History
The history of the Community Center is a wonderful example of the results that can be achieved when local citizens come together, recognize the needs of others who are less fortunate, and commit their time and energy to make meaningful and positive changes in the lives of others in their own back yard.
The origin of the Center dates back to 1991, when a few members of the loosely-organized Katonah Ecumenical Gathering were seeking ways to help local people in need and looking to expand on a small food pantry being run by the Presbyterian Church, as well as the Midnight Run, which supplies used clothing to the homeless in New York City. The outcome was a slightly larger food pantry, which was set up in premises next door to the Memorial House. Like the Midnight Run, the Community Center was non-denominational, and supported by a broad coalition of local churches, synagogues and civic groups. Bart Tyler, local business owner, promised to pay the rent, but the Center depended on local donations, sometimes week to week, to pay the bills.
A larger and more permanent space was found in a tumbledown building across Bedford Road, known as the King House. The building, which was owned by New York City's Department of Environmental Protection, had fallen into terminal disrepair and was about to be demolished. But thanks to the vision and determination of Ralph Van Sicklin, then president of the Katonah Lions Club, who saw the need and the potential in this space and literally stood in front of the wrecking ball and said "no," the building was preserved. Van Sicklin convinced the DEP to lease the King property "for a nominal sum" to the Town, which in turn made it available to the Community Center.
Having secured the building, Van Sicklin and Alexia Jurschak, a board member of both the Community Center and Katonah Village Improvement Society (KVIS), then led a massive volunteer effort to rebuild the King House from the ground up. KVIS marshaled its membership; local contractors donated time and materials; and seemingly everyone in Katonah turned out at one point or another to contribute their time, energy and hard work. The result was the new and permanent home of the Community Center, which opened its doors in 1998 and continues to serve our neighbors in need.
In the words of Town Supervisor Lee Roberts, who was involved from the very start of this endeavor, "few causes in town have exemplified community spirit more than the grassroots effort to establish the Community Center in Katonah."
The origin of the Center dates back to 1991, when a few members of the loosely-organized Katonah Ecumenical Gathering were seeking ways to help local people in need and looking to expand on a small food pantry being run by the Presbyterian Church, as well as the Midnight Run, which supplies used clothing to the homeless in New York City. The outcome was a slightly larger food pantry, which was set up in premises next door to the Memorial House. Like the Midnight Run, the Community Center was non-denominational, and supported by a broad coalition of local churches, synagogues and civic groups. Bart Tyler, local business owner, promised to pay the rent, but the Center depended on local donations, sometimes week to week, to pay the bills.
A larger and more permanent space was found in a tumbledown building across Bedford Road, known as the King House. The building, which was owned by New York City's Department of Environmental Protection, had fallen into terminal disrepair and was about to be demolished. But thanks to the vision and determination of Ralph Van Sicklin, then president of the Katonah Lions Club, who saw the need and the potential in this space and literally stood in front of the wrecking ball and said "no," the building was preserved. Van Sicklin convinced the DEP to lease the King property "for a nominal sum" to the Town, which in turn made it available to the Community Center.
Having secured the building, Van Sicklin and Alexia Jurschak, a board member of both the Community Center and Katonah Village Improvement Society (KVIS), then led a massive volunteer effort to rebuild the King House from the ground up. KVIS marshaled its membership; local contractors donated time and materials; and seemingly everyone in Katonah turned out at one point or another to contribute their time, energy and hard work. The result was the new and permanent home of the Community Center, which opened its doors in 1998 and continues to serve our neighbors in need.
In the words of Town Supervisor Lee Roberts, who was involved from the very start of this endeavor, "few causes in town have exemplified community spirit more than the grassroots effort to establish the Community Center in Katonah."