The St. Joseph County Kroc Center, to be built on the near-west side of South Bend, Ind., will be surrounded by the most ethnically diverse, poorest and underserved neighborhood in the county. The eight-and-a-half acre site will feature a striking facility housing a chapel/theater seating 250, an aquatic center with waterslides and lazy river, gymnasium, fitness center, climbing wall, teen center with recording studio, studios for dance, fine and digital arts, music rooms, classrooms, kitchen and multipurpose rooms, as well as administration offices. Outdoor spaces will include a community garden, playground, sports field and labyrinth.
The City of South Bend and community organizations were highly supportive of and deeply involved in Kroc project planning. The site, currently a city park, will be donated to The Salvation Army through the South Bend Heritage Foundation.
"We are absolutely delighted to have received word of approval for the St. Joseph County Kroc Center," said Major James Nauta, Western Michigan and Northern Indiana divisional commander. "We see great potential in the thousands of children, youth and families in St. Joseph County who will be uplifted and challenged by the spiritual, recreational and educational programs made available to them."
Almost 90 community volunteers representing the area's diverse population worked with the Army to identify programming focal points for family enrichment, teens, recreation, health and wellness, education and life development, spiritual development and the fine, performance and digital arts.
Programs will include tutoring, a math and science academy, job training, computer classes, project-based learning for suspended and/or expelled kids, parenting classes, adult and child literacy classes, nutritional education, leadership development and character education (including SONday'SCOOL). Additionally, concerts, symphonies, plays and dance recitals will be staged.
Collaborative relationships with Memorial Hospital, the YMCA, Notre Dame University, Bethel College and others will enhance programming and provide continuing education opportunities for Kroc Center staff.
"The potency of the Army's mission, integrated with the unprecedented gift from Joan Kroc, will surely bolster our local economy with increased employment opportunities and create educational avenues that inspire interest, commitment and personal change. It will also endow youth and families with the resources and information for healthy lives, and cultivate an environment of authentic love for all people based on the Word of God," report Kroc Center Administrators Captains Nicholas and Jodi Montgomery.