Brian Kantz, Buffalo, NY-based writer and editor

FROM WESTERN NEW YORK FAMILY - NOVEMBER 2007

FAMILIES FIRST

We read about it nearly every day in the paper, see it constantly on the evening news: the Bass Pro Shops project is on, then it’s off, then on, then off… a new bridge will ease traffic congestion from the Queen City to Canada, but the powers-who-be just can’t seem to agree on which style of bridge to build… and the list goes on. And we wait, wait, wait for concrete evidence of Buffalo’s much-anticipated urban revival.

“What’s taking so long?” Western New Yorkers collectively wonder. Inevitably, the answer revolves around money. If a project’s finances aren’t quite right — for instance, if tax breaks aren’t large enough for the corporate boss or if they’re too large for the politicians — then the deal stalls. Wouldn’t it be nice, for once, if a project wasn’t driven simply by economics and corporate profit? What if, say, family mattered? What if concern for people ultimately ruled the day? What would happen then?

Enter Rev. Michael Chapman, pastor of the venerable St. John Baptist Church, located just off the Kensington Expressway on Goodell Street in downtown Buffalo. Equipped with a divinity degree, more determination than most mortals, and a heart of gold, Rev. Chapman has quietly stepped up as a major player in Buffalo’s inner city development. In fact, he might just be the most dynamic and effective community leader you’ve never heard of.

In 2003, Rev. Chapman created the St. John Fruit Belt Community Development Corporation and announced a $54 million plan to rebuild the 36-block area of the historic, but frayed Fruit Belt on Buffalo’s east side. On the streets, at the time, were about 400 empty lots; on the drawing board were new single-family housing units, town homes, a hospice facility and major infrastructure improvements. Four years later and well into renewal, you can credit Rev. Chapman with proving this unique concept: successful large-scale development can indeed be driven by the needs of the people.

From Ideas to Ribbon Cuttings

With his Church’s property bordering Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo General Hospital and Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute — Buffalo’s burgeoning medical corridor — Rev. Chapman identified an opportunity. “We knew the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus was going to receive a lot of attention in the future and we felt that this was the perfect time to revitalize our surrounding residential neighborhood. If you look around the country, there are a number of world-class health facilities located in the middle of very depressed areas. We didn’t want that to be the case in Buffalo. We want to provide affordable new housing to keep the residents we already have and attract new residents.”

Charismatic and self-assured, but without extensive fundraising experience, Rev. Chapman set out to make his plan a reality. During the first year alone, he made nearly 250 presentations to anyone who would listen to his detailed plan — community groups, politicians, bankers and business people.

Slowly but surely, the private and public sectors responded. M&T Bank stepped up with $50,000 as seed money for the nonprofit St. John Fruit Belt Community Development Corporation. Large foundation gifts from the John R. Oishei Foundation and the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation and others followed. Construction began.

The St. John Town Homes project came first. Twenty-eight new townhouses clustered on 13 sites on Maple, Mulberry, Locust and Lemon Streets were started in November 2006 and ready for occupancy this past July. The houses have been made available to low- and moderate-income families. Built at a cost of about $6 million, the project was primarily funded by $5 million in tax credits from the Local Initiatives Support Corp., a national nonprofit organization that works with nonprofit developers to support construction projects.

Diane Turner, a 50-year member of St. John Baptist Church, became the first resident of the new St. John Town Homes. “They’re well-built, very secure, and I love them,” she said during the grand opening of the townhouses.

Next on Rev. Chapman’s ambitious “to do” list was the $1.3 million St. John Baptist/Hospice Buffalo House, an eight-bed facility on Maple Street to provide hospice care and transitional services for seriously ill patients. The Hospice House is the first facility in the country to provide hospice care through a partnership between a hospice program and a church. Funded by federal, county, city and private dollars, it is currently under construction and should be operational early next year.

“This collaboration has become a national model for hospice access and outreach in minority communities. When it opens in 2008, the St. John Baptist/Hospice Buffalo House will be the only hospice residence created through a hospice/church partnership; designed for and located in the minority community,” William E. Finn, president and CEO of Hospice Buffalo, Inc., said at the site dedication ceremony last April.

Then, recently, more good news. Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter secured $1.6 million in federal money for infrastructure improvements in the Fruit Belt. The money will be used for streets, sidewalks, curbs, streetlights, and utility upgrades.

Hometown Boy Makes Good

Of course, the other compelling aspect of this story is that Rev. Chapman is a hometown boy making his hometown proud. All Buffalonians love that tale.

Born and raised on Buffalo’s east side, Rev. Chapman graduated from Public School #53 and East High School. An All-High athlete starring in football, track and basketball, he later attended the State University of New York at Geneseo on a basketball scholarship.

Growing up, Rev. Chapman had important role models, including his parents, Herschel and Irene Chapman, and Rev. Burnie C. McCarley, the first pastor of St. John Baptist Church. During those formative years, Rev. Chapman learned that family and community matter most in life. He also learned that you’ve got to take action to get results. He and his wife of 33 years, Ina Rebecca Doss Chapman, have passed those lessons on to their five children and 17 grandchildren.

A lifelong member of St. John Baptist Church, Rev. Chapman’s level of involvement evolved over the years. “I started volunteering for certain tasks, like teaching Sunday school, and one thing led to another,” he laughs. The Rev. Dr. Bennett W. Smith, Sr., then pastor of St. John and a nationally known orator, encouraged Rev. Chapman to pursue the ministry. After his ordination in 1988, Rev. Chapman worked side-by-side with Rev. Dr. Smith until Smith’s death in August 2001.

“I had the honor of serving under Rev. Smith, one of the premier pastors in the country. When Rev. Smith passed away and I was elected to succeed him, I felt a large responsibility to maintain the unity he had created in our church,” says Rev. Chapman. “At the same time, I knew that I couldn’t simply live off his legacy. I felt that I had to use my own talents to better this community.”

Using his talents, and taking a “families first” approach, Rev. Chapman has certainly achieved his goal.


Brian Kantz



		© 2008 Brian Kantz • All rights reserved • Contact Brian

	FROM WESTERN NEW YORK FAMILY - NOVEMBER 2007 FAMILIES FIRST We read about it nearly every day in the paper, see it constantly on the evening news: the Bass Pro Shops project is on, then it’s off, then on, then off… a new bridge will ease traffic congestion from the Queen City to Canada, but the powers-who-be just can’t seem to agree on which style of bridge to build… and the list goes on. And we wait, wait, wait for concrete evidence of Buffalo’s much-anticipated urban revival. “What’s taking so long?” Western New Yorkers collectively wonder. Inevitably, the answer revolves around money. If a project’s finances aren’t quite right — for instance, if tax breaks aren’t large enough for the corporate boss or if they’re too large for the politicians — then the deal stalls. Wouldn’t it be nice, for once, if a project wasn’t driven simply by economics and corporate profit? What if, say, family mattered? What if concern for people ultimately ruled the day? What would happen then? Enter Rev. Michael Chapman, pastor of the venerable St. John Baptist Church, located just off the Kensington Expressway on Goodell Street in downtown Buffalo. Equipped with a divinity degree, more determination than most mortals, and a heart of gold, Rev. Chapman has quietly stepped up as a major player in Buffalo’s inner city development. In fact, he might just be the most dynamic and effective community leader you’ve never heard of. In 2003, Rev. Chapman created the St. John Fruit Belt Community Development Corporation and announced a $54 million plan to rebuild the 36-block area of the historic, but frayed Fruit Belt on Buffalo’s east side. On the streets, at the time, were about 400 empty lots; on the drawing board were new single-family housing units, town homes, a hospice facility and major infrastructure improvements. Four years later and well into renewal, you can credit Rev. Chapman with proving this unique concept: successful large-scale development can indeed be driven by the needs of the people. From Ideas to Ribbon Cuttings With his Church’s property bordering Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo General Hospital and Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute — Buffalo’s burgeoning medical corridor — Rev. Chapman identified an opportunity. “We knew the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus was going to receive a lot of attention in the future and we felt that this was the perfect time to revitalize our surrounding residential neighborhood. If you look around the country, there are a number of world-class health facilities located in the middle of very depressed areas. We didn’t want that to be the case in Buffalo. We want to provide affordable new housing to keep the residents we already have and attract new residents.” Charismatic and self-assured, but without extensive fundraising experience, Rev. Chapman set out to make his plan a reality. During the first year alone, he made nearly 250 presentations to anyone who would listen to his detailed plan — community groups, politicians, bankers and business people. Slowly but surely, the private and public sectors responded. M&T Bank stepped up with $50,000 as seed money for the nonprofit St. John Fruit Belt Community Development Corporation. Large foundation gifts from the John R. Oishei Foundation and the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation and others followed. Construction began. The St. John Town Homes project came first. Twenty-eight new townhouses clustered on 13 sites on Maple, Mulberry, Locust and Lemon Streets were started in November 2006 and ready for occupancy this past July. The houses have been made available to low- and moderate-income families. Built at a cost of about $6 million, the project was primarily funded by $5 million in tax credits from the Local Initiatives Support Corp., a national nonprofit organization that works with nonprofit developers to support construction projects. Diane Turner, a 50-year member of St. John Baptist Church, became the first resident of the new St. John Town Homes. “They’re well-built, very secure, and I love them,” she said during the grand opening of the townhouses. Next on Rev. Chapman’s ambitious “to do” list was the $1.3 million St. John Baptist/Hospice Buffalo House, an eight-bed facility on Maple Street to provide hospice care and transitional services for seriously ill patients. The Hospice House is the first facility in the country to provide hospice care through a partnership between a hospice program and a church. Funded by federal, county, city and private dollars, it is currently under construction and should be operational early next year. “This collaboration has become a national model for hospice access and outreach in minority communities. When it opens in 2008, the St. John Baptist/Hospice Buffalo House will be the only hospice residence created through a hospice/church partnership; designed for and located in the minority community,” William E. Finn, president and CEO of Hospice Buffalo, Inc., said at the site dedication ceremony last April. Then, recently, more good news. Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter secured $1.6 million in federal money for infrastructure improvements in the Fruit Belt. The money will be used for streets, sidewalks, curbs, streetlights, and utility upgrades. Hometown Boy Makes Good Of course, the other compelling aspect of this story is that Rev. Chapman is a hometown boy making his hometown proud. All Buffalonians love that tale. Born and raised on Buffalo’s east side, Rev. Chapman graduated from Public School #53 and East High School. An All-High athlete starring in football, track and basketball, he later attended the State University of New York at Geneseo on a basketball scholarship. Growing up, Rev. Chapman had important role models, including his parents, Herschel and Irene Chapman, and Rev. Burnie C. McCarley, the first pastor of St. John Baptist Church. During those formative years, Rev. Chapman learned that family and community matter most in life. He also learned that you’ve got to take action to get results. He and his wife of 33 years, Ina Rebecca Doss Chapman, have passed those lessons on to their five children and 17 grandchildren. A lifelong member of St. John Baptist Church, Rev. Chapman’s level of involvement evolved over the years. “I started volunteering for certain tasks, like teaching Sunday school, and one thing led to another,” he laughs. The Rev. Dr. Bennett W. Smith, Sr., then pastor of St. John and a nationally known orator, encouraged Rev. Chapman to pursue the ministry. After his ordination in 1988, Rev. Chapman worked side-by-side with Rev. Dr. Smith until Smith’s death in August 2001. “I had the honor of serving under Rev. Smith, one of the premier pastors in the country. When Rev. Smith passed away and I was elected to succeed him, I felt a large responsibility to maintain the unity he had created in our church,” says Rev. Chapman. “At the same time, I knew that I couldn’t simply live off his legacy. I felt that I had to use my own talents to better this community.” Using his talents, and taking a “families first” approach, Rev. Chapman has certainly achieved his goal.