Above is a picture of Hyacinth Yennie from a Hartford Courant article in 1998. She was recognized with five others for her extensive volunteering in the neighborhood. In the article, it mentioned she was a co-founder of Organized Parents Making a Difference (OPMAD), a non profit organization that provides after school enrichment activities at neighborhood schools, as well as the chairwoman of the Southend Knight Riders Youth Center advisory board and the Hartford Areas Rally Together (HART) education committee. OPMAD began when a group of parents were extremely dissatisfied with the lack of activities that existed for their kids at neighborhood schools. After a lack of response from the school system, the parents took matters into their own hands. The Southend Knight Riders was organized by adults and youth in the neighborhood when it was recognized that young people needed more outlets for social activities. It began in the basement of St. Augustine’s church and grew from there. HART met regularly so that residents could organize to advocate for neighborhood improvements that addressed quality of life issues. 

So where is she now? Chances are strong you will find her at her office at the Southend Wellness Center on Maple Avenue where she is chair of the advisory committee. If you visit, it will become clear to you that Hyacinth has been very busy for the past 20 years. The walls are covered with pictures and newspaper clippings of just a few of the endeavors she has had her hand in. The Southend Wellness Center is one of them. When Hyacinth was running for town committee and getting signatures in 2004, she noticed a lot of elderly individuals shut in with no place to go. After realizing the current community centers were inadequate and not utilized, she jumped into action. With an unstoppable determination which characterizes much of what she does, she found a location for the site after many setbacks and secured funding from the city and state. Below is a picture from the ribbon-cutting in 2007. 

This ability to advocate on behalf of the neighborhood is a true gift for Hyacinth. She used that talent to help secure funding for renovating Hartford Public High School, M.D. Fox Middle School, and building the Learning Corridor. She also helped secure funding for the renovation of the football field at Hartford Public High School which is currently underway and $2.25M for a streetscape project about to start this year. In all of these projects, Hyacinth spoke to anyone, no matter their position of power. From a city clerk to a federal secretary of education, she spoke with confidence and clarity. Hyacinth believes that sometimes institutions need a little push to move into action. Luckily for her community, she is the queen of the nudge. 

She also is very gifted at getting others involved with the process. “If you want to get anything done,” she said, “ it has to happen through relationships.” After she became president of HART in the early 2000s she led the group to have a more collaborative approach. This is the same approach she uses today as the chair of the Maple Avenue Revitalization Group (MARG) where she continues to work with others to improve quality of life issues. Hyacinth knows the power of a phone call to get people involved. The annual MARG cook out attracts hundreds of residents (pictured below). Bikes and other items are given away. Everything is donated -Hyacinth doesn’t spend a single penny. This is the power of relationships and the power of community.

Hyacinth learned about the power of community growing up in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. She grew up where the motto “it takes a village” was a reality. People just helped one another because that is what you did. This became a part of her. When Hyacinth came to the United States she began to build a village of her own in Hartford, a place where people are connected, care about their community, and help each other. It’s a place where, “people are part of making a difference,” she said.  “That is what it’s all about.”

That ability to build thriving villages is why OPMAD and the Southend Knight Riders are still going strong over two decades later. Every day after school, OPMAD gives kids at five Hartford schools exposure to martial arts, music lessons, field trips, and other enrichment activities. The Southend Knight Riders became the Compass Youth Collaborative (CYC). CYC works with youth at schools around the city of Hartford. They keep kids out of trouble and develop young leaders through positive opportunities and caring mentors. One of the teenagers who founded the organization works there as the Director of Partnerships. Former youth and employees can be found at various organizations around the city making a difference through caring relationships. Over the years, thousands of youth have been impacted and empowered to build and take care of villages of their own. All of this began because a group of ordinary people decided they were not satisfied with the status quo, they needed to do something, and took that first step. Sometimes that is all it takes.