Elaine Jasso has become a surrogate grandma to hundreds of children in Harrison.
As program coordinator for the Deborah D. Booker Community Center in Sheldon Park, Jasso, 73, plans daily activities at the facility that’s run by the Allegheny County Housing Authority.
Sometimes, her role is to provide a listening ear or a caring hug to a child in need.
“I’ve known some of them since they were toddlers,” said Jasso, who grew up in East Deer and now lives in Harrison’s Natrona Heights section.
“It’s hard not to grow close to them.”
The only person to have ever run the center, Jasso was hired as its coordinator when the Booker Center opened on Valentine’s Day 2011.
Since, Jasso has made it her priority to create a safe haven for children — no matter if they live in Sheldon Park or not.
“Kids from all over are welcome here,” she said.
On any given day, the center typically serves 10 to 20 children at the start of the summer but attendance tends to swell — often more than doubling — as the summer goes on.
The schedule is jam-packed with cupcake decorating, basketball, balloon contests and all-around camaraderie. July’s lineup includes an alien scavenger hunt for UFO Day, a watermelon seed-spitting contest and a trip to Kennywood.
There are days when Jasso provides a more serious lesson, but she still manages to weave in creativity.
She had kids papier-mache a dragon’s head during a program on Maya Angelou’s poem “Life Doesn’t Scare Me.”
Her office, decorated with artwork from her young participants, is open to anyone who needs a confidant, Jasso said. The center caters to youths 10 to 18 and is funded through the Department of Human Services.
“I love what she does here,” said Geni Prager, 11, a student at Highlands Middle School.
“She’s a 10 out of 10,” chimed in Ava Harper, also 11.
Bev Moore, deputy executive director of the housing authority, calls Jasso one of her most outstanding staff members.
“She consistently and unselfishly creates endeavors to support a special lifestyle for the youth of Natrona Heights,” Moore said.
Jasso believes the Booker Center was a perfect fit for her.
Having grown up in the Creighton section of East Deer, Jasso spent a lot of time in Harrison, either at her grandmother’s house in Natrona or at an aunt’s place in Sheldon Park.
“We used to walk all through here, and through Heights Plaza, back when it had all the good stores,” she said.
After graduating from Penn State University with an education degree in 1972, Jasso earned a master’s in library science from the University of Pittsburgh. She took a job with the Allegheny County Library Association, running its Knowledge Connections program and frequented Housing Authority communities across the region.
Jasso said police from Harrison and the Housing Authority have always made a point of interacting with children in the neighborhood. That continues today, including a new walking patrol launched last week.
“They come in and play basketball and pingpong, and form relationships,” she said.
The Booker Center is equipped with a large gym to accommodate pickup games of indoor golf, volleyball, soccer, hockey and bowling. There is a computer room where the kids can do homework or play video games, and a lunch area where summer meals are served weekdays to children 18 and younger.
Helped by two assistants, Anias Christopher and Kristina Arndt, Jasso said they are always brainstorming fun activities to keep the kids engaged. Last week, activities included making edible paint and Dr. Seuss’ oobleck — slime.
Julieyonna Totten, 10, looks forward to her time at the Booker Center.
“She’s pretty cool,” Julieyonna said of Jasso. “We have fun all summer.”
Tawnya Panizzi is a TribLive reporter. She joined the Trib in 1997. She can be reached at tpanizzi@triblive.com.