Healthy Life

Catholic Charities of Oswego County Executive Director Mary-Margaret Pekow refuses to be complacent about the agency’s role in supporting the community.

Instead, she continues to seek out new gaps to fill throughout the county.

With newly awarded funding from the New York Department of Mental Hygiene, the faith-based agency is exploring ways to reduce and prevent violence in our community.

“Right now, we’re working on addressing bullying, building positive relationships between first responders and local families, and educating people about their rights and choices,” said Jen Losurdo, Primary Violence Prevention Educator at Catholic Charities of Oswego County.

To address the impacts of bullying on the community, Catholic Charities hosts Anti-Bullying Bingo as part of its Family Fun Night every Tuesday from 4-6pm. “[Anti-Bullying Bingo] is all about making sure people have the right protective factors—the tools in their toolbox—to know how to act if someone’s bullying, and to access the right resources when they need help,” said Losurdo.

Building positive relationships before problems arise can also save lives, particularly for at-risk community members. In “non-sanctuary” counties like Oswego County, which cooperate with requests from ICE, crime is statistically higher than in so-called “sanctuary” counties. Strong, positive relationships with first responders can empower vulnerable community members and reduce the risk of violence going unchecked. Last week, Catholic Charities held Bowling with First Responders at Lakeview Lanes in Fulton to help the community build those strong relationships.

In addition to Losurdo, there is an on-staff Spanish translator assigned to the program to ensure accessibility to the area’s small but vibrant Hispanic community.

While many existing service agencies in the county prefer to focus support on Fulton and Oswego, Pekow wants to think bigger with violence prevention. “We’re looking for partners across the county to work with,” said Pekow. “We want to build a collaborative, public health-informed approach.” Pekow noted that she was inspired by the effective methods being used by the Oswego County Suicide Prevention Coalition.

The new program is still being built out, with more developments still to come. Future plans include forming a committee with community members from across the county. The agency is already working with various local school superintendents to assess their needs; there will soon be a survey sent out to identify needed focus areas across the wider community.

“Violence prevention starts at home,” Pekow noted. And thanks to great programs like this one, it doesn’t have to end there.

Other programs run by Catholic Charities of Oswego County include a local food pantry, parenting classes, support for those with mental health diagnoses, care management for children and adults, and a thrift shop.

To get involved with the Primary Violence Prevention Program or any of the organization’s other programs, call Catholic Charities of Oswego County at 315-598-3980 or email [email protected].