Today, Charleston Police Department announced the grand opening of a new Multipurpose Learning Center in the Robert Mills Community in downtown Charleston.
The Charleston Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit will open and staff the center multiple days each week. This will provide a safe, clean, and fun environment for neighborhood youth, and it will continue CPD’s efforts in building community relationships and trust. The Gathering Center, CPD’s first community center located in Gadsden Green, has seen positive accomplishments in program offerings for adults and youth, and the Gadsden Green community has seen reduction in gun violence since its inception in June 2021. CPD hopes for similar successes to come from the Multipurpose Center.
Among its offerings, the center will host the newly formed Blue Knights Chess Club. This after school program consists of students from neighboring Memminger Elementary School and will introduce youth to the strategic game. The center will grow with community needs, and expand its offerings to best suit residents, and citizens who live, work, and play in the area.
Much like the Gathering Center, which offers assistance for adults such as a GED program, job searches, and financial literacy programs, this Multipurpose Center will also seize opportunities to facilitate neighborhood groups, and will have the ability to offer reading, homework, and resume preparation assistance.
Captain Kristy McFadden said, “We are so pleased to connect with the families and residents in the Robert Mills Community and to support our city’s youth. This would not have happened without our extraordinary partners who have been integral in funding and donating their time. The Charleston Police Department remains steadfast in our efforts to build relationships and trust within our communities. Within the eight months of opening The Gathering Center in Gadsden Green, your Community Outreach Officers have been dedicated to building relationships; and creating and facilitating programs for the youth and adults in the community. Their efforts will be even more widespread with the opening of this new center.”