In Cleburne, FREEDOM CELEBRATION
commemorates Juneteenth with a pageant, women's health fair, parade through downtown and festival at Carver Park.
From the
Chairwoman of the Board:
To commemorate East Cleburne Community Center’s
20th year, the Board of Directors chose “Twenty Years of
Growing Together” as our 2007 theme. Twenty years of building an
organization, twenty years of fund raising, twenty years of volunteering,
twenty years of developing viable programs, twenty years of blood, sweat,
and tears. . . . twenty years of
influencing hundreds of young people’s lives.
In this landmark year, ECCC is rejoicing over
the freedom we enjoy in this great nation and state to provide these
opportunities to help our young people grow into productive
citizens. Our freedom to grow and reach our potential brings
people of all backgrounds together at the Center. And this is a great joy
to me. No matter what culture, nationality, or race, we are all one. It
has been my privilege to be a part of such an honorable organization which
embraces all who need help, and invites all to share in that endeavor.
So the celebration of Juneteenth is fitting in
that it commemorates the emancipation of Texas slaves, giving all Texans
the opportunity to live with dignity and respect – no matter the color of
one’s skin or economic status.
During Juneteenth we also remember that this
freedom was hard won and how it suffered many setbacks over our brief
history. In the past two centuries, freedom was gained through the
determination of others so that every person in the USA has the
opportunity to experience “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
It is to those brave souls that we are indebted.
To celebrate, East Cleburne Community Center
has scheduled a week long affair. Saturday, June 9th kicked
off our week with our 14th annual Juneteenth Pageant. On
Wednesday, June 13th we hosted our annual Juneteenth Women’s
Health Forum and Luncheon, providing free and minimal-cost health
screenings.
“Freedom Celebration” culminates on Saturday,
June 16th with a parade and festival. Please accept this
invitation to attend. Gather your family and friends to enjoy the parade
downtown at 10 a.m. and to join in the festivities afterwards at Carver
Park. You’ll find delicious food and drinks, toe-tapping gospel music, a
soft ball tournament, pony rides, bingo, and a bounce house.
As the Board of
Directors reflects on our “twenty years of growing together,” we are
mindful of learning from our “growing pains,” and thus reaching forward
to influence lives in our community even more effectively. Because this
effort – noble that it is – cannot be achieved without your help, we
invite you to join us. Volunteer today and change a life.
~Terri White
From the
Executive Director:
This year is a great
milestone for the East Cleburne Community Center! Twenty years of growing
together, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have been around to witness a
significant and positive evolution during most of
this time!
During the early years
under the leadership of the founder, The Late Reverend D.L. Barrett, and a
few faithful volunteers, we were overjoyed to secure a safe haven for the
community youth. After purchasing this building, we directed most of our
energies towards raising funds to keep it open.
With so much time spent
in fund raising, we reached out for help. The United Way of Johnson
County and the business community came to our rescue, freeing us to focus
on touching the lives of our future generation.
In our one room
facility, the phrase ‘get a good education’ was the reoccurring cry to all
of our young people. We also taught self-worth, self-determination,
self-respect and self-discipline. The late Alexina Keeling emphasized
morals and virtues with a very common sense approach.
The East Cleburne
Community Center has spent years cultivating the lives of young people.
Due to the many great organizations in the community that have
collaborated and supported our efforts, we could diversify, educate, and
encourage our kids.
The greatest reward from
these many years of service is seeing the result from our efforts. The
prayers, sacrifice and determination have all been well worth it. No, it
was not an easy task to open the Center, to keep it operating and to
persuade others to join in with the cause. But when you see or hear one
of the young adults that share their experiences as a child at the Center
and how it made a difference to them – nothing is more gratifying! Every
obstacle is worth the climb. We are thankful to God that He kept us
focused and encouraged.
From all of the work
that was done during the last two decades, we can now say that the
Community Center has reached an entire different plane. How awesome is it
to touch the lives of individuals from 4 to 84 years old? To have three
levels of training for the various age groups. We have an opportunity to
generate a positive message of hope, regardless of age.
We’ve done so much for
so many different causes. It would be extremely time consuming to recap
the different roles and responsibilities that we’ve undertaken. I recall
working one day at the Center when a gentlemen came to the office with a
problem. He was told that if anyone could help him or knew where he could
get the help he needed, he could get it with us. This is what the Center
has been - ‘a source of help’ for the community.
The work at the center
is substantial, sometimes overwhelming…but more importantly, it is of
great substance. I invite you to be a part of a life-changing experience!
Volunteer today and make a difference in someone’s life!
~Jean Pickett
