A Unique Collaboration for the Community
The new home of the Swarthmore Community Center.
The Swarthmore Community Center, a nonprofit established in 1978 and long located behind Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, was recently devastated by the effects of the pandemic and by losing its long-held lease. Happily, the center and Swarthmore United Methodist Church (SUMC) have collaborated to use their existing resources to further their respective missions, both of which seek to promote the greater good of our community: they are pleased to announce that they have entered into a joint agreement to establish a new community center, to be called the Park Avenue Community Center—“the PAC Center” for short. It will be located at 129-131 Park Avenue and will open on January 1, 2022.
Last spring, the Swarthmore Community Center asked Rosemary Fox of Swarthmore Town Center and Linton Stables of Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association to head up a team to consider options for a relocated community center. The timing of the search was fortuitous: the SUMC congregation, under the leadership of the Reverend Dr. Lydia Muñoz, was already finding ways to maximize the use of its own wonderful spaces to serve the wider community, and so the Swarthmore Community Center’s search for a new space led them to SUMC.
After months of discussions, dreaming, and planning, the Swarthmore Community Center and SUMC boards have signed a long-term agreement for the shared use of the buildings at 129 and 131 Park Avenue as a new community center. The new name, Park Avenue Community Center, reflects an intention to welcome residents from around the region, not only those who live in Swarthmore. The new location will enable community center programs to be held without encroaching on the spaces that SUMC uses for its congregation’s worship, education, outreach, and fellowship activities.
Pastor Muñoz is thrilled, saying, “This synergistic relationship is just what we had hoped and prayed for and have been working towards. We are committed to building community right here in Swarthmore and beyond, and believe that the Community Center [board] shares our values of inclusiveness, equal rights, and equal access for all as well as a commitment to building a better, more beloved community in our midst. Further, our properties are assets that are part of the community and as such should be shared with all, and we are gratified to know that the Community Center board will fully maximize the use of these beautiful spaces for the benefit of the entire community.”
Rosemary Fox, who is now the PAC Center board’s vice president, says, “We are excited about the possibilities at the new center, including a renovated commercial kitchen, performance spaces for theatre, music, and dance, and improvements intended to make the center more accessible and more environmentally sustainable.” The PAC Center will raise funds to make significant improvements to the building and grounds, including indoor programming space for the community that was not previously available, and space for outdoor performances and gatherings.
The PAC Center leadership is currently connecting with community partners who represent a wide range of interests and demographics. Their efforts to secure funding have already resulted in a generous contribution of $260,000 from the Swarthmore Centennial Foundation, which will go a long way toward funding the completion of Phase 1 of the planned building improvements. Linton Stables, now president of the PAC Center board, says, “Our hope is that the physical space—between the new PAC Center’s location and the commercial district of downtown—will be energized with activity and become a destination for those who live in Swarthmore and the surrounding area.”
More information about the new community center will be available shortly. Both the PAC Center and SUMC are planning community events in conjunction with Swarthmore’s annual Home for the Holidays celebration, which will be held this year on Saturday, December 4.
