"Catalyst" for resident leadership might be Tracy Degges' middle name. A single mother of four, Degges has worked hard for nearly 13 years to bring about positive change in Manchester's Center City and to encourage others to get involved and assume leadership positions.

Degges first became involved with Manchester NHS seven years ago when she and her children moved into a newly constructed MNHS townhouse apartment in the Center City. Since then, she has been at the head of numerous campaigns to improve living conditions in the community.

She was instrumental in founding the MNHS tenant quarterly newsletter. She also recognized the need to communicate through the newsletter with all MNHS tenants and, therefore, found a way to have the newsletter translated into both Bosnian and Spanish. Several years ago, she was pivotal in organizing a neighborhood meeting that yielded a number of other resident leaders who also were committed to confronting and resolving community issues.

She was chairman of the MNHS Community Initiatives Committee and in this capacity was in the forefront of efforts to address such community problems as speeding cars, decrepit sewer lines, traffic and parking congestion, and crime. In addition, Degges serves as secretary of the MNHS board of directors and is a member of the Project Committee.

Recently, Degges has been concentrating on enhancing her leadership skills. She attended Neighborhood Reinvestment Training Institutes for her certificate in Community Building and Organizing, and became the program's first graduate. She worked with the tenant/resident services coordinator of MNHS to conduct a resident leadership training program for MNHS tenants and residents. Degges was a presenter and educator at the workshop.

Degges' community involvement does not begin and end with MNHS. She is an 11-year member of the Parent Information Connection, an organization dedicated to helping children and adults with disabilities achieve a quality of life commensurate with their maximum potential and to promoting community awareness of the needs and abilities of children and young adults. She was a member of the board of directors of Partners in Health, a community project for families of children with chronic health problems.

She was the volunteer program coordinator and a fundraiser for Youth Opportunities Unlimited, an inner-city program serving at-risk children and vulnerable youths. She is the founder of Parents of Teens Round Table Discussion Group and a volunteer for the American Red Cross, the UNH Cooperative Extension Tree Steward, an urban forestry stewardship program, and The Way Home, a counseling service for homeless and at-risk households.

Through her outstanding example, Tracy Degges is inspiring many others to participate and assume leadership roles to enhance the quality of life in Manchester's Center City.