Before the Children's Services Network (CSN) opened a community center in Fresno's Malaga district two years ago, residents "never really talked to each other" about neighborhood issues, says Fernando Segura of CSN. "People tried to do everything on their own, but nothing ever really got done."

Now an active organization of residents, Malaga Parents and Children's Services (MPACS, pronounced "impacts") has won school improvements, brought a feral dog problem under control, and set its sights on building a community center.

Forgotten neighborhood

Although isolated within a large industrial zone, Malaga, with about 3,500 mostly working class Latino residents, is very stable-most families have lived there for decades. "It's a very nice place to live," says resident Sal Cerillo, a pipe company manager whose family moved to Malaga in the 1950s as agricultural workers.

"But the community wasn't close-knit. "It was 'hi' and 'bye' and that's it," notes Carmen Armenta, MPACS member and mother of three teenage children.

Winning trust

In 2001, with a grant from Fresno First Five, the Children's Services Network (CSN) set up a portable building at an elementary school and began doing community outreach. The focus, from the beginning, was on fostering resident-driven activity. "We weren't going to be do-gooders who came in, dropped a warm meal on the table, and left," CSN staffer Halfrid Nelson emphasizes.

So CSN trained six staff members in grassroots organization, then sent them knocking on doors. They spent nearly a year getting to know the families.

Coming together

Then CSN sponsored a large community meeting where 16 partner organizations offered services, from medical care to career counseling. Seven of the parents who attended decided to form their own group, with its own name-MPACS-and logo.

"All we did was light the fire under the pot," says Nel-son. MPACS set goals and formed subcommittees for specific projects; the group continues to meet twice a month at members' homes.

Stray dog solutions

MPACS's first big project was to rid the neighborhood of feral dogs-traditionally dropped off in Malaga by people from other communities. "Kids were afraid to go anywhere by themselves," says Cerillo, and several were bitten. MPACS worked with the SPCA to organize regular sweeps to pick up strays. They printed refrigerator magnets with the number for Animal Control and reminded people to call if they saw a dog running loose.

School like new

MPACS also brought residents to school board meetings-by the busload. They lobbied for improvements to their local elementary school, and won "new chairs, new food, new windows, new paint, everything-they totally changed the school," says Segura.

Community hall

Now MPACS members are pushing for a community hall at Cristo Rey Catholic Church. Over the past 20 years, the community has raised almost $200,000 for the hall; MPACS is spearheading a drive to persuade the diocese to start construction. This is their biggest undertaking yet, but the parents are confident. "We've got a lot of energy," says Cerillo.

Fun is the key

One of the keys to MPACS's success, says Armenta, is that the members-and their kids-look forward to the meetings. "You get away from the house, you get to feel good, and you make new friends," she says. "It's fun."

Contact: Malaga Children and Family Center, 559-485-1898