When public funding for the Ross Center was cut this year, the Thomas Park-Avondale Neighborhood Association faced the possibility of closing the doors of its popular gathering place. "The community center is vital to our area and essential to our kids," says Kim Barton, president of the association's board of directors. The center is well known for its youth-friendly activities that include an affordable summer baseball league, tutoring services and an after-school recreation program. Adult activities range from line-dancing classes to volleyball competitions to senior citizens meetings. "We try to be very community-oriented," explains Barton. Rather than curtail or cancel the center's full schedule of programs, Barton and her colleagues launched an all-out effort to secure alternative funding. Among the contributors was The Community Foundation, a long-time supporter of Ross Center's popular baseball program. A second Foundation grant will help defray general operating expenses at the center. "We're going to use the extra funding for maintenance," says Barton. "Little expenses really add up; now if we need to replace ceiling tiles or fix the furnace, we have the funds to do it. The Community Foundation has been a real blessing to us."
