Operation P.E.A.C.E., Inc. was founded in 1995, after 33 concerned college students residing in the low-income neighborhood of the Village of Bedford Pine met to discuss how to eradicate problems children faced in the community.
Twenty men and five women worked in an old, unused laundry room in a basement provided by Wingate Management Company until the meeting space was converted into two rooms that now serve as office/activity space for the Year-Round Academic Program (After-School and Summer Programs).
The founders envisioned a program that would give children examples of positive adult images to replace those of drug dealers and inner-city elements that placed them at high risk for juvenile delinquency.
These college students invested their time in the community, gave the children tangible examples of self-improvement through education, and fostered a spirit of volunteerism that spread and influenced many others to also lend a hand.
These volunteers have made invaluable contributions and have proved indispensable to the community’s progress.
