This interview is from Oct. 14, 2025, and has been edited for clarity.

The South Side Community Growth Foundation was formed by Chedy Hampson, the founder of TCGplayer, an online trading card marketplace that started in Syracuse, about a year ago.

The Foundation is continuing to take big steps forward to help the neighborhood where Hampson grew up.

The first-ever executive director of the South Side Community Growth Foundation, Deka Eysaman, joined NewsChannel 9 to talk about the plans in store.

Deka, thanks so much for being here, really appreciate it.

No problem. Thank you all for having me.

Deka, it's great to have you here. We're all curious, what drew you to this position? We'll start off there.

I think typically, a community like the Southside of Syracuse has to wait for some

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