Elementary school in OKC has new purpose: Community Center opened by fraternity, neighborhood

A Black fraternity's transformation of a former school building into a new community center was celebrated on Friday in northeast Oklahoma City.

In the large crowd that turned out for the grand opening of the new Garden Oaks Community Center, 3401 NE 16, a trio who remembered attending class at the former Garden Oaks Elementary smiled with excitement as they walked from room to room. Harley Wortham Jackson, 74, even held up her 1955 kindergarten picture ― taken at the school when it was new — as other Garden Oaks Elementary alumni Barbara Washington Thomas and Oliver Moore looked on.

"I am so proud and I am so overwhelmed," Jackson said. "I remember walking up and down these halls."

Members of the Black fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. proudly stood together in front of the community center as civic leaders thanked them for taking on the task of making the extensive renovations needed to turn the old school building into a major hub for the surrounding neighborhood and community. The Alpha Community Foundation, a nonprofit affiliate of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and the Beta Eta Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, bought the 27,500-square-foot building on 10 acres of land from Oklahoma City Public Schools in 2021.

Jackson wasn't the only person who expressed pride and gratitude during the grand opening.

"Let me just say to the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated: Job well done," Oklahoma City Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice said. "You have made it to the finish line and we are grateful for the work that you have put in to ensure our community sees the benefit."

Several Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity leaders thanked community members because they said they couldn't have moved the community center project forward without community support and donations.

"We're giving back to our community and I want to say thank you to the community because it wasn't just us," said Tony Bryan, president of the Beta Eta Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

George Williams, the nonprofit foundation's president, said renovation of the sprawling school building wasn't easy and there is a second phase of the project that needs to be completed. But he said Friday's grand opening was a cause for celebration and a significant milestone on the journey to fully renovate the new community center.

"This building is not perfect but it doesn't have to be perfect in order for us to have an impact," Williams said.

That impact includes a host of activities and programs, such as martial arts classes, painting activities, a restorative justice program in partnership with Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna, STEM camps and a community garden.

'Picking up a brick'

Williams, a Texas resident, said he and other members of the Alpha Community Foundation, were thrilled when they received their first $10,000 grant for the project. He said that grant was from Gannett Media's nationwide A Community Thrives fundraising program for nonprofits. Gannett Media is the parent company of The Oklahoman. A Community Thrives also gave a second $10,000 grant to foundation for a total of $20,000 to assist with the community center renovation.

More: New project blossoms in Garden Oaks: Fraternity groups purchase former school in NE OKC

But Williams said after that first grant, their applications for 30 other grants were denied. He said instead of giving up, they "picked up another brick" and continued on with the project. When vandals repeatedly targeted the building, the group continued by "picking up another brick," he said.

Williams said the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem, as chronicled in the biblical Book of Nehemiah, provided inspiration.

"We were inspired by Nehemiah as we navigated the complexities of bringing the Garden Oaks Community Center to life," he said.

"There were challenges when we fixed one issue only for another to arrive," Williams said. "Our response was unwavering ― hand me another brick."

'Beacon of hope'

More donations and supporters showed up, Kendrick Adams, 38, said.

"For me, it's been amazing to see what a unifed front can do," he said. "This is pretty much what our ancestors did, work together."

Adams, 38, an Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. member from Jackson, Mississippi, said other donors included Union Pacific and the NBA Foundation, which gave $50,000. A donor wall in one part of the community center included the names of numerous other donors who came alongside the fraternity foundation to transform the old school building.

Adams said fraternity members had already been offering programs in the Oklahoma City Public Schools such as the Alpha Boys Institute when Sean McDaniel, then-school superintendent, asked them if they could use a building where they could provide tutoring and programming in the after school hours and beyond.

Adams said these conversations with McDaniel led to the purchase of the school building. He said he had always appreciated the benefits of community centers because he grew up in a neighborhood that had a thriving center. It was there were he experienced moments of curiousity and learning through various programs and these programs helped spark his dreams for the future, leading him to become a mechanical engineer.

He said he felt the newly renovated Garden Oaks Community Center and the activities offered there would be an inspiration for the community.

"For them to see this transformation, I believe it's going to be a beacon of hope," Adams said.

Meanwhile, several state legislators and leaders from other areas of the community were part of the crowd that toured the classrooms, offices, multipurpose room and other areas of the community center. The grand opening event included food, music, vendor booths and special remarks. A community cookout was planned for later in the day.

State Rep. Ajay Pittman was one of the leaders who commended the fraternity foundation for its efforts.

She said the renovation project was the embodiment of the Alpha Phi Alpha motto, "First of all, Servants of All, We Shall Transend All."

"This project will transcend generations, it will transcend the people who did it, it will transcend community and, really, it will leave a legacy for generations to come," she said.

"I think that's so important for the work that they put in and the work that we strive to do as community leaders. This project is proof that we can't do it by ourselves, but that when all of us lift our hands and pick up a brick, we can build something beautiful for our community."

Moore, 72, one of the former Garden Oaks students at the grand opening, said he was glad the community center would be available for the children in the area who would benefit from having a place to go and activities to do. He said he had lived in the area for most of his life and it was a joy to be able to tour the renovated school building.

Michael Emery, 29, of Oklahoma City, a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Beta Eta Lambda chapter, said it was hard to describe his emotions as he watched people walk around the newly renovated building.

"I can only describe it as a blessing, to be honest," he said. "As they said so many times, the community support has just really been outstanding. It's hard for me to walk into this building without a smile on my face."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Garden Oaks Community Center opens in northeast Oklahoma City