For over 40 years, the nonprofit organization Yours, Ours, Mine Community Center has been providing the Levittown community with a broad range of human services. Now, they're turning to the community for help.

The center, located at 152 Center Lane, thrives upon its aspirations of improving the quality of life for residents living in the Levittown community. By offering community-based activities such as day care, senior care, after school programs and various out-reach, counseling and treatment programs, YOM hopes to optimize individuals' day-to-day living and contribute to more productive and meaningful lifestyles.

In order to achieve these goals on a daily basis, YOM effectively utilizes services and resources from a multitude of local, state and national affiliations. President and CEO James A. Edmondson said that in order to run an agency like this you need to depend on external associations, corporations and contributions.

"The Nassau County Department of Senior Citizens Affairs provides funding for YOM to provide nutritious meals and social activities for local seniors," Edmondson said. "Some funding also comes from the New York State Office of Criminal Justice and the Long Island United Way helps us out with our childcare program."

However, YOM has lost the services of one of their handicapped equipped vehicles that used to be paid for by Nassau County. It costs over $9,000 to put a motor in the vehicle to get it working. But according to Edmondson, that's money YOM does not have and the County has told him the same.

"Therefore, as of September 1, we will no longer be able to provide shopping assistance to some of the seniors that come to the center on Fridays and will no longer be taking them on trips."

YOM has also worked closely with the Levittown School District over the last several years. Together they have been able to provide a pre-school program for 3-year-olds.

"We also have adult daycare program services for older people with dementia," said Fritzi Conway, a YOM member and volunteer since 1972.

Created in 1964 at the invitation of the two superintendents of the Levittown and Island Trees School Districts, YOM was then known as the Service Agency for Youth. In 1968 it became the Youth Direction Council of Levittown and Island Trees, Inc.

In 1968 the Youth Direction Counsel and the Center Lane Village Green YOM Committee merged to form the YOM Counseling and Youth Center Program. The program was to be modeled after the Henry Street Settlement House Concept in New York City. It was then and there that the mission of the organization was crafted.

In 1979 the organization created a holding corporation, for the purpose of purchasing the land and facility, which housed the programs. A full time professional staff was assembled and five years later the organization's name was changed to the Yours Ours Mine Community Center, Inc.

The YOM team is comprised of 67 paid employees in addition to over 30 volunteers. The number of employees had to be cut down significantly, as the organization has not been receiving funding from state and government agencies that they normally do.

"That's how we've been surviving, by using volunteer help" Edmondson said.

YOM is overseen by a voluntary board of trustees. These officers are elected yearly by the board and eligible membership, which there are three levels of. The board is in charge of creating and carrying out policies for YOM. They are also responsible for generating financial resources to support the programs and services.

Employed by the board of directors since 1969, Edmonson said he has remained at YOM to help try to make a difference in terms of administrating the programs that the board has put into place.

"My responsibility was to be creative and start programs to help residents that live in Levittown," Edmondson said. "All the programs that are in the agency I've helped to create."

"Mr. Edmondson truly knows what the community's needs are," Conway said. "He pretty much single-handedly made the community center what it is today."

Yours Ours Mine has continuously created innovative ways to assess and evaluate its program services and resources, with the objective of catering to ever changing needs of families it serves. With lack of funding it is difficult to sustain all of their programs. The exterior facade is in terrible shape according to Conway.

"We can't fund this ourselves because all of our fund-raising money goes back into the programs that we are servicing the community with," Conway said.

"We originally just wanted help with the facade of the building, however things have gotten so bad in the program that we've had to cut staff and programs," Conway said. "Whatever the help the community can give us will serve the community center as a whole and whatever is left we put in for building renovations."

To celebrate their 40th anniversary, YOM is holding a Harvest Festival & Carnival from September 16 - 19 at the Town of Hempstead parking lot in Levittown. Conway says that the money raised there will go to sustain childcare programs and adult daycare programs that are no longer funded.

"That money will also go to keep the chemical dependency funding open, Edmondson said. "We lost that funding last year - a total of $497,000. It has been over a year since we've received funding from any governmental agency, including New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services."

YOM has managed to keep their chemical dependency programs open by collecting fees and holding other fund-raisers. As of last month, YOM has served over 110 active clients who come to the agency for treatment on a weekly basis.

YOM appeals to the community at large for increased voluntary and financial support. For more information or to donate to YOM, log onto www.yoursoursmine.org or call 516-795-6633.

"At this point we desperately need help from the people we serve, businesses and the community in general," said Conway.