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With with Dog magazine tonight we bring you the story of a local woman and the community that helped her to change her life. Mary Rocco is live in south Oakland for more than 30 years. She is challenged yet extremely independent and has a lot of friends. It is a far cry from how her life began as tonight's. They say everybody has a story and the story of Mary Rocco is one of sadness turned success. Every morning she walks from her high rise apartment to community Human Services in Oakland. It's a place known to everyone in this neighborhood as the center.

Mary sets the tables for the afternoon launch and set the table one morning and then at home to myself. Dave and I can sit out in the library. Reeves in the library the library the center is more important for me. It's just like a home. In fact it's the only real Mary Rocco has ever known. She was just nine years old when both of her parents died. Diagnosed as mentally challenged Mary was separated from her brothers and sisters and placed in the Polk mental institution in Venango County. The year was 1943. Back then it was called the Polk institution for the feeble minded. She went to Polk at that time when it was a prison. You know they were prepared in case they would shave their head. The damage done was profiled for nearly three decades Mary was

locked away at home. She never learned to read or write and lost all contact with her family. Then in the 1970s the state decided people with challenges like Mary would be better off living outside institutions. Mary was now 38 years old totally alone in the world. She was released from Polk and placed in transitional housing. Were you. For I was nervous and scared I didn't know you or any of you or I didn't have no clothes on anyone. Yes but Mary did have a little lock or should we call it fate. She wasn't in the neighborhood for long before meeting a young man back then by the name of Phil Pappas Pappas was starting a community center in a local storefront. Mary's coming down the street and I approached her it seemed like I was paying him at least the way she says it and she describes it says

you know you asked me for a dime or a penny and I said nothing doing. It was our first meeting so I invited her come to the kosher butcher shop. And she got very excited and came when the first thing we did was play bingo bingo led to crafts and other activities we had a store right. Having gone things like thank you ram makes my day beautiful so I really think that. And before long the community storefront became a full blown community center in its own building complete with the preschool health care and more. And as the center grew so did Mary's independence she learned to write by copying people's handwriting and got a job working at the corner store owned by her landlord Jean Rosner. She used to get up at 4:30 in the morning to get the Sunday paper for me to help me bring the stuff in

from the car from the back. Could it work. Taking the bottles down in the store down the basement I was on Sunday when my other bus boys were in work and she had the nor the lever should they live in the because she got a tip. So she stuck out on Sunday almost all day before I closed. Then she got her door and then the men home. She wasn't in Polk. She was on her own. She loved it and you two have become good friends. Oh that's another question above that no question about that. And there was no question Mary was slowly becoming the center of the center. The matriarch of the place dedicated to improving the lives of everyone in the community. In the course of her adopting this place she became our conscience. She became her spiritual grounding as to what were doing right

or wrong. She challenge the US to do something for South Korea and don't fuss about it let's get something moving. So she's been a very significant force one of the momentous moments here in this little amphitheater. It is and we invite a lot of foundations in order to create a fun base to do certain activities or grow. This is back in the 70s and she came to the top of the in the amphitheater here. And while we're talking about these programs of their program she says Cut it out. You're here to take your wallets out and give to this place. It was unbelievable they couldn't stand that she went to the point and I want you to know we raised a lot of money that even when it was you know we saw a quieter side of Mary on this day. But everyone here will tell you she always gets straight to the point even though it can

sometimes lead to confrontation. She gets mad that you just stay out of her way. First day was going to go there but you did. She just has what I call a primal scream when you cross her you know in terms of liberation of women. Mary was liberated a long time ago. If someone crosses the boundaries of what she thinks this place is she'll dress you down and says you can't do this you have to show more respect. I expect you to do this and do that you can't treat us this way. Yet Mary is dedicated to helping those around her. She regularly visits the elderly from the neighborhood and nursing homes and then also I visit the hospitals in saying that they need taking care. She also spends part of her days writing cards and letters to friends.

Isn't that a good enough. I mean she doesn't forget nobody's birthday now but is in the vicinity and Hausa doesn't come ask she the mark Adama calendar or nothing she just sort of members. So I hear you're the one person in the building who knows what's going on all the time. Yeah when people leave she keeps tabs on them and she keeps that lifeline going. I never feel like I've ever left here entirely because of Mary Mary Paulson she tells me this going on and she doesn't hate everybody that leaves here she gets their phone number and keeps tabs so she's like this community. Anyone who has been touched by the community center or Sprint connected to it has been involved with Mary and she has left that indelible impression on their lives and on this night Mary friends gathered for a special party in her honor. A surprise 70th birthday party.

Many feel that for the first time ever Mary was speechless. Thanks Ed for that. Surprised by the party with tears in her eyes as she listened to people sang happy birthday and to a poem written by Phil Pappas and piled very buses tables at the community kitchen. She visits their home she becomes the organic pulsing ever gossipy messenger of death marriages and affairs. The best and the richest newsletter of the world. For this night was about more than just celebrating a birthday. It was about celebrating the life of Mary Rocco came to enjoy

starting out alone and with nothing. She ended up with all of us something about our core friendship and valuable. Person from an island to a family. It should be an inspiration for a lot of people. It's amazing what she has been able to do and I just have been so impressed with them. She does give her an extraordinary kind of story about making it with all the stuff that happened to her in the corner.

It was a validation that magic belongs to everybody who respects your race color your gender or race. You should say I am now friends took home three car loads of presents for Mary that night and I want to tell you a little bit more about community Human Services also known as the center and is involved in a number of community activities everything from in-home services for the elderly and poor to working with the homeless. For more information you can log on to our website to WQED dot org and click on the on queue button on the first page. And Stacy I don't think there is anyone within a 12 block radius of that center who doesn't know Mary Rocco and Mary Rocco simply knows everyone in that community. Great story the human spirit she was a Polk for 30 years. She was never visited by anyone in her family.

They're not exactly sure if she were visited by anyone or someone did come to visit they lost contact with Mary before she was emptied out of the institution when when the state emptied out all the institutions. And that's why it's so important that she fell in the center and that the center found her right. Thank you Tony. Coming up next an orchid greenhouse on Pittsburgh's north side is budding with opportunity for local students we will take you inside the state of the art gardening facility. And millions know and love him for his role as handyman Negri on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. And for the first time ever Joe Negron has put out a Christmas CD and he will be here live with a special performance. So stay connected. You're watching on these foundations care enough about local programming to help the Richard Allen foundation the Pittsburgh Foundation Foundation. We couldn't do it without you.

Two years ago we reported on the construction of a huge greenhouse at the Bidwell training center at Manchester craftsman's guild on Pittsburgh's north side. And tonight we are happy to report the Green House is up and it is operating at near full capacity. The students there are growing orchids and more reports. This unique enterprise has flowered into a full fledged business. In a busy industrial park on Pittsburgh's north side a vast oasis of green growth were performing miracles are every day those miracles are happening inside this 40000 square foot green house owned by the Bidwell training center in Manchester. You'd be able able to see the new it through there and it probably

still needs a little bit of the Jew Matheson center for horticultural and agricultural technology is the birthplace of hundreds of thousands of failing. The rumors are this is the actual fair for Bill Strickland as president and CEO of the Manchester Bidwell corporation. He came up with the idea to build the green house in an ongoing effort to revitalize the area where he was born raised and now works. When you look at what was on this ground in 1960 back and 68 and you see it now in the middle of this industrial park are you surprised to see the beauty of it flowering so to speak. Gratifying to see after seven years which is what it took to raise the money to build this thing. It's actually sitting here but it has exceeded even my expectations in terms of what it's doing. The excitement that it's generating is a great buzz going on in the region

all favorable about something that's going on and what was designated a throwaway community. The flower size the flower counts Bill obviously had different notions about that and he set out to prove it. Today is orchids a being cultivated in his own neighborhood then distributed wholesale across southwestern Pennsylvania. How is this going this whole greenhouse thing they say information we're getting back is very encouraging. We have a genetically superior orchid. Long shelf life competitively priced so that we are as good or better than anything that's coming into the street. But this green house is part of a much bigger picture. The Bidwell training center attracts local students who want to learn a variety of professions and they learn them in a state of the art environment the facilities are first class. That's very important. They're well equipped. All the equipments operations we have faculty that is highly motivated and really believe in these children and believe of their craft

and so that's reflected in these programs remix photography computer imaging a recording of medical technology pharmaceutical applications will put new drainage in the bottom of new soil and now with the greenhouse the stew. Let's get an education and plant sciences as well. We have trained staff. I'll get a couple of decorative container. The secret of my success is are competent people and let them do the job. I'll try to do the job with pneumonia and that's been one of the keys to why all of the programs have been successful. I need some pots up here we need the Orkut Max. Gary BARON Now Skeel the CS the educational aspects of the greenhouse. He's director of corporate culture programs at Goodwill. What's it like to work good goodwill with the youth in the population you see the light bulbs going off. It's a real eye opening experience for them and we're not only instructing here in horticulture technology not only instructing in the plant sciences but it's really just in general working with with people with life scales

developing those interpersonal skills communication skills and the bottom line is we're just really preparing people for alternate careers careers that will help all kinds of students at all ages from those fresh out of high school to older unemployed work of machines for twenty seven years by bad luck I got laid off and heard about this program and actually I was going to take the voluntary course until I heard about the horticulture and I've always had a garden Other than that in it and I decided why not turn a hobby in. Where I didn't realize we're going to get it in depth is things as we did like with propagation and botany teaching us how to live where we could take a little piece like a punch bowl of a plant and grow like 20 different plants just by propagation. And I think the programs were good the people our classmates were nice. We're like a family.

Bill Strickland hopes the number of students and orchids at the greenhouse will keep growing in the meantime it's been a fruitful experience watching his idea germinate into a full fledged working facility. You're dreaming you're at the what are the possibilities. Well tomatoes are next. We're going to grow cluster stem tomatoes here in Pittsburgh and we're going to sell them as a as a commercial product. We're looking at a site in McKeesport Pennsylvania and all steel mill site will be planned to build a ton of the facility and we are now doing experiments now in our lab to learn how to do this technology and we believe that there's a niche market here perhaps a significant niche in the UEFA president here. There's no timetable yet for when the hydroponic tomatoes will be grown and sold but Stacey the students are already looking into growing English cucumber zx and peppers. Is that right. Yes but you have a couple of orchids here. We

did this white one here next to me is a standard variety it's known as the Normans Myst and orchid lovers everywhere will recognize it. And this one over here this close to you is a beautiful new variety that they call the Frida Shapiro was that I named after the well-known Pittsburgh philanthropist and friend of the center who died early. Yes she's passed away this year. These are beautiful orchids. They are beautiful all of them are like that. They are. Question is are they expensive. Well the Bidwell green house sells them only on a wholesale basis so we really can't talk about expense they just sell them wholesale their whole Retail Prices will vary than wherever you have a library wherever that you buy them. All right thank you Chris you. Still to come Joe Negri and a special performance celebrating his new holiday CD guitars for Christmas. Every request we respond is there a 90 story you think bears repeating.

When you heard about from friend or neighbor the first time around. Let us know by logging on to our website to view the work and then click on cue. Does that make your request for a non story. You have three chances a day to catch on cue or LIVE weeknights at 7:30. We show that episode later the same night at 11:30 and again the following afternoon 12:30 7:30 11:30 and 12:30 the following a weekday afternoon one of the top musicians in Pittsburgh some say one of the best jazz guitarists in the business. He's also known to millions of children across the country as handyman Negri in Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. And now for the first time ever he has put together a collection of holiday music. His name of course is Joe Negron. Joe thanks so much for being with us it's such a pleasure to be here. This first time you've ever put out a Christmas CD my very first Stacey.

I've wanted to do it for about 30 years. I don't know what I was waiting for. I like the music and I've I've collected songs you know what I mean. And finally I got a chance to do it. What's the name of the CD. It's called guitars for Christmas guitars for Christmas in August that's great. And this is a solo is that there's some solo things on it and a lot of it is do well with with Marty Ashby. This is Manchester good night. Yeah you know the director of our programs over there at the Guild He's wonderful guitar player and he backs me up on a lot of the stuff. Oh that's great. Now how long have you been playing the guitar. OK I thought I better get my dad started me when I was about 8 years old 8 years old and I think he taught me for about a year and then he sent me to a teacher. OK I was just going to ask is it I know you teach young people now that you know I teach college students right. Is it something that is natural in you or is it something that can be taught or coercion.

I think it can be taught you know the kids get tossed one of those instruments unlike a violin but the guitar you know if you just do what you can you can saying Oh give me no where in the poem and if you don't you can have a lot of fun in about three weeks. That's right that's right. But if you really get into it Stacy it takes a lifetime and then so also we should tell you congratulations are in order you're going to be an LC award when it went up it's very. Started about that some wonderful company you know absolutely you do have some wonderful company. Joe is going to be back with us in just a moment to a player out with a number. Is that right. I am all right we look forward to that. Also we have information on the link to the new CD on our website WQED dot org. And as we mentioned Joe is going to play us out with a number in just a moment. So now stay connected for a special live performance by Joe Negri. That's coming up next right after this look at what's coming up later this week on Q On Wednesday a full half hour devoted to the special

on q theories the lessons for life. First we profiled youth work a local organization all about giving young people in trouble. I second chance after that was look at the problem of teenage drug addiction and the devastation of teenage drug overdose. And show you how schools and parents are stepping up efforts to stop teenage drug abuse. Thursday night Pittsburgh crime rates to go with one local agency is trying to help families and victims heal. We'll take you inside the center for victims of violence and crime. Also on Thursday don't throw away that old thing or cabinet or even that door. They could be transformed into incredible art. We'll show you how and where with a report on the festival of the arts. And on Friday the western Pennsylvania mushroom cloud is on the hunt. And we're going along with them. It's mushroom mania. Friday night. Stay connected. Now here is Joe Negri performing the secret of Christmas from his new holiday CD

guitars for Christmas. Stay connected and have a great night Joe.