Reviving a driving force
Houses occupied by young people and seniors once lined the streets around the North Avenue facility.
YOUNGSTOWN — Those running the Buckeye Elks Youth Center are looking for the money, human resources and young people needed to restore the facility to the strong community force it once was.
The Buckeye Elks Youth Center has been a fixture on the city’s North Side for more than 35 years. Buckeye Elks Lodge No. 73 started a fund-raising campaign for the facility in 1970 and began building the structure in 1971.
About 2,000 people from the surrounding community toured the Youth Development Center during an open house in January 1973. At that time, the center cost about $500,000 to build.
Willie McKinney, longtime Buckeye Elks member and acting director of the youth center, said that when the building first went up, houses occupied by young people and seniors lined the streets all around the North Avenue facility.
“That was the purpose, to give the youth and seniors a nice place to go in the community,” he said. “I would say we averaged about 250 people a week coming through the center then. Now, we just don’t have that many coming in.”
It was in those early days when young people from the surrounding community flocked to the center for recreation and learning opportunities. The center offered a list of programs such as after-school activities, medical programs and day care. There were also football, basketball and baseball teams as well as boxing lessons.
The center also offered scholarships, banquets and exercise programs for adults.
McKinney said a shrinking population, lack of financial support and mismanagement over the years caused the center to see a steady decline. The center closed for 11 months between 2003 and 2004.
“The money just isn’t there. Before, we had grants and donors that would really contribute, plus we had a day care until about eight years ago that would also bring in funds,” said McKinney. “Back then there was a lot of funding out there, the community was much larger, and there were houses all along these streets with young people who would come in here.”
Remnants of the center’s heyday can be seen throughout the facility.
A large meeting room across from the main entrance to the building is still stocked with chairs, a stage and a speaker system. McKinney said some of the chairs are missing and the system needs to be updated, but the room is very much usable.
The day-care facility maintains areas with activities for children. Still in place are wall-plug covers, used to prevent injury to children. The gymnasium on the upper floor is in excellent condition.
Boxing lessons and training remain a big draw at the facility. McKinney said the center once had a new boxing ring that disappeared at some point over the years, but another ring has been placed in the basement where training continues.
Ted Brown, exalted ruler of the organization, said it would cost several million dollars to replace the current building today. So, he said, it’s imperative to maintain the facility.
Brown said he would like to see about $750,000 in improvements made over the next five years. He said the building needs an elevator, refinishing of the gymnasium floor, painting and updates to make it more energy efficient.
McKinney said he took over as acting director several years ago and has spent a great deal of time paying off debts, making minor repairs and re-establishing a relationship with creditors.
He said not much money is left after taking on those challenges. But he believes the center can again be a driving force in the community.
Brown, looking over the facility that he says has helped shape so many young lives, has high hopes for what will happen in the future.
“My vision is huge,” he said. “I want to see a mentorship program that will work to enhance the mental, physical and spiritual uplifting of the youth in this area.”
To achieve that, Brown said he will need the help of the community, government, business leaders and increased membership within the Buckeye Elks organization. He said funds in the form of government grants and private donations, as well as volunteers from the community, are the only way the center will be the driving force he is hoping to see.
“We need those people who want to volunteer their time to make a difference in this community,” he said.
McKinney said the population may be shrinking but young people in the community need a place like the youth center more than ever.
“In order to keep our youth off the streets and give them some direction, there is definitely a vital need for this building,” he said.
jgoodwin@vindy.com