Community centers blossoming under nonprofit management

The city’s community centers have come a long way since late last year when the city cut budgets and gave a harsh ultimatum: come up with operating money or face closure.

After mostly fruitless fundraising efforts, a local church took over operations at Westside Community Center and the city found money in the general fund to keep Deerfield Hills, Meadows Park and Hillside community centers open until the end of the year.

The future is looking brighter for all four centers. Westside is regaining its vibrancy under Westside Community Center LLC, a nonprofit associated with Woodmen Valley Chapel, and a new nonprofit will run the other three centers, with a formal management plan to be announced this fall.

Westside LLC Director Dick Siever said the Westside center has established partnerships with more than six local organizations. Partners like Greccio Housing, Community Action Agency and Westside CARES have allowed the center to become a resource for residents in need of services including low-income housing, job searches, financial counseling and education.

The center is organizing movie nights, game nights and table tennis with lessons taught by a former assistant coach of the U.S. Paralympic table tennis team. There will also be introductory rates for classes and camps including hip-hop dance, karate, self-defense, yoga and digital photography.

“The services are all things that people have asked for and then we have tried to go out and find people to teach them,” Siever said..

A community task force has turned its focus toward creating a long-term solution for the centers. In March, the group founded the Community Partnership Project, a nonprofit that will work with the city to manage operations at each center. The nonprofit will reach out to local organizations to donate services and programming.

“We have a lot more flexibility than the city, being a nonprofit,” said Eric Phillips, the president and CEO of the Community Partnership Project. Seventy-five volunteers have committed to helping at the centers.

The goal is to create a sustainable model that can withstand the ebb and flow of tax dollars, Phillips said.

Above all, organizers aim to align their goals with those of the community, Phillips said. The task force has solicited feedback from residents and is planning to continue bi-annual community meetings. Members are considering charging a nominal membership fee to inspire an increased sense of ownership by users.

The Community Partnership Project will make a formal presentation and seek approval from the city council in September.

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Contact the writer at 636-0187.