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The Mission of the West End Community Center is to provide a public space within the West End neighborhood of Hartford for all of its residents, families with children, property owners, seniors, young adults, renters, and working individuals to build and strengthen communal ties and civic goals.

Description:
In the day-to-day activities of the center, the community center provides education and cultural programs and activities to seniors, to young people, and generally to our residents between 18 and 55. Currently we have a reading library, and a computer lab open 5 days a week that gives users internet access and tutoring. Our programs include basic computer workshops, a resume class for youth and the general public, Saturday Children's Storytime hour, a Drum Circle class, kick boxing class, a Senior Drop-In Center, and the grant-funded Undoing Racism train program. We sponsor block parties in the summer for community street cleaning. We have community service opportunities, such as mentoring, youth seeking volunteer work with the neighborhood social service agencies. We have a basketball program in the summer.

There are several community organizations who use our conference rooms and space for their regular meetings. We provide community forums on issues that impact this community, e.g., Prepare Connecticut sponsored by the American Red Cross. We provide space for regular meetings of the West End Civic Association's Youth Council, Public Safety with representatives of the Hartford Police Department, the Housing Committee which negotiates problems between tenants and landlords, etc.

We sponsor numerous classes for the community: To assist in activities of daily living, career education, a network for housing and jobs, access to public services.

History:
The West End Community Center came into being as the result of grassroots efforts in 1999. Neighborhood teenagers worked together to raise money for a teen center. At that time residents recognized the need for a place for the youth to gather after school and on weekends. The NRZ Planning Committee agreed that the West End needed a center for this purpose. A Community Center Board of Directors was created in 2001. Petitions and survey followed and more neighbors got involved as volunteers to create the center. A basketball court was constructed in response to this need and neighborhood parties and social events helped create enthusiasm for the center. In 2002, the Hartford City Council committed funding so that the West End Community Center Board of Directors could purchase a building.

Contact people:

Cacina Reynolds-Mgbejume, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Darrell Garner, President of the Board, (phone) Tammy Sanderson, Co-Vice President, (phone), (email)

Address:

461 Farmington Avenue Hartford, CT 06105 (See a map)

Directions:

From Downtown Hartford, go West on Farmington Avenue, past the Mark Twain house, to Dennison Street, turn left, and the parking lot is behind the large, white, doric-columned building, which has a large sign on the front lawn. If. . . (more)   Nearest Bus Stop: E buses, Girard Street going West; Sisson Street stop going East. All E buses -- Downtown Hartford to West Hartford on Farmington Avenue, 2 minute walk For maps or information, please see http://www.cttransit.com/

Overall Experience   
All the kids made everyone feel good

We mainly watch them have fun. We write and share our feelings. I don't rememeber any kid that was left out. We visited the basketball hall of Fame. It was a wonderful field trip, and everyone had a awsome time. posted on June 29, 2006

Overall Experience   
Have not yet participated

Participated in Havitat for Humniry house building. Learned valuable skills, felt good about myself, met wonderful people posted by steinms on November 8, 2004