St. Michaels Community Center receives Clark Foundation Investment

The roof extension over a new front porch takes shape at the St. Michaels Community Center now under complete renovation at 103 Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels, Md. Harper & Sons, Inc. of Easton, Md. is the contractor for the project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. Fundraising continues in support of the renovations, with more at www.stmichaelscc.org/future. Photo Credit: Harper & Sons, Inc. Carpenter & Photographer Bryan Paul.

The A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation is helping to support the people served by the St. Michaels Community Center with an investment of $250,000 for the nonprofit’s building renovation capital campaign.
 
The funding supports the Community Center’s total renovation of its aged building to expand community food distribution and education services, including a modern commercial kitchen for a new Culinary Arts & Hospitality Workforce Development Program. The building renovation is on schedule to be completed by the end of 2023. Additional charitable donations and grants are needed to close a $900,000 fundraising gap to reach the project’s $4.5 Million goal.

“The Clark Foundation supports the work of organizations with strong leadership and values that reflect those of our founder and my father, A. James Clark,” said Foundation Board Chair Courtney Clark Pastrick. “This investment is aligned with our mission of ensuring organizations like the St. Michaels Community Center have the resources they need to grow and support their communities today and in the future.”

A June 15, 2023 street-view photo (top photo) and rendering of the renovated St. Michaels Community Center, anticipated to be completed by the end of 2023. The A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation is helping to support the people served by the St. Michaels Community Center with a $250,000 investment for the nonprofit’s building renovation capital campaign, with other donors invited to participate.

A recent look inside, with new second-story office spaces now being constructed. Credit: Harper & Sons, Inc. Carpenter & Photographer Bryan Paul.

During the year-long renovation, the St. Michaels Community Center is operating from temporary office space generously donated by Christ Church, St. Michaels, and leased space where the former Key Lime Café and Crab ‘N’ Que restaurants used to be on Talbot Street.  
 
The new facility will include amenities once lacking in the original World War II-era structure that was built to be a crude lumber warehouse. There will be a second-floor clerestory for offices, operating windows, proper insulation, a functional HVAC system, handicap accessibility, and more.
 
Future programming and functionality of the renovated community center followed opinions and suggestions by residents of St. Michaels and the surrounding areas.  

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“We conducted a community needs assessment survey in 2020 of people from Royal Oak to Tilghman Island,” said Langley Shook, the Community Center’s Board Chair. “Respondents were clear in detailing the community’s needs for a technology center, workforce development programs, arts and culture, and much more.” 

The renovated Center also will include equipped classrooms for after-school programs, summer camps, and adult education, along with a Technology Center to provide online classes offered by Chesapeake College and a home for a retail entrepreneurship training program.

“This investment will help us have the improved facilities needed to support our food distribution program and a new culinary arts workforce training program, for example, which will benefit the participants and local restaurants in need of well-trained employees,” said SMCC Executive Director Patrick Rofe. “We’d like to start a Farm-to-Table program related to nutrition and health and growing fruits and vegetables in our 40 community garden plots.”

The renovations now underway at the St. Michaels Community Center include a fully equipped modern commercial kitchen to expand food distribution and meal service to those in need and training for jobs in restaurants and hotels. Bright, well-equipped classrooms and a multipurpose room for community gatherings are included in the plans, with the Community Center anticipating double the number of people making use of the Center compared to today’s participation levels, once the new building is fully operational.

SMCC anticipates doubling the number of people served after programming in the new building is operational. “SMCC’s priority commitment is to the needs of the region’s population who lack the resources to lift themselves from poverty,” said Rofe. “We will continue our long-time commitment to the food insecure and will add to that workforce development programming to enable individuals to transition to self-sufficiency.”

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About the St. Michaels Community Center
The St. Michaels Community Center’s mission is to serve, empower, and connect the community with year-round programs and activities for children, families, and adults. Donations to SMCC and proceeds from its Treasure Cove Thrift Shop on Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels help the nonprofit provide year-round programs, services, and community events for residents of St. Michaels and the Bay Hundred area.
 
Architectural renderings of the St. Michaels Community Center’s renovated building and planned capital improvements, including information about how to support the campaign, can be found at www.stmichaelscc.org/future. 
 
About the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation
The A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation partners with organizations to strengthen their ability to meet the needs of the individuals, families, and communities they serve. In keeping with Mr. Clark’s desire to spend down within a decade and maximize the impact of this funding, the Clark Foundation established its current philanthropic model in 2016. The Foundation focuses its philanthropy in three strategic areas: educating future engineering leaders, improving the lives of veterans and their families, and providing members of the DC community the best opportunity to thrive.

To learn more, visit: www.clarkfoundationdc.org.

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Learn More About Our Renovation Project Here