Clearwater MLK Jr Neighborhood Center Benefit Gala is Sat. Nov 2

The Clearwater Martin Luther King, Jr. Neighborhood Center Coalition is readying itself for a major “first.” The Center – which has been in operation for over 40 years in the North Greenwood community at 1201 Douglas Avenue under a variety of contracts and agreements -- is about to hold its “Inaugural Red-Carpet Benefit Gala” on Saturday, November 2.

And while it is a fundraising event, it’s as much a celebration of a neighborhood’s steadfast refusal to turn its back on the historic heartbeat symbolized by the Center’s very existence, four decades after its opening in 1974.

For many years the Center housed a highly successful program run by the African American Leadership Council, Inc., under the direction of Bilal Habeeb Ullah. Hundreds of youth went through the program, which catered to young community members in middle school and high school, helping pave the way for many to find employment or continue on to college.

Programs in job placement, computer training, literacy courses, summer youth camps, and tutoring were offered – and when the program run by Habeeb Ullah closed after almost a decade, the building’s usage dwindled. In 2011, the city finally pulled its funding for the Center after opening the brand-new North Greenwood Rec and transferring its remaining programs there.

While the ending of the AALC’s programming followed by the city’s withdrawal of financial support were heavy blows to the community, long-time neighborhood members who had spent decades at countless family events, weddings, block parties – as well as younger members, who remembered years of summer camps, afterschool programs, parties and festivals -- refused to let the community center die.

The location had come to symbolize several generations of community pride, youth engagement and accomplishment, family development, social programming and events – and neighborhood members realized that there was no way they could give up on what had for so long held the heart and soul of resource-strapped North Greenwood.

The website describes the Center’s vital role in the area eloquently:

It is important to have a complete picture of why the Center is so vital to the North Greenwood neighborhood and the surrounding community. While statistics do not offer the real-world examples of the volunteers who have been determined to work hard to turn around their neighborhood and numbers can't effectively describe the hope that we have seen in the eyes of the children able to take part in various gathering and events at the neighborhood center, we know this Center has filled a need for community residents.

After the city announced its plans, a group of community members joined to form the Martin Luther King Jr. Neighbor Center Coalition, and approached the Pinellas County School Board, which owned the building, about retaining the lease. The school board agreed – and the coalition set about gathering the support and assistance of many partners to make the necessary repairs and renovations. The Center re-opened in 2015.

Run completely by volunteers, the Center has become a regular site for Feeding Tampa Bay’s mobile pantry, as well as regular community events, weddings, memorials, church socials, birthday parties, and has even sponsored golf tournaments and 5K Events.

The building recently hosted a flea market held by the NAACP Youth Council and sponsors an annual Father-Daughter Dance run by coalition members Lilly Henry and Alecia Collins-Andrews. The Center recently host a Juvenile Transfer Reform In-Person Training presented by the No Place For A Child Coalition, and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Newly elected board president Carmen Lundy shared, “The Center is a place for families to become whole again. It's a refuge right in the middle of the neighborhood. We're about making the family whole -- so we plan to offer School Readiness and Family Development workshops, and to help parents learn to advocate at school for their children.”

SPC Recruiter and Outreach Counselor Patricia Miles, who has been in the coalition for a number of years and helped with the Gala planning, shared, “My job introduced me to the community -- but it was my passion that made me stay. I saw the possibility and thought it would be criminal for the Center to go under. I knew the possibilities it could offer.”

The coalition itself has weathered several storms, and finances are an ongoing struggle. But long-time coalition member Lilly Henry spoke eloquently of the Center’s importance to the community even today.

“We want that Center to always be there for our community; it means a lot. Even while it was closed there was no graffiti, and no one busted out any of the windows or did any damage to that Center -- because of the name, and because of what it has meant to that community. Even the police department was very surprised. And of course, if it wasn't for Dr. King a lot of us wouldn't be what we are today.”

To learn more about the Clearwater Martin Luther King Jr. Neighborhood Center Coalition, or to purchase tickets for the Inaugural Benefit Gala and Dinner Banquet on Saturday, November 2, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. featuring keynote speaker SPC President Dr. Tonjua Williams, visit http://www.clearwatermlkcenter.org or call 727-221-3119.

The Clearwater Martin Luther King Jr. Neighborhood Center is located at 1201 Douglas Avenue, Clearwater, FL 33755. For more information on the Center call 727-443-5437.

This article is reprinted by permission of The Weekly Challenger. For the full article visit The Weekly Challenger online.