As we mentioned in our July Newsletter, work has begun on our Community Center! The construction fence went up on July 5, and, over the course of the next two weeks, the interior of the building was gutted. Patriot Wrecking is expecting to begin the external demolition during the last week of July.

The Shamrock will be resurrected from the rubble and will be able to more effectively function as part of our Community Center. All of this brings us closer to our vision for the Community Center: a place that provides access and opportunities to children, teens, and families, prepares them for the future, and seeks to lead them into a real relationship with their Creator.

• 2,000,000 has been raised so far.
• $150,000 is still needed to complete the two-story structure with the second-story shell.
• This will complete much of the first floor, including the rooms listed in black, and prepare us to build out the second floor.
• $375,000 (on top of the $150,000) is needed to finish the vision for the Community Center.
• This will finish the first floor (kitchen) and build and give access to program spaces, the mezzanine, and additional bathrooms and storage spaces on the second floor. This includes both tower stairs and the elevator.

Building Youth for the Future

As you may know, our Community Center offers high-level basketball training through ourTakeover717 program. Through basketball, we are able to build relationships that lead to discipleship. This month, local girls’ and boys’ basketball teams, which include many students and staff from the Community Center, have demonstrated the results of that work by finding success at some of the largest tournaments in the world: the Run 4 Roses Classic in Kentucky and the Hoop Group Atlantic City Jam Fest.

The girls team competed in the Run 4 Roses tournament, which is one of the largest tournaments of its kind in the US. Despite facing teams with older girls, they took 7th place out of 48 teams. Ava London, Jayla Koser, and Mia Walker received scholarships, securing their future spots in Division 1 schools. Ava became the first 8th grade student ever to receive a D1 scholarship from central PA, and Mia is among the youngest recruited by a Power 5 school ever. Both Mia and Ava are part of the Community Center’s workforce development program.

The boys team achieved victory in Atlantic City, becoming the 15U Platinum Division Champions. Reece Brown, Jelani Easter, Alijah Cooper, and Haden Lay demonstrated their skills and leadership during the games.

Typically, there is limited exposure for young athletes in central PA. Talented kids typically go to Philly, NY, and NJ, but most locals don’t have the financial resources to move to one of these areas. The Community Center’s robust programming has provided national opportunities to local teens through these tournaments. The scholarships that our students have obtained provide them with an opportunity to pursue higher education, which would have been difficult or impossible otherwise.

Finishing the Vision

While we are closing in on the amount required for the structure with the shell, we still need $525,000 to complete our vision for the Community Center. This will allow us to expand our transformative programs and offer opportunities to more youth and families. You can learn more about this project and donate on our website at bethesdamission.org/fireproof.

The kids and families in the northern part of the Allison Hill Community consider this a lifeline. Our objective has been and still is to go upstream to help kids stay in school, stay out of the juvenile justice system, and build 21st century skills and character. This has proven results, with higher graduation rates and success beyond graduation.

In the book of Daniel, three youths from Israel are thrown into the fiery furnace but are saved through their faith in God! At the Community Center, we are building a foundation of faith in the youth and adults God has entrusted to us so that they too may overcome trials in their lives, realizing that God is standing with them through it all.

May God richly bless you!

Scott Dunwoody
Executive Director