Tulsa World: Project Fundraiser Goes Public

Tulsa World: Project Fundraiser Goes Public

Kate Thompson By : Kate Thompson

Posted August 17, 2010 11:28 to Sarkeys News

Project fundraiser goes public

Private donations top $5 million for a community center.

By MIKE AVERILL World Staff Writer
Published: 8/17/2010

The Greater Cornerstone Community Development Project officially kicked off the public portion of its fundraising campaign Thursday.

The private portion of the campaign raised about $5.2 million to build a nearly $7 million, 20,000-square-foot community center in the South Haven neighborhood of west Tulsa.

That leaves $1,799,543 to raise during the open campaign.

The deadline to raise the remainder is Oct. 14, said the Rev. Willard Jones, pastor at Greater Cornerstone Baptist Church and executive director of the Greater Cornerstone Community Development Project, a nonprofit group that is separate from the church.

"That's the drop-dead date because we have some matching grants. There's a lot of money out there contingent upon making this goal," he said. "We'll get it."

The community center will be located across from the Greater Cornerstone Baptist Church, 5610 S. 41st West Ave., and will have social, educational, vocational and recreational impacts.

A number of partner agencies will have a presence at the center including Family and Children's Services, DVIS, Goodwill and the YMCA, Jones said.

"It will be a one-stop shop," Jones said. "You might go to the dental partner and say you've been battered by your husband so they'll direct you to DVIS and then Family and Children's Services or DHS. They might have those services somewhere else but it's too far for these people to realize."

Other services will include family and youth counseling,
job skill training, food and clothing distribution, mental health assistance and after-school programs. All are services needed in the area that has low-income households.

"We're talking about poverty. This center will address people in this condition of need," Jones said.

The plan is to break ground in December with construction taking 12 months to complete, Jones said.

The center will be able to serve as a community shelter. There will also be a full-size gymnasium and performance hall with a basketball court and a stage with lighting and sound equipment.

Many area foundations, corporations and churches have pledged donations.

"Inaction simply isn't an option," said Donald E. Pray, trustee for the Bernsen Foundation. "We must do something significant to bring real hope to people who are helplessly trapped in a cycle of misfortune and despair."

While the center will be located in the South Haven area, it will be open to a larger part of west Tulsa from West 41st Street to the north, Arkansas River to the east, 71st Street to the south and the Turner Turnpike to the west.

Jones has been working to bring a community center to the area for five years.

"I won't say it's been everyday sunshine. There's been some ups and downs and felt like is this going to happen. You've just got to be patient," he said. "I'm not going to give up. I'm going to see this till the end."

Contributors to the community center
Foundations and businesses that have contributed to the project so far: The Maxine and Jack Zarrow Family Foundation, The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, TriStar Glass, Sarkeys Foundation, The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, The Oxley Foundation, The J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation, The George Kaiser Family Foundation, Inasmuch Foundation, Hille Foundation, Heatwave Supply, Inc., Hardesty Family Foundation, The Gelvin Foundation, Flint Foundation, Citgo Petroleum Corp., H.A. & Mary K. Chapman Charitable Trust, The Mervin Bovaird Foundation and The Grace and Franklin Bernsen Foundation.


Read more from this Tulsa World article here.

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