Meet Cindy Bowden of Clarkston Community Center in Clarkston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Bowden.

Cindy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The Clarkston Community Center is a gathering place for art, education, recreation and community building for long-time Georgians, newly arriving refugees, transplanted Americans, and established internationals. In 2015 we served over 40,000 people with a wide variety of programs, classes, sports, arts, recreation and special events.

The Community Center plays a vital role in helping people in the City of Clarkston and DeKalb County including Stone Mountain, Tucker, Scottsdale and unincorporated DeKalb County. The population of the City of Clarkston is 14,000 with 43% of residents being foreign-born and 32% being African-American, making Clarkston the most diverse city in the United States. Refugees from more than 57 countries call Clarkston home. However, with a median income of only $29,000, 56% of the foreign-born population lives in poverty. 1 in 2 children in Clarkston live below the poverty line.

We are a non-profit organization and we encourage participation from all to take advantage of our services, which include:
• Summer STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) Camps is an eight-week program offered which engages over 80 students from 6 to 13. The program models positive behavior, reduces childhood obesity, increases academic performance, reduces household hunger, provides balanced meals and prevents hunger. The program also provides STEAM engagement, gardening, visual art, movie making, theatre and voice training as well as a week-long CAD (Computer Assisted Design) unit.

• English as a Second Language Classes – beginning and advanced. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we offer ESL classes for senior citizens from 9 to noon. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons we offer ESL classes for people seeking jobs who live below the poverty level.

• Food Pantry and Food Co-Op – the pantry is open to all who are in need of food. It is held twice a month on Saturdays. The amount of food given to each family depends on the number of people in the family. We supplement the canned food with fresh produce from our vegetable garden. The co-op is made up of 15 families whose income is below poverty level, most of whom are native Georgians. They order the food once a month from the Food Bank. We pay the bill and for the rental of the U-Haul truck to pick up the food.

• Artist Classes on Marketing and Selling where we will create a website page for each artist to sell work, teach classes in how to market and exhibit your art. We are curating an exhibition which will open January 21st at the Colquitt Center for the Arts in Moultrie.

• Clarkston Global Academy providing after school assistance for High School students provides High School students with an after-school program offered during the school year, and a summer program for assistance in writing college applications. The C.G.A. After-School Program runs from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily from August to May and from 9am to 3pm during the summer. Participants are from Clarkston High School and Tucker High School. Students receive help with homework, STEAM engagement activities, workforce development and job placement and nutritious snacks. 40 plus students are served weekly.

• We plan to start after-school programs for middle school students this year.

•Community Gardens relies on volunteers and engages co-op members to grow healthy produce that supplements produce for the Food Pantry and Food Co-op. Individual plots tended by local gardeners allow opportunities for community members to share their knowledge and recipes with each other.

•Communicycle – a program run by volunteers which help repair bicycles for residents, give bicycle safety lessons, accept bicycle donations which are given to people in need as well as helmets generously donated by the City of Clarkston.

•Our new “Seniors on the Go at the Community Center” programs will start in 2017 as a 4-day week program, which will include: health, ADA gardening, finance and banking (thanks to BB&T), law, technology, exercise, art, field trips and giving back to the community. We are currently offering cooking, ESL and Tai Chi classes for our seniors, free of cost.

Our technology offerings include:
• Computers for Seniors (including how to use your cell phone and how to Skype)
• Computer training for students who have not been exposed to computers before the courses.
• Training to community members on how to use their computers for doing job searches and for communication.
• Training students on refurbishing computers and provide basic workforce skills.

We also partner with other organizations to offer:
• Uhuru Drum and Dance
• Tabala Martial Arts for kids
• Tai Chi
• Contra Dancing

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As a non-profit, we face the major obstacles of funding our programs and funding operating the Center. Since the majority of Clarkston are refugees and or love below the poverty level, they are unable to pay for the programs which they need to help live a better life. We depend on the support of people like your readers to help us, whether you sponsor a job seeker who needs to learn English or a senior who needs a safe place outside their home to meet people or a middle school student who needs activities and help with homework as an alternative to joining a local gang.

In order to make a tax deductible donation you can go to our website at:
www.clarkstoncommunitycenter.org

We also rent rooms out for weddings, parties, meetings and festivities. People who choose to rent our rooms not only enjoy a good location and bargain, they are supporting the Center.

To see the room selection for rent please visit:
www.clarkstoncommunitycenter.org/rental

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The staff, Board of Directors, donors and volunteers deserve all of the credit.

The staff is:
Cindy Bowden – Director
Luay Sami – Director of Operations
Justine Okello – Director of Programs
Regina Farmer – Office Manager
Musa Sayed – Receptionist
Donnie Roseberry – Maintenance and Security
Gloria – Event Coordinator
Devon Wellborn – Asst. Maintenance and Security

The Board is:
Martha Talbott – Chair
Dr. Brian Williams – Secretary
Leake Malede – Treasurer
Dr. Henry Chip Carey
Lesley Dixon
Nyaz Kirkuki
Awale Rage
Melissa Conrad-Alam

In 2015 we had over 268 volunteers for our programs ranging from one-time volunteers for a special event to weekly volunteers.

Contact Info:

• Address: 3701 College Ave.
  Clarkston, GA 30021
• Website: www.clarkstoncommunitycenter.org
• Phone: 404-508-1050
• Email: director@clarkstoncommunitycenter.org
• Facebook: Clarkston community center

Image Credit:
1. Enjoying Family Time at the Center
2. Delegation from Portugal brought by the US State Department to see how we work with refugees.
3. Camper from STEAM summer camp.
4. Campers picking vegetables from our community garden.
5. Contra dancing during a celebration of the workshops offered at the Center.