Community Partner : 29th Street Community Center Intern : Danae Baxter Site Supervisor : Minju Zukowski
What is the 29th Street Community Center ?
The 29th Street Community Center offers a variety of programs for kids , adults , and all ages . The mission of the 29th Street Community Center is to build and strengthen neighborhoods and people by bringing together residents of north central Baltimore through meaningful community building and high-quality enrichment programming for all ages and background .
Created a Community Development Planning booklet that includes the rich history of the center , staff-envisioned short-term and long-term goals , strategic objectives , and survey results and analyses highlighting feedback given from the surrounding Charles Village , Abell , Harwood , and Barclay communities Coordinated and managed the planning for two outdoor summer programming events hosted by the community center , “ Work It Out : Family , Fitness , and Fun ” and “ S . P . E . A . K . Event : Open Mic Night ”, that promote health , fitness , and art Completed administrative task needs of the summer camp including managing attendance and health checks , collecting field trip money and forms , designing and ordering t-shirts for the camp , collecting snack and monetary donations to the center , and assisting our assigned YouthWorker Assisted staff leading full-day lessons and enrichment activities for the 29 children enrolled in summer camp
Working at the 29th Street Community Center has been incredibly meaningful , to say the least . I was nervous to begin my first work experience at a nonprofit organization , wondering how I could be helpful in just eight weeks . During my first week on-site , I was able to meet the four amazing people who work at the center , and I quickly realized that the summer was going to be a blast . The first two weeks went by so quickly , and I had already begun brainstorming for outdoor programming , field trips , and community surveying . I was having such a great time as meaningful relationships began to form with the staff members and even board members , as I was getting firsthand accounts of the events that led to the creation of the center and more .
About three weeks into my internship , the community center accomplished its monumental goal of becoming the 29th Street Community Center , Incorporated , and this abrupt change led us all to scramble as we ensured that all needs were met . The center and its board wanted nothing more than to hit the ground running as their very own nonprofit organization and , despite a few obstacles , this is exactly what was done .
The community support that came after the stress of the transition was eye-opening for me . Board members were calling , emailing , and ordering supplies . People living in the surrounding neighborhoods were stopping by to check-in . Suddenly , it hit me that this was the best example of community . This was what kept the community center and other similar nonprofits in the area going . It was this commitment , never-ending network of support from the community , and the strength and dedication from the staff that allowed for the success of the summer . I could reflect all day about how much I have learned during my time working at the 29th Street Community Center , but I can say without a doubt that what I cherish the most from this summer is the feeling of belonging in a community and the lifelong reminder of what it looks like .
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