ALBANY, N.Y. – Senator Patricia Fahy announced that $10,000 in operating funds were secured through her office for Postage Stamp Ping Pong Inc., a 501c3 not for profit charitable organization in Albany devoted to serving the community through the joy of chess and ping pong at 48 Central Avenue. The lot at the corner of Henry Johnson Boulevard and Central Avenue, vacant for 54 years, had been neglected and forgotten.. This past spring, they cut the ribbon and celebrated the grand opening of a new community space.

Scott Schuster, the Director of Servico, Inc., was the driving force behind the project. After a conversation with a young man standing near the lot about fond memories of playing ping pong with his father, Schuster was inspired to transform the lot into a sanctuary for healthy activity and positive connection. Once a state-owned property, Schuster had years of work to get proper usage permits and work with government partners to make the site a reality.

“We could never have cut through the red tape without the vital backing of Senator Pat Fahy, Mayor Dorcey Applyrs, and many city and state officials. I want to deeply thank everyone involved—from our government partners to the private businesses and community members—who stepped up to make this project possible,” said Scott Schuster, local business owner and park creator.

Through private investments, self-funding, grants, and donations, Schuster has been able to pay for part-time employees to staff the site, offer basic instruction, and enforce rules. The lot provides a scalable model for urban renewal in the Capital Region – taking a small, vacant space and transforming it into a center for community activity, skill development, and youth engagement.

“This is such an exciting concept, and I am thrilled to support the Postage Stamp Ping Pong Park with a $10,000 operating grant from my office,” said Senator Patricia Fahy (D–Albany). “This park represents so much more than its physical square footage; taking our vacant spaces and turning them into something the community can use is exactly the kind of thinking we need to transform Downtown Albany. Getting young people off their phones and outside for some physical activity does great things for our mental and physical health. I look forward to seeing Postage Stamp Ping Pong Inc. continue to expand their impact on Albany, our young people, and its residents.”

To learn more about donating to Postage Stamp Ping Pong Park, members of the public can visit their website. They rely on support to create a well-equipped space for program participants, and every donation contributes to purchasing equipment to enhance the park. If someone has experience as a chess instructor or table tennis coach, they are always looking for volunteers and can be contacted at pspongchess@gmail.com.

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