A community center that once welcomed performances by Motown stars — including Diana Ross and the Supremes — continues to evolve to meet the needs of its public.
The Sewickley Community Center, originally formed in 1935 as the Sewickley Colored Community Center, remains a steadfast staple center offering a variety of recreational and educational programs for residents of the Sewickley Valley area.
“It was specifically acquired to accommodate African Americans in Sewickley who were not permitted to go to the YMCA,” Stratton Nash said of the nonprofit’s origins.
These days, the center strives to embrace cultural diversity by providing social, professional, educational and recreational activities for all families and individuals in Sewickley.
But the reality of the center’s daycare facility recently closing due to lack of funds and revenue has board members mobilizing to figure out a way to bring back what Nash said is a much-needed service in the community.
The closing impacts about a dozen families and the board is currently exploring options.
Nash is hopeful that childcare services will be offered in the future.
“After covid, we never really returned to the pre-covid numbers, but nonetheless there was still that gap and we had financial losses,” Nash said. “We want to reestablish some form of after-school care — it’s still to be determined at this time.”
Nash, a Sewickley resident and vice-president of the center’s board of supervisors, grew up playing and socializing at the center that “flourished” until around the 1980s.
For decades, the center was a focal point destination in the community — serving about 20 percent of African Americans residing in Sewickley during the 1940s — equating to about 700 Black residents.
Occupying a three-story brick structure on Chadwick Street that once housed a business that made products for World War I, the center has since expanded, adding a gym in the 1960s, a pool in the 1970s, a ball field, sport court, a playground and an updated kitchen.
It’s one of the oldest nonprofits in the area.
A lull in center activities was most evident beginning in the 1980s through 2005.
Sewickley’s African American population has since declined from around 50 percent during the 1950s to around 3.9 percent in the 2010 U.S. Census, according to a feasibility study created by Nash.
That translates to about 130 Blacks currently residing in Sewickley.
The nonprofit is dedicated to providing affordable activities, space and opportunities to meet the diverse needs of the area.
Previous instructional and recreational activities at the center have included Girl and Boy Scout Troops, a bowling league, crafts, martial arts training, Juneteenth celebrations, sports camps, swimming, basketball, teen leadership training and volunteer days.
The center was always designed with an integrated concept and welcomes all ethnicities.
Occupying more than two acres, the center offers high-speed internet and event rental options for multiple rooms on three floors that can accommodate special programs or events, including an ongoing food pantry outreach.
The center is in a constant state of re-purposing to meet the needs of area residents.
“How do we exist? How do we bring this up to relevancy and serve the community?” Nash asked.
Nash, 67, was raised in Sewickley and lived in the metro Washington, D.C., area for about 30 years, working in marketing. He attended what was then Point Park College, now Point Park University. He moved back to Sewickley in 2018 and is part of a group of about 30-50 core volunteers committed to optimizing the center’s potential.
The board has fostered relationships with local organizations, businesses and schools, including the Quaker Valley Recreation Association, Quaker Valley Wrestling and the Sewickley Community Center Child Care.
The pool has survived any downturn in attendance and is the only public outdoor pool open seasonally to the public in Sewickley.
“It’s very affordable and it’s all cash, a couple bucks to get in,” Nash said.
Quaker Valley School District has about 1,800 students enrolled, according to Nash, who is also a QV school board member. About 22 percent of those students qualify for free or reduced lunches.
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“We’re redefining how we operate in accordance with what the community needs,” Nash said. “There’s more socioeconomic diversity than what people would think here.”
Premier Sports teaches boxing and other sporting programs at the center.
“There’s a void in after-school programs and that’s a focus for us. A group of kids are on their own after school. After school, that gap is a priority for us.”
Volunteers are always in demand and Nash wants to spread the message that anyone is welcome to volunteer.
“Our goal is to create traffic through here and show potential donors that even without a staff we can handle programming options,” Nash said. “We’re asking the community to utilize this center.”
The center relies on and appreciates donations from the community.
Nash grew up playing, learning and making connections as a young boy spending countless days at the Sewickley Community Center and he’s hopeful that the youth of Sewickley can experience the fun and fellowship he enjoyed as a child.
“I moved back here because it’s just a great place to live,” Nash said. “There’s no other community where my heart is so heavily invested.”
The center has evolved to provide amenities for the changing demographic landscape of residents of the Sewickley Valley area, which includes 11 communities: Aleppo, Bell Acres, Edgeworth, Glenfield, Haysville, Leet, Leetsdale, Glen Osborne, Sewickley, Sewickley Heights and Sewickley Hills.
“We understand the fabric of this community. When I grew up here, the center was never discriminatory and we still want it to be a true community center for all.”
Kirk O’Neill of Sewickley grew up watching his father and uncles play softball and when O’Neill started his own plumbing business, he offered complimentary plumbing services to the center as a way of giving back to the center that influenced his upbringing in a positive light.
“What a great blessing it is for the whole community,” O’Neill said.
For more information, visit sewickleycommunitycenter.com.