Dr. Martin Luther King
Youth and Community Center

The Dream Is Alive!

805 Martin Luther King Drive
Michigan City, IN 46360
Phone: (219) 879-4114
Director: Joe Frye

The Dream

In 1970, a small group of parents had a dream for a community center that would serve the youth and seniors of Michigan City. Because of their vision, their dedicated fund raising efforts and their faith, the Martin Luther King Youth and Community Center was constructed eight years later.

For nearly a quarter century, the Martin Luther King Center has served the culturally diverse Michigan City community by housing or sponsoring a variety of programs, self-help groups, hobby clubs, community advocacy and banquet services; touching peoples' lives on a personal level every day.

Today, their dreams all the individuals, community organizations and corporations who helped build and support the Martin Luther King Center are still as vital and important to the citizens of Michigan City in the 21st century as they were in 1970. The youth of our community still benefit from character-building programs and activities, job training, mentoring and personal development opportunities. The seniors of Michigan City still seek the chance to work with young people, to work in community advocacy and to enjoy social time and use their gifts and talents through special clubs that focus on quilting, gardening and other hobbies and skills. The families of our city still need a gathering place that offers social services, neighborhood advocacy, drug and alcohol awareness, crime prevention and banquet services.

The Dream Is Alive! But we need your help and support to ensure that the Martin Luther King Youth and Community Center can serve the citizens of Michigan City for generations to come.

The Heritage

In 1970, a few concerned parents in the Lakeland neighborhood acquired the former headquarters of the Non-Pariel Club to serve as a community center to offer programs and services to young people and seniors. But it soon was evident that the small facility could not adequately serve the needs of the more than 3,000 families who lived in the neighborhood.

The culturally diverse group organized many volunteers, including local "Red Devil" basketball stars, neighborhood families who baked for bake sale fund raisers, children who raised contributions on "tag days", as well as national figures like Rev. Jesse Jackson and former Gary Mayor Richard Hatcher to generate enough funds to build a new community center that would serve the needs of 10,000 moderate and low-income families on Michigan City's North side.

In 1976, the group was able to purchase four acres of land. They broke ground in January of 1978 under the leadership of former Michgan City Community Development Director Arthur Payne, who became the Center's Director without pay. In 1992, the Center added a teaching room, kitchen, and banquet hall to expand its range of services to the community. After several years of coordinating social services in other locations, Payne has returned to Michigan City to help direct the "renewal and revival" of the Martin Luther King Center for the new millennium.

Today, the Center still provides organized sports and recreational activities for all ages, including basketball, chess club, golf club, open gym time, and other activities. The Center also houses three Head Start preschool classes every weekday, as well as scout functions, mentoring groups for girls ages 10-14 and 15-18, job readiness programs and services, a weight control support group, youth dances, and events, safe neighborhood programs and much more. Families and groups can rent the Center's banquet facilities for conveniently-located, affordable weddings, funeral dinners; graduations and other special events.

The Renewal

After more than 20 years of service to the community, the Martin Luther King Center's facilities now require substantial renovations to continue to offer a full range of programs and services.

The gymnasium, offices and meeting areas in the original structure need to be repaired and updated. This will enable us to offer comfortable, modern facilities and equipment for Center patrons and outside groups who meet here as well as to attract new groups who meet here as well as to attract new groups to use the Center and expand its base of programs and services to the community.

Tonn and Blank, the contractor who has committed to helping renew the building, has prioritized the repairs and renovations, beginning with the most urgent.

The Revival

As the Martin Luther King Center's structural facility is renewed, its spirit and mission to the community is undergoing an important revival ... establishing service organizations in order to reach more individuals throughout our community with its commitment, service and hope .

There are many important goals for the future, including:

• Encouraging additional community organization to hold meetings at or offer services through the Center, expanding the Center's outreach efforts for social services, support groups, hobby clubs and social events.
• Making the Center a Boys and Girls Club site
• Working with local business leaders to establish a more intensive career development program that will provide job readiness training and employment opportunities within the community, which will encourage young people to remain and work in the community after they have completed their education.
• Establishing partnerships with community volunteer and service organizations to enlist more participation and involvement by local citizens to address community concerns ... helping local residents form a bond to fight violence, crime, substance abuse, and other problems
• Continuing to strengthen the community's long-standing multi-cultural base to improve quality of life for all Michigan City residents

The Commitment

Though the Martin Luther King Center faces many challenges in the months and years ahead, our vision and dedication to the community continue to grow and prosper.

At our inception, the generosity of private individuals, local business and industry provided important financial support that helped build the Center and enabled it to offer many important programs and services. Today, the majority of our operating funds comes from two sources: funding from the United Way and modest revenues from banquet facility rental.

The Board of Directors, volunteers and several community leaders who believe in keeping the Martin Luther King Center's dream alive have set a fund-raising goal of $200,000 for this capital campaign. Even before our campaign kickoff, we already secured pledges of more than $25,000. By meeting or exceeding our goal, the Center will be able to make necessary repairs, update its equipment and hire a part-time office manager ... enabling us to better server the community and continue to expand our range of important services and programs.

We are committed to keeping our dream alive and helping it flourish for the good of the families of Michgan City. Your contribution can help bring a better quality of life to local citizens.

Our history speaks for itself: private citizens, government, business and industry joined forces to realize a dream. Today we need your support to keep the dream alive ... now and throughout the 21st century.