CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY CENTER INC
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Mission Statement
The Cambridge Community Center promotes community cooperation and unity and empowers youth, individuals, and families. We do this by offering social, cultural, educational, and recreational activities.
About This Cause
The Cambridge Community Center was founded in 1929 in the Coast neighborhood of Cambridge by a group of Black pastors because the local YMCA was for white men only at the time. Our founders aimed to create a safe space that would serve families of color living in Cambridge -- a space where everyone was welcome to congregate and Build Community Together. Over 95 years later, this founding principle remains the framework that we operate under today. We are not prescriptive with our programs and services, nor do we utilize a top-down approach. Rather, we rely on our community to inform us of their needs, and we provide the resources and support to empower them to develop and implement their own solutions. This approach requires us to remain deeply connected with our community members and maintain a nimble business model, which allows us to adapt quickly as needs arise. CCC has served generations of children, youth, and families and continues to be a frontline resource for the most under-resourced and historically excluded residents throughout the city of Cambridge. Our longest running program is the year-round Out-of-School Time Program, which includes after school and summer offerings for ages 5-13. We offer children and families diverse learning opportunities, programs, and services to close the opportunity gap and address generational and systemic disparities due to race and socioeconomic status. Many of the families and individuals in our OST Programs are living at or below the federal poverty line. Because we are especially committed to serving the most vulnerable members of our community, CCC’s OST program has a core emphasis on social-emotional development and ensuring that all of our children and families forge a sustainable and healthy future with access to services and enrichment. Family engagement is another important component of our program delivery model. At the Center, we don’t just enroll children in our programs, we enroll entire families. In addition to our school-age offerings, we have a variety of programs for teens and the wider community. Our teen programs, such as The Hip Hop Transformation and the Mental Health ACCESS (Advancing Culturally Competent Education to Stop Stigma) Program provides Cambridge teens with 21st Century Skills while unleashing their curiosity and creative abilities. Our community programs include our annual Thanksgiving Luncheon, which attracts over 200 seniors from the community each year, and The Coast Kitchen, our free community dinner that brings seniors from the community together every month. Finally, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the Greater Boston area, we launched our Food & Supply Pantry, which operates out of our gymnasium and currently serves over 500 households each week. From our Lead Teachers and custodial staff to our administrative staff, which include former “Center Kids,” our staff, volunteers, and Board of Directors have deep roots in the Coast neighborhood of Cambridge. R-Jay Jones, our Building Manager, has served over 5,000 children over the course of nearly 50 years working at the Center. Our current Director of OST Programs, Rachel Kinch, grew up in the Coast and also attended the Center as a child and teen. One of our greatest strengths is a passionate, diverse staff that deeply understands the needs of our surrounding community. Our Board is made up of 10 people, many of whom were born and raised in Cambridge - some of whom attended the Center's programs when they were children. A shining example of this is Yvonne Gittens (or Ms. G, as we fondly call her) who served on our Board for over 30 years before stepping down in 2019 -- a void that was filled by her eldest granddaughter. Ms. G's parents attended the Center in the 1930s and 1940s, and her grandchildren attend our summer program every year to this day. That's four-generations of history all at the CCC. Our Seven full-time staff members are Darrin Korte, Executive Director; Rachel Kinch, Director of Out-of-School Time Programs; Latifah James, Director of Youth and Family Services; Zach Goldhammer, Director of Engagement & Partnerships; Norma Cumbee, Therapeutic Social Worker; Julia Lannom, Development Associate; and Lawrence “LB” Battle (also a former “Center Kid”), Operations Manager. In addition to our seven full-time employees and our 22 part-time employees, 70 Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program (MSYEP) teens, and hundreds of volunteers from our community. Over 10,000 individuals use our facilities throughout the year whether they utilize our services, are enrolled in our programs, or host events and community gatherings catered to under-resourced community members. We also maintain contact with over 200 community members over the age of 60-years-old, most of whom attended the Center’s programs when they were children. Many of the staff and youth in our programs come from families that have been involved with the Center for four or even five generations, enriching our Center with a strong sense of history, family, and community.