Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Bowden.
Cindy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am the Director of the Clarkston Community Center. The Center is a gathering place for art, education, recreation and community building for long-time Georgians, newly arriving refugees, transplanted Americans, and established internationals. We play a vital role in helping people in the City of Clarkston and DeKalb County. 43% of our residents are refugees from more than 57 countries and 32% are African-American, making Clarkston the most diverse city in the United States. With a median income of only $29,000, 56% of refugees live in poverty. 1 in 2 children in Clarkston lives below the poverty line.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
1. Our after-school programs work with both teens who are in high school and those who have left school and did not graduate. Parents of these teens are concerned about their children being pressured into gang-related activities which have resulted in failing grades and many students dropping out of school. According to the Clarkston Police, the community has a growing gang problem where participants start as young as the age of thirteen.
2. We work with the senior population of Clarkston. Currently, there are 3 senior groups and we are having difficulty mixing the groups mostly due to language difficulties. Our Senior ESL classes are divided into three groups. There are refugees from approximately 12 countries with 12 different languages in this group. One section can read and write in another language are starting to learn how to make complete sentences. Another can read and write in another language but not in English. The third group has never been given the opportunity to learn how to read and write in any language.
The second group is seniors from the surrounding area who are retired. The third group is made up of Vietnamese seniors who like to meet and play games.
The only was each of these groups come together easily is through art, music and food. We are working on offering programs which will assist this integration. As always our biggest challenge is money.
Please tell us about Clarkston Community Center.
The Clarkston Community Center is the only non-profit in our area which works with all groups of people. Although there are over 20 non-profits who do good work with refugees, they are unable to assist others due to their funding restrictions. In 2017, we had over 56,000 customers. Our goal is to give all people the opportunity to share their cultures with other groups in a safe location.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
There are always lessons to be learned and mistakes to be made. However, if you never make a mistake, then you are not working toward achieving your goals.
Contact Info:
- Address: Clarkston Community Center
3701 College Ave.
Clarkston, GA 30021 - Website: http://www.clarkstoncommunitycenter.org
- Phone: 404-508-1050
- Email: info@clarkstoncommunitycenter.org
- Instagram: Clarkston Community Center
- Facebook: Clarkston Community Center
Image Credit:
Tom Griscom
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