Bruce Gainey, son of Cheryl Gainey, speaks during the reopening ceremony of the Cheryl Gainey Wellness Center at Allegheny Dwellings on June 5. Cheryl is a former president of the Dwellings Tenant Council. (Photo by Lourdes Daughtry)

By Lourdes Daughtry, The Northside Chronicle

On June 5, the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) celebrated the grand reopening of the newly renamed Cheryl Gainey Wellness Center at Allegheny Dwellings, honoring one of the community’s greatest supporters.

The renovated wellness center, which takes its new name after the late Cheryl Gainey, longtime president of the Allegheny Dwellings Tenant Council and HACP Commissioner, honors her constant commitment to health, empowerment, and community building on the Northside. The event included a ribbon cutting ceremony, a tour of the new center, and live music by local band Hugo Cruz and Caminos.

Gainey’s sons, Bruce and Nate, traveled from New York for the dedication and shared their own thoughts on their mother’s legacy.

“When my mother got sick, my brother and I fought to get her back to Buffalo. She fought us tooth and nail. It was like a championship fight!” Bruce Gainey said to attendees. “Now I see why she fought so hard. Thank you for putting her name on something so beautiful and for the love that everyone here has shown! I appreciate you all from the bottom of my heart.”

Michelle Sandidge, HACP’s Chief Community Affairs Officer, spoke to the audience about Gainey’s character and influence, describing her as “the ultimate Tenant Council president who showed empathy and sympathy.”

“She was about family, about people, and about the community,” Sandidge said. She also shared that the center had a soft opening shortly before the pandemic, and that its management had promised to dedicate it in Gainey’s honor.

HACP Executive Director Caster D. Binion shared this view.

“Her leadership was outstanding,” Binion said. “She had the personality to work with everyone. She was a leader that made a difference.”

The Cheryl Gainey Wellness Center will first open three days a week (two days during the week and one day on weekends) and provide several services such as mentoring, instructional boxing, Fitness 4 Life classes, women’s self-defense, soul line dancing, nutrition education, leadership training, and crisis counseling. It will serve as a center for HACP’s resident support programs, including Digital Literacy, Resident Employment, and Family Self-Sufficiency.

Coach Leroy Dillard, who is managing the wellness program, talked about his vision for the center’s future.

“We’re excited to launch a new physical fitness program for families at Allegheny Dwellings,” he said. “But it won’t stop at fitness. We want to educate and expose our youth to new experiences — like taking them to Washington, D.C.”

Executive Director Binion immediately committed to supporting that same vision: “We’ll fund it,” he said during the ceremony.

Highmark Wholecare, the Buhl Foundation, the Three Rivers Adoption Council, and HACP’s nonprofit arm, Clean Slate E3, all gave funding for the project. George Ifill, Senior Community Engagement & Growth Specialist at Highmark Wholecare, covered the partnership.

“Highmark Wholecare enjoys working with the Housing Authority,” he said. “We’ve supported Virtual Parenting Classes, Senior Movie Nights, and wellness events, and we appreciate HACP’s work to address all key aspects of a person’s health. That’s why we are proud to support the reopening of the Cheryl Gainey Wellness Center.”

Several HACP employees received plaques for their help to the center’s development. Manager Thomas Chatman acknowledged the entire team on their collaborative vision. “We appreciate the vision and leadership of the Housing Authority,” Mr. Chatman said.

The Cheryl Gainey Wellness Center is now officially open, acting as a symbol of wellness, and community pride. For more information about Allegheny Dwellings, visit hacp.org/housing_communties/allegheny-dwellings/

Lourdes Daughtry is a student at Temple University and one of 10 Pittsburgh Media Partnership summer interns.