The Carver Community Center could open as soon as next week. Current and former members of the center’s board celebrated the reopening of the facility Friday.
The board closed Carver in 2011 for restructuring following the loss of funding from the United Way. Since then, the board has received one-point-five million dollars from the Southtown TIF district for renovations. Carver has also received more than 550-thousand dollars to hire staff who will research what programming the organization should offer.
Board members Ronda Guyton says the programming will reflect the needs of the community.
“We want to be known for being that one-stop community center where you can come here and get the things you need for healthy living, a healthy lifestyle, healthy eating, and a just a resource place.”
In addition to the standard programmatic planning, the Carver Center is partnering with various agencies to offer occasional programs for seniors and children. Those include classes on diabetes and tutoring services. Volunteers and members of the board will mostly be responsible for day to day operations.
The Carver Board is working with principal donors to develop a strategic plan and eventually hire an executive director. For now, the group is seeking volunteers to serve that role. Ken Hinton donated his time as the interim executive director, but he and his core team departed a couple of months ago after a rift with the board. The group is hoping to come up with programming that will again make it attractive for United Way funding.
Carver will officially open following a city inspection.