In 1916, as part of the Settlement House movement helping poor families in need, a Roxbury pastor and his wife offered classes for children at the Hattie B. Cooper Community Center. Today, Cooper serves 125 families daily, from toddlers to seniors, with a special focus on early education for some of Boston’s poorest children. This is a tough neighborhood: in 2004, a popular basketball coach was murdered in the adjacent park; to respond, Mayor Menino convened community leaders at Cooper. HCCC is one of only 7% of agencies recognized for excellence by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Its building needs work — the last makeover was 30 years ago. Windows are drafty, water damage is extensive, it cannot be adequately heated or cooled, and it needs sprucing-up to be adequate as a child-centered learning environment. To bring it up to code, handicapped-accessibility and new fire alarm and sprinkler systems are needed. A strategic plan was developed with broad community participation, and a $1.5 million capital campaign has been launched. You could only hear about this campaign through the Catalogue — it needs your help.