The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center was founded in 1970. It originally started as a safe place for kids to go to after school and to provide resources to the community and to be culturally responsible. Previously it went under the name East Community Center.
It’s now 2024 one of the anticipated programs for local youth is the summer program. There is a teen leadership summer program for kids 12 years and above. This program has happened every summer for the past 25 years. In the Teen Leadership Program, we partake in activities that help us build leadership skills and do so interactively with younger children in a program called FAME; FAME stands for fulfillment,
achievement, maturity, enrichment, this is a school age program for kids under 12-years-old participate in
fun, activities, cooking, crafts, and trips to the pool.
In the Teen Leadership Program, we meet new friends, and learn from guest speakers. Here we can be ourselves, free of judgment. Working together with my peers also helps to build trust as we learn to work together. Young adult leaders supervise us throughout the day, doing learning activities with us, and they plan our field trips. Some outings include college campus visits (like EWU) and Hamilton Studios. At the MLK Center, there are also social workers, food bank volunteers, and facilities/maintenance support.
To put the cherry on top, lastly, we have Ms. Freda Gandy, who oversees the MLK Center as the Executive Director. She has been with the center for 25 years, the first to have this position. In talking to Ms. Freda, she says that she has one very important rule for the MLK Center: respect. “As long as you respect others and people’s belongings then everything will be just fine.”
I wanted to be a part of the MLK Center this summer because I get excited at the idea of meeting new people and being around different personalities. I like doing the activities while we are there. Part of the day gives us time to work with younger kids, helping them through different things. By supporting them, it shows them we are there and gives them a chance to see what it’s like being a teenager.