Three Kings' current mentoring center to reopen
Jun. 2—DANVILLE — After a two-year Covid-related hiatus, the Three Kings of Peace Youth Mentoring Center will reopen on Monday, June 13.
The center provides free mentoring and social activities for young people between the ages of seven and 17.
The current center is located at 428 N. Washington St. inside the recreation room of Mt. Olive Church. The summer hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The center is nonsectarian and welcomes all youth, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Rev. Frank McCullough has been mentoring Danville's youth for more than 30 years. The vast majority of the Three Kings' success stories are African-American children.
"Along with (NAACP) President (Edward) Butler, I have greatly enjoyed our interactions with the young people of Danville," McCullough said. "We meet kids every day that, because of poverty or other pressures, are at risk of making some bad moves in their lives. There's nothing more rewarding when we see these kids now grown up as successful adults— as business owners and teachers and police officers and doctors and nurses and many other careers. There's great satisfaction in seeing young people attain a life that seemed impossible to them when they were growing up."
The Three Kings of Peace are strong advocates for education as well as social and athletic endeavors.
"Our emphasis is on activities that help enrich the minds of young people. Education, art, music, sports, and even video games (and) remote-control car racing can all be productive outlets for young people and a means for inspiring them to excel," McCullough said.
For more information about Three Kings of Peace Mentoring Center, call Rev. McCullough at 217-766-8735.
The Three Kings of Peace have even bigger plans for a new, larger mentoring center in the former Steel Grip building at Garfield Park.
They want youths to learn curriculum combining instruction, job skills and community service. They will address science, technology, engineering and mathematics through tutoring. There also will be recreational activities for children, including remote control car racing and roller skating. A planned rec room will have tables and chairs, pool and ping pong tables, video game consoles and a movie screen.
They're in the process of raising funding for the larger center.
