'We're not done with this facility': King Kennedy Community Center holds open house

The folks in the McElrath Park neighborhood in Ravenna take a special pride in the King Kennedy Community Center.

Opened in 1978 when the area was considered one of the most underprivileged rural communities in America, the KKCC recently completed an expansion that began two years ago, a project that's been 50 years in the making.

The center merged with Family and Community Services (FCS) in 2002, giving the KKCC access to additional resources.

In 2020, the center broke ground on Phase 1 of its expansion — a new multi-use gym facility. On Thursday, the community was invited to an open house at the center to tour the gym and hear about the planned second phase of development.

More:Dozens get free backpacks, school supplies at King Kennedy Community Center event

The first phase of construction cost $798,942 and was given a boost of $125,000 by Portage County Commissioners when fundraising fell short due to unexpected cost increases.

The indoor basketball hoops and scoreboard haven't been installed yet due to supply chain problems, said Heather Laliberte, director of grants and marketing for FCS, but they'll be in next month.

Currently, the center is fundraising for the second phase — the addition of bathrooms and a storage area onto the gym.

"The bathrooms were actually part of the original blueprint," Laliberte said. However, it was determined that the facility required a fire suppression sprinkler system, driving up costs and shortening the initial scope of the project.

In March, the First Congregational Church of Ravenna donated $10,000 to center, kicking off the King Kennedy Community Center's second phase capital campaign.

More:King Kennedy Community Center in Ravenna receives $10,000 donation to kick off capital campaign

During Thursday's open house, John Kennedy, the center's advisory board president and acting master of ceremonies for the evening, addressed the crowd from a lectern positioned in the corner of the gym. For an hour, speakers took turns telling the crowd about the center— its past, and its future.

"First, I want to say thank you," said Kennedy. "Thank you for coming today, for being in attendance at this truly historic event. I think one of the themes today is going to be that this is not the end; this is just the beginning."

The building, he said, while an important accomplishment that should be celebrated, wasn't the only focus of the evening. The community that the building was constructed in is just as important, if not more so, because without the people to use it, to give it life, it's just a building.

Myia Sanders, King Kennedy's program director, took to the lectern after an introduction from Kennedy.

Sanders has been actively serving her community "all over" since she was 5 years old, Kennedy said. Sanders began working at the center first as an Americorps summer associate, then as an Americorps year-round VISTA volunteer before becoming program director in 2018.

Sanders extended a warm welcome to everyone assembled.

"We actually don't have visitors," Sanders said. "Anyone that comes here to the center, we count you as family."

How King Kennedy Community Center got its start

Constance Dubick, a member of the center's advisory board who's been involved with the center for over 30 years, spoke about the history of the building and Kent State's involvement in the original construction of the community center.

In an article from the Daily Kent Stater published Oct. 7, 1969, she said, it was announced that members of the Greek Week service project were partnering with Ravenna's Community Action Council to raise $500,000 for the construction of the center.

Arvis Averette, a member of the Community Action Council at the time, is quoted in the article as saying: "This project is one of the most unique in the country. It's the biggest project in the nation being undertaken by any college group."

In 1970, an option to voluntarily add $1 to students' tuition bills for the benefit of the KKCC was approved through a referendum put on the spring ballot by student government. This donation is still available on KSU students' electronic bill, Dubick said.

On June 3, 1978, the dedication of the original building took place.

"And then, in 2021, the dream is resurrected with the building of the multi-purpose gym," said Dubick to a round of applause from the audience.

'Without a community, there is no community center'

Jalessa Caples, a Portage County native from Ravenna's McElrath neighborhood, said she appreciates any opportunity to be able to give back to her community.

Caples is an Upward Bound KSU grad with bachelors degrees in science and public health and a masters in public administration.

"I also want to thank all of you for coming out because without a community, there is no community center," said Caples.

For almost all of her life she's been a member of the neighborhood, watching it evolve through her 26 years of life.

"I've heard the stories of the previous generations of community members and their fight for justice and equality within our community," Caples said. "We've come along way, but we still have a ways to go. I believe these improvements to the center is a start."

She said she was excited to see how those improvements impact and empower the community, imploring the younger generation, and those raising them, to love and nurture the growth of the King Kennedy Community Center.

"A strong community takes care of its members," Caples said.

The recipients were: Deborah Crockett of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; John Garrity of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Portage County; Portage County Commissioners Anthony Badalamenti, Sabrina Christian-Bennett, and Vicki Kline; and Janice Simmons-Mortimer of the Portage Foundation.

During the event, Sanders distributed plaques commemorating people's involvement in the center over the years, including: Rev. William Jacobs, founder of the Jake's Kids summer program; Ann Williams Collins, former director of the KKCC; Constance Dubick; Edna Knight; the KSU students who originally advocated for the center; and David Vance, the assistant planner and fundraiser for the original KKCC construction project and the first executive director of the community center.

RL Sanders was in the audience on Thursday, brother to James Sanders, the man who owned the contracting business responsible for building the center.

RL said seeing his brother's work expanded upon feels good.

"My heart just blossoms," he said. "When they say it takes a family to raise a child, it took a family to raise this here child," RL said of the KKCC. "It's more than just a community center. It's our home...it's a beacon for so many that are spread all around the country."

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: King Kennedy Community Center hosts open house