Asset Initiative:  Fairport-Perinton, New YorkAsset Building

• Town of Perinton, suburb of Rochester, NY, 46,658 residents
• Village of Fairport, located in Town of Perinton, 5,384 residents
• Fairport Central School District (FCSD), Enrollment—5,717 students 

Asset Resolution: We began community asset building in August of 1998. In February 1999, we formed a partnership with the Town of Perinton, Village of Fairport, and Fairport Central School District to endorse the Healthy Communities-Healthy Youth Initiative. Our Asset Resolution was signed by officials at our Town Meeting. It encourages all of our citizens to participate in the healthy development of our most precious resource, our youth. Our Asset Resolution and commitment to youth was reinforced and signed again in April, 2013.

Asset Board:

• Ciaran Hanna, Supervisor Town of Perinton
• Julie Domaratz, Mayor Village of Fairport
• Jeffrey Myers, Commissioner of Recreation & Parks, Perinton
• Brett Provenzano, Superintendent Fairport Central School District
• Debra Tandoi, Asset Coordinator

• Asset-a-Week:  We completed a K-12 and community awareness campaign about the 40 developmental assets and community asset building. In 2010-11, we completed an Asset-a-Week in schools to keep intentional asset building through an awareness approach; highlight every year.
• Brotherhood-Sisterhood Week:  Friday Family Outreach Day is now a 19-year tradition during BH-SH Week (23 years old). To highlight asset building, high school students focus on Civility, Awareness, Respect, and Embrace (CARE) throughout one week in March. High school students travel to elementary schools on Family Outreach Day, where they model and teach values of CARE to students in grades K-5. Since 2013, our activities included information and a lesson on the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). JP and MB students also have ‘buddy’ activities to meet students in different grades along with their CARE activities.  Asset Leaders presented a moving day to FHS students about CARE, kindness and mental health on 3/20/2018.
• Day of Caring: For 9 years, 7^th grade students knocked on the doors of over 1,100 senior citizen homes, offering a cheery ‘hello’, a personal letter, and a small gift made by middle school students. We focus on building, strengthening, and honoring the relationships among youth, adults, and senior citizens. We reach out to show senior citizens how much they are appreciated as we focus on the theme of Connecting Generations—Strengthening Community.
• Dignity for All Students Act (DASA): The Dignity Act, an effective law in July 2013, seeks to provide a safe environment free of harassment/bullying, or discrimination. We have been applying the philosophy of DASA through asset-building for 19 years and yearly enrich our efforts.
• Leadership Asset Training (LAT):  LAT is about developing leadership skills, being a caring person, and leading by example. To date, 4,873 students have been trained by our team of 70 FHS trained student facilitators. This full-day of training is held 6 months/year for 40 9^th grade students at our community Teen Center.  Fairport Police participate through Fatal Vision education, Fairport Lions fund all of our trainings, and Town of Perinton provides use of Teen Center. LAT 2014 included a Leadership Retreat at MD.  Fairport Lions provide all the food for the day.
• LEO Club: FHS students spend the school year giving back to our community as they focus on the Service to Others asset. Annual events include a senior citizen holiday gathering, senior citizen picnic, and spaghetti  dinner for Jefferson Park Apartment seniors. Thousands have been reached in the 18 years of LEO Club community service. Our 2009-10 project was Asset Community Building in the Pines of Perinton. Our 2010-11 theme was LEO’s Asset-Building Paradigm as we continue to serve all areas of the community. In 2011-12, we completed a Chain of Kindness project for FHS staff to express appreciation and build school connectedness. In 2012-13, we added DASA activities and continued our community outreach activities. In 2013-14, we served several groups in Fairport-Perinton and Monroe County. In 2014-15, we collected 645 food items for food shelf from FHS students, completed cards for all staff, made cookies for veterans, shopped for holiday ‘angel tree’ needs ($700), made no-sew fleece scarves, collected socks for Center for Youth, made Valentine’s Day coloring books for City school #16, collected money for Nepal earthquake victims, worked at Open Door Mission and gave dog toys to Lollipop Farm.  In 2015-16, annual events plus 900 food items collected for Perinton Food Shelf, Hillside Holiday shopping, outreach to RCSD schools #41 and #16.  We have continued our ‘Service to Others’ projects through 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19.
• Middle School Leadership Asset Ambassadors: In 2009-10,we piloted our middle school leadership program. We completed a summer and fall training for 200 8^th grade students. A team of 70 FHS student facilitators trained students in asset building, leadership, motivation, and team building. We work from Everyday Leadership. Since 2010-11, both MB and JP have continued this focus with over 200 students trained as active Asset Ambassadors/Leaders. These trained middle school leaders work with the entire school population. This work meets our Schools to Watch criteria and includes DASA activities.
• Opening Day—Year-End Celebration:  For 18 years, FCSD has added a youth participation/asset presentation piece to both the first and last day of school for staff. Opening day students perform a skit that reflects their theme for the year; year-end celebration students make a thank you gift for staff and plan skit/song presentation at an all-night asset activity. They welcome and thank staff as they arrive to receive this   small token of thanks. In 2012-13, we delivered an opening day presentation to train all FCSD staff on the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). Our 2013-14 presentation was Fairport Writers; 2014-15 was True Colors; 2015-16 – Our Smiles Will Beam, ’16-17 was Live the Dream, ’17-18 (cancelled) and 2018-19 is Make a Difference!
• Perinton Recreation and Parks Summer Playground Program: Since 1999, Asset Week in the   Parks enables students to go to several summer playground locations and share the asset-building message and model leadership with hundreds of park participants.
• The Listening Post:  Since 2003, senior citizens visit 3 schools during lunch hours to listen to and have conversations with students while doing asset-building/DASA activities. Seniors build intergenerational relationships with youth while providing encouragement and developmental assets. We have 23 trained senior citizens and average 5,500 visits by students to The Listening Post during the 12-week program. The   Fairport Police Benevolent Association funds The Listening Post and our senior citizens volunteer their time. We added a FHS session each May/June per student requests.

Community Asset-Building Events: Held various community events and continue to participate in events to focus on asset building: Caring Neighborhoods Asset Ambassadors (1999-2001), Asset-Building Intergenerational Prom (2000), Community Hunt for Fun (2001), Intergenerational Picnics (1999-present), Fairport Canal Days (1999-present), Fairport Community Recognition at Monroe County Zoo Event (2000-2014), Fairport Police Bike Rodeo (2000-2011), Fairport Food and Music Festival (2007-present), Fairport Merchants Scarecrow Festival (2001-present), Perinton Parks Summerfest (2001-2013), July 4^th Parade (1999-present), FCSD Homecoming Parade (1999-present), Asset-Building Day at Buffalo Bills Camp (2010), Bailey’s Book, A Community Celebrates Its Assets published (2010), Safe Journey Race/Fundraising (2010-present), Town Bicentennial, Military Card of Thanks, Fairport Library Asset Month, Fairport Village Clean Sweep, Fairport Village Partnership, Fairport Village Board Youth Council, 2015 Monroe County Asset Partners Network Assets in Action, Monroe County Youth Citizen of the Year Awards (2004-present), Village ‘Home for the Holidays’ event (2015-present), Chemical Prevention Advisory Council (CPAC), Red Ribbon Week/Festival/Community Meetings.

School Asset-Building Events:  Asset Pep Rally, Asset Quilt, Asset T-Shirt Days, Beautify FHS, New Faculty Orientation (2000-present), Transportation Orientation, Food Service Orientation, Facilities Orientation, PTA Calendar, FCSD Commentator, FCSD Lunch Menus, MB Breakfast of Champions, Mix It Up Day, JP Leadership Bash, Elementary School Assemblies, Friendship Circles, 7-Town Alliance/Summit, Senior Computer Trainings, Name Awareness Assembly at FHS (2010),  Dignity for All Students Act, Freshman Orientation Sessions (2013-present), Minerva Asset Club, FACET, Minerva DeLand Leadership Retreat (2014), Administrative Cabinet Retreat (2014), FHS True Colors Asset Assemblies (2015), FHS True Colors Friday Forum Presentations (2015), Generation Two (2015), Open House Presentations MB?JP (2016, 2017), Stop the Stigma Concert (2016-2018), Community Services Fair (2016, 2017), STAR summer program (2016, 2017, 2018), JA Meet and Greet K and 2nd grade (2015-present), FCSD Homecoming Parade (1999, 2014), Homecoming Kid Zone (2015-present), Whole Child Community Conversation Event (2018).