The City Center is a family-oriented resource center located in the heart of Warr Acres that is offering children and families a place to call home. Through a partnership with Echo Energy, The City Center has the opportunity to receive a $30,000 donation. All they need is for 1,000 people to partner and give as little as $5 to create a lasting change right in SNU’s neighborhood.
Right now, about 500 people have given to the fundraiser, placing the city center halfway to its goal of 1000 participants. SNU students have the opportunity to invest in the community around them by giving just 5 dollars. For students who can’t give at this moment, there is an even simpler way to be involved: the owners of the City Center believe that even a share or like on social media can produce the momentum needed to help them reach their goal.
SNU students have been involved in with the City Center from the beginning. Many students come and just hang out with the kids, and they have no idea what a huge difference they are making in the community. Founder Jed Chappell said that because of mentorship from college students, “kids that didn’t even think it was a reality to graduate high school are now contemplating college.”
The tangible effects that the City Center is having on the community surrounding the City Center are clear to anyone who has spent significant time in the Warr Acres area. It has become a haven for children in desperate need of a safe space by simply providing a place to hang out and a get a daily meal.
The heart of the City Center is to serve the community in a way that builds people up. They serve healthy and complete meals that many of the children there would not otherwise receive. In fact, many of the children who spend time at the City Center are homeless, and outside of school, they have no way of getting a meal at all. The money raised will go towards providing meals that anyone in need can receive.
The fundraising initiative is truly a way to be a part of something larger than just oneself. The group of a thousand is symbolic of the many people who have come together over the past year and a half to act in compassion, and now SNU students have the opportunity to join in. SNU senior, Hannah Small described the City Center as a place where people pour out compassion to anyone who comes, and they will continue to do so as they grow.
There are many ways that an SNU student can get involved. Co-founder, Julie Chappell stressed that the City Center is “always in need of volunteers.” If you like to cook, they need people to help out with the hot meal that they provide daily. They also need college-aged mentors, people who like to serve by cleaning, athletes who will play basketball and soccer with the kids, and so much more.
The value of the services that the City Center provides cannot be converted to a monetary figure, because they are dealing with precious human lives. They are providing people with Christ-centered hope that is highly valued at SNU, and giving students the opportunity to join in. If you cannot give, volunteer. If you cannot volunteer, spread the word. The City Center is addressing the real needs of the community, and so can you. If you are interested in giving, go to https://fervent.us/okcity.center.php and enter the amount that you would like to contribute. You can be one of the thousand that help to make the City Center’s mission of restoration and hope possible.
(Picture credit to Reed Ewing)