a mission to “empower and enrich the lives of youth, adults and families” in the area.

Catherine M. Roberts joined the Resource Council as its first president and CEO in 2021 and has driven the non-profit organization’s growth with help from Socker, who serves as chief of staff, and Racheal Tarapacki, who serves as director of programs.

The Buffalo Sabres Foundation, too, has promoted the Resource Council’s mission since the beginning – first with integral seeding money and, more recently, with a $50,000 donation last month.

“The Sabres have been here for us since day one,” Socker said. “If they hadn’t done what they’ve done, I don’t know how far we would have gotten.”

The Resource Council was the hub for response efforts following the racist mass shooting at the Tops supermarket on Jefferson Ave. on May 14, 2022, filling the void left by the loss of the area’s lone grocery store. They served roughly 78,000 people in the nine weeks after the shooting, working sunup to sundown to make essential goods available.

And while news cameras dissipated in the months after the attack, the need for support – which existed long before May 14 – did not. The Resource Council has evolved from serving roughly 200 people in its inaugural year to over 7,000 in 2024, acting as a shoulder to lean on for a historically underserved community and bringing life to a storied building in the process.

“This place has a great history”

Vernon Duncan has a long association with 347 East Ferry Street – and, tangentially, with the Sabres.

Duncan grew up playing hockey against future Hall-of-Fame Sabres equipment manager Rip Simonick, continued playing at SUNY Geneseo, then crossed paths with Simonick again when he became an equipment manager for the NBA’s Buffalo Braves. He still has one of Rick Martin’s sticks from his days working at The Aud.

Duncan followed the Braves to San Diego when they became the Clippers, but his true life’s work began when he returned home shortly thereafter. For over 30 years, Duncan operated the basketball program at the Humboldt YMCA.

Duncan proudly recalls the names of local collegiate and NBA players who got their start in the building: names like Cliff Robinson, Jimmy and Ricky Williams, Michael Norwood, and Damone James.

Sabres players including Pat LaFontaine would visit the YMCA to play ball hockey with children.

“This place has a great history,” Duncan said.

That history extends to nearly a century’s worth of East Side residents. One Facebook post remembering the old YMCA garnered over 100 comments reminiscing about dances, summer camps, and – most prominently – memories of learning to swim in the building’s indoor pool.

“It’s like family”

Socker’s first charge upon joining the Resource Council was to restore the building’s beloved pool, which had been dormant for years. After hours of YouTube videos and dozens of trips to the pool supplies store, the East Side’s lone indoor pool was up and running.

These days, she is able to enjoy the fruits of her labor.

“I have the best job in the world because I can hear the kids splashing and laughing from my office,” she said.

The Resource Council of WNY has taught roughly 750 kids how to swim since opening its doors, with lessons offered every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The swimming lessons are both an echo of the building’s history and a staple of its current mission. The Resource Council’s after-school program currently has 53 children enrolled, all of whom enjoy hands-on homework help, gym time, and a hot meal every weekday throughout the school year. Participants also have total access to the Council’s children’s cupboard – stocked with snacks and toiletries, among other items. (The origin of the cupboard stemmed from kids seeking deodorant during after-school basketball games.)

The Resource Council also offers a basketball program on Mondays and Fridays and, this past year, launched a youth ice hockey program which taught 38 kids how to skate through 13 weeks of sessions on the ice at Nichols School in North Buffalo.

“We have documented evidence that shows it works,” Socker said regarding the Resource Council’s youth programming. “They come, they get one-on-one homework help, they’re bringing back better grades. Their report cards are reflecting it.”

Following the conclusion of the after-school program, the Resource Council offers a free summer camp from early July to mid-August. Field trips every Friday are a staple of the summer camp and can range from a beach trip to a ride on the Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls.

Crucially, every service offered by the Resource Council is free of charge.

Youth programming is only a portion of the Resource Council’s mission. They’ve set up a mobile classroom for college-aged students through a partnership with Niagara County Community College. Services for senior citizens include an arts-based program and free frozen meals. Their seasonal farmer’s market allows community members to choose produce items, completely free.

The Resource Council also hosts “Resource Connection Days,” which offer a touchpoint between East Side residents and local organizations offering essential services ranging from legal and healthcare to housing and utility assistance.

Essentially, those days – and every service offered by the Resource Council – serve as an opportunity for people to come in and ask for help. Roberts, Socker, and Tarapacki aim to make it as easy as possible.

“You’ll see people coming in, we know a lot of their names,” Socker said. “It’s not a community center. It’s like family. We want it to be like that. We want them to trust us, and they do. It’s a special place.”