“It means a lot because there are a lot of disturbing things going on in the neighborhood. It gives you a break and some peace.”

While what the CRC does has made an appreciable difference at Shady Hill, the truth is the organization is just scratching the surface, residents and volunteers say.

Not everyone participates or takes advantage of the help that’s offered. And, even if they got every resident involved, Shady Hill is just one neighborhood in a part of the county where poverty is growing.

But the CRC has helped change attitudes and lives — though many of the issues associated with widespread poverty haven’t been erased — in the years since the first block party, residents say.

They talk about how the parties, and other services Cornerstone has set up, have helped create a feeling of community and are giving children hope.

“They are a great help,” Eusebio Pacheco said Sunday in Spanish. “Without them, the kids would be out running the streets. Now, they have a place where they can go, get help with school and feel wanted.”

Franco says the volunteers are getting just as much of a benefit as the residents.