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Kane Community Center Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary |
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Written by Publisher
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Friday, 03 July 2009 |
Photo submitted
A major fundraiser to get the project for the Community Center going was called 92 and 92, which was sponsored by WLMI, with the help of Chuck and Ginny Crouse and Barry Morgan. The goal was to get $92,000 in 92 days.
By Natasha Mattis
Special to The Kane Republican
This past weekend the Kane Community Center celebrated 10 years of serving the public. The Community Center is an on going project the can only function with the community coming together.
“I think at the beginning there was a lot of uncertainty about what was going on and what kind of kids would be hanging out at the community center, but it is there for the whole town to enjoy and use," Barry Morgan said. "People thought it would be another teen club, but we fought through that and I believe the community has grown to accept it for what it is.”
In 1998, a committee of nine people, the Kane Area Renewal Effort, joined together to develop the community center. Getting the community center up and running was a feat that could only be accomplished with the community’s coming together. Throughout the years the community center has undergone many changes.
“It took lots of people to make it happen,” said Marilyn Blackmore, the Community Center's secretary for about eight years.
A major fundraiser to get the project going was called 92 and 92, which was sponsored by WLMI, with the help of Chuck and Ginny Crouse and Barry Morgan. The goal was to get $92,000 in 92 days. Over $120,000 dollars were raised, but not all of it was monetary donation. Some of the donations were in-kind services of people stepping in from the street to help with construction efforts.
Rick Fadenholz was the head carpenter and designer. A new roof was put on, and tools were donated to build it. Kane Hardwood donated the flooring, which was laid down by a carpenter’s union. A Boy Scout troop helped to carry out the cut down walls, which were demolished by loggers. Scott Hickey did a lot of the electrical work.
The community center came together with a mass amount of volunteerism. It took a great deal of work and a group effort to reconstruct all of the walls, floors and basement. Today, there is a wide open 2,800 square foot floor with a snack bar, which is a memorial to police officer Steve German, who was shot in the line of duty.
The main changes in the community center are located in the basement. The computer lab provides the community with free internet access, and the fitness center is available to the public to use and is open 24 hours a day. A fitness trainer is available for an extra cost.
The Community Center is available for the whole public to enjoy. It provides recreational, educational, socialization, art, scientific and cultural experiences. Programs and activities are coordinated with local individuals, schools, civic, social and government agencies.
The Kane’s Kids Klub is a free after-school program for children, which provides help with homework, snacks and meals, games, computer access and recreation. The program currently involves over 200 children, with an average of 20 kids a day participating. It runs five days a week all year long. The program offers a wide variety of activities and promotes good values and morals in a safe, drug-free environment. In 2005, the Kane Art Club, consisting of fourth and fifth grade kids made murals to hang on the walls.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 30 July 2009 )
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