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Released 25 September 2009
Officers, donors and stakeholders in The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center gathered to sign and celebrate the placement of the final steel beam of the 130,000 square-foot facility on 12.4 acres on 4200 Wissahickon Avenue in North Philadelphia. The ceremony also recognized the public and private contributors who have brought the $30 million fundraising campaign within $5.2 million of its goal.
"The support and generosity of all of the stakeholders in this project, from state and city representatives to the business community, to private donors and fellow non-profit organizations – have all served to bring us to this moment," said Raymond H. Welsh, Senior Vice President-Investments of UBS Financial Services, and Chair of The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center campaign. "We have reached our benchmark goals thus far, and today are just $5.2 million away from meeting the $30 million capital and endowment needed to ensure a strong ongoing facility."
Having received an $93.5 million challenge grant from the estate of Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, to partially fund the construction and operation of the Center, The Salvation Army launched a capital campaign in late 2006 to raise $30 million to fulfill its operating endowment and capital needs. It is expected that The Salvation Army Kroc Center will serve 750 to 1,000 individuals per day during its first year of operation alone, and grow incrementally thereafter. The Center will enable The Salvation Army to double – virtually instantly – its social service impact in Philadelphia.
"At a time when those most in need in Philadelphia are struggling through recession, The Salvation Army Kroc Center is a beacon of hope," said Major Timothy Lyle, Salvation Army Kroc Center administrator, who added that the construction is on time and on schedule. "Working together with our non-profit partners throughout the region, we will be providing opportunities to a long underserved population that they could previously only dream of, offering the promise of a bright future."
When its doors open in fall of 2010, The Salvation Army Kroc Center will be the single largest investment in human services in the region in this generation, with a capital and endowment investment exceeding $130 million. During its two-year construction period, the Center will have created over 1,400 jobs, generating $160 million in economic activity. During operations, the Center is projected to generate over 400 jobs and $22 million in annual economic activity.
Key features of The Salvation Army Kroc Center will include:
- The Sunoco Learning Center
- A Three-Pool Aquatic Center with an indoor water park, competition / training pool, and warm water pool, with a full range of aquatics programs run by renowned swim coach and founder of the nationally-recognized PDR swim team, Jim Ellis
- Performing Arts Center/Worship Center, Dance Studio, Music Studios, Rehearsal Rooms
- Film Production Room
- Fitness Center and Gymnasium
- Culinary Arts Job Training Kitchen with fully-functioning public café
- Classrooms for after-school, adult education, and job-training programs
- Community Farm and Horticultural Education/Job-training Center
- Multi-sport Athletic Field
- Youth and Senior Drop-in Rooms
- Early Childhood Education Center
- Social Services Center
In addition, The Salvation Army Kroc Center will be a model of sustainable land development, Lyle said.
Beyond the typical green building practices, the project explores a progressive approach to managing stormwater and developing educational features about the ecology of the site. The physical building will have solar panels and will be built with renewable materials, such as linoleum flooring and cork display boards. The Center will also feature an organic farm with a year-round greenhouse that will produce vegetables and herbs for the on-site café, providing job training and promoting gardening within the community.
"As we lift the final beam, our spirits too, are lifted, as we contemplate the lives and families that will thrive on this site," Welsh said. "In this city 130 years ago, The Salvation Army brought hope and opportunity to our struggling neighbors. And today, with this ceremony, we see a renewed pillar in that tradition rise to give hope to a new generation. It"s a great day."
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