In the early hours of a cold winter morning, Dushon Foster, Director of Facilities at Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), was already hard at work. A malfunctioning boiler at HCZ Promise Academy II threatened to delay the school day. With a few hours until classes began, he had to act fast.
“I had to make sure that when our scholars, families, and staff arrived that morning, they walked into a warm building,” says Dushon, who coordinated the repairs on the boiler. “Making sure our buildings are safe and well-maintained for our community — that’s what my job is all about.”
At HCZ, we know Place Matters — that a scholar’s environment is as important to their academic success as the content of their learning. Our top-notch Facilities Team takes that responsibility seriously, working to ensure clean and safe spaces for our scholars to grow and thrive. Though their work is behind the scenes, the impact of the team is highly visible. You may not see a boiler being fixed. But when you step inside from the cold, you can feel its warmth.
Keep scrolling to discover more about our outstanding Facilities team and how you can build your career with us!
Maintaining 100-Plus Blocks
When our scholars, families, and staff enter our buildings, they’re greeted by polished floors and functioning heating and cooling systems. But well-maintained spaces don’t happen by accident. With a day, night, and bridge crew of over 60 staff members spread across 20-plus sites, the HCZ Facilities Team creates safe, welcoming spaces for the HCZ community to work, learn, and play.
Among their many responsibilities, they clean classrooms and offices, set up events, and ensure the integrity of HCZ’s buildings. These include HCZ Promise Academy I and II, our Westside Community Center, Geoffrey Canada Community Center, Zone After School sites, administrative offices, and the organization’s largest building, the 58,000-square-foot HCZ Armory.
“Keeping up with a 100-plus-year-old building involves replacing, repairing, and expanding various aspects of the space,” says Beverly Coleman, Assistant Director of Facilities. “We’ve built this and other sites over the years. It’s a lot of work!”
But that hard work is worth it every time Beverly sees the HCZ Armory come alive with scholars, families, and community members.
‘Place Matters’ is a Call to Duty
A clean, hazard-free environment isn’t just a backdrop for learning — it’s a catalyst for success. Well-maintained spaces help our young people reach their full potential. That’s, in part, the impetus for one of HCZ’s three core values: Place Matters. But for the Facilities Team, it’s not only a core value, it’s a call of duty.
“I get to see our scholars pursue their goals, both within our walls and in their careers down the road,” Dushon says. “That keeps us motivated and reminds us why our work is important.”
With nearly three decades of experience on the HCZ Facilities Team, Beverly has seen firsthand how flourishing spaces raise flourishing scholars.
“That’s my why,” Beverly says, “And that’s why I’ve been at HCZ for 29 years.”
Building Spaces, Building Careers
The HCZ Facilities Team doesn’t just build spaces — it builds careers.
Malachi Linton started at HCZ as a Safety Officer on the organization’s Safety Team before transitioning to Facilities. Under Beverly’s guidance, he worked his way up to Facilities Supervisor.
“Beverly taught me so many things about the day-to-day tasks of facilities upkeep, as well as skills like public speaking, networking, and leadership,” Malachi says. “She’s helped me grow not only as a professional, but also as a person.”
Beverly has spent decades fostering her colleagues’ potential, the same way she does the spaces she oversees.
“I’ve helped a lot of people grow and get promoted,” Beverly says. “Everyone is good at something. You just have to help them find it and give them the opportunity to succeed.”
Strengthening the Mission
For HCZ’s Facilities Team, every late-night call, every carefully salted sidewalk — every repair to a malfunctioning boiler — are more than just tasks. They’re a commitment to something bigger: HCZ’s mission to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and empower our scholars, families, and communities to thrive.
After repairing the boiler, Dushon watched as scholars, families, and staff streamed into Promise Academy II that morning. A sense of pride washed over him.
“I’ve been able to see scholars come through HCZ to get an education and move on to get their degree,” he says. “That reinforces to me that the work we do in Facilities is integral to helping them succeed. That’s what keeps us going. It’s what makes me smile.”