Nonprofit creating new center in Tulsa
TULSA — A new nonprofit agency is renovating a former grocery store northwest of downtown Tulsa in hopes of rejuvenating the area.
The Common Good, a nonprofit formed with support from the W.S. Pyle Family Foundation, is transforming the old Warehouse Market at 19 S 49th West Ave. into the Northwest Tulsa Hub.
Work on the $1.5 million renovation project began in November and is expected to be complete in the summer, if the agency is able to secure the final $500,000 in funding.
“Our goal is to invest in the youth in this area so they can graduate high school and get a career or go to college. In order to do that, there are a lot of things that need to happen,” said Derk Madden, executive director of The Common Good.
The agency will serve the area south of U.S. 412, north of the Arkansas River, east of Sand Springs and west of Gilcrease Road. There are about 12,000 people in the area, which includes Mark Twain Elementary School. The agency hopes the community center will serve as an after-school program for the school.
“The kids in this neighborhood have experienced drug abuse, domestic violence, a lack of stability and financial stability,” Madden said. “Our emphasis is on getting them up to gradelevel reading and literacy and give them the hope that they can do it. Providing career
development will help their parents to stabilize the home and add income, and there will be a mental health component.”
The agency is also bringing in organized sports. The community center will have two basketball courts and will provide soccer, basketball and baseball leagues.The long-term plan is to bring in a grocery store to occupy part of the space, and the agency is in talks with a health care provider to bring a clinic to the site.
“We've talked to a number of grocers and done proforma showing it could be a profitable deal, but we haven't found anyone yet who is willing to come in and open up a store,” Madden said.
Michelle Hilton, Mark Twain Elementary School coordinator, said the nonprofit is already causing a lot of buzz within the community.
“They are working diligently to hear the voices of the people in the community, and I am excited to see they are actively seeking to see what the people feel are their needs and how they can best be served,” Hilton said. She added that the community center and its programs will have a huge impact on the students at her school and the families, particularly the trauma-informed curriculum that will be used in the after-school programs and the sports programs that will be offered.
“Not having access to organized sports has been the norm in this area for at least 11 years,” she said. “They are working toward bringing baseball, and we already have had a successful soccer season. The students and families are loving it, and we have a lot of family participation.”