Thank you to our volunteers!

There has been a lot of activity at the former Barclay Recreation Center recently, and for good reason! Summer programming has begun, and with the multitude of summer camps running out of the center, the entire space has been alive with the energy of many excited campers. This can be largely attributed to the facelift the center has received, with all new coats of vibrant colored paint giving each room its own definitive character. This could not have been done without the help of volunteers! Over the past six months over 50 community volunteers bring the center to the place it is today.

This generosity of time and talent has not stopped since the center reopened last month. In the past two weeks, we have had an influx of volunteer help. Edler Knundsen and Elder Alston, two young men from Utah who are doing service in Baltimore as a members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, painted what is going to be the center’s new computer lab (Coming in the Fall!). And this week we were delighted to welcome the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church high school youth group all the way from Loveland, Ohio. Smiling ear-to-ear the entire afternoon, the group painted the entire service entry hallway, hung signs, and built ping pong tables.

Aside from the painting that was done, we also got some much-needed assistance from Greater Homewood’s Real Estate Manager, Andre Stone, who helped us mount a brand new microwave, generously donated by GHCC’s assistant director, Zuri Battle. Our kitchen is now fully functional!

The volunteer support we have received has been an incredible asset to the center and we would not be at the stage we are today without it. And the help has not stopped pouring in. We have had countless young adults who live in the surrounding neighborhoods have come to the center eager to volunteer in any way that they can; from helping out with open gym and camp activities, to wanting to help with administrative duties. Have an active volunteer presence so early on in this project is an incredible asset, and it is a positive sign for the future of the former Barclay Recreation Center.