PCC celebrates groundbreaking on new building in Southeast Roanoke

ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — One non-profit ministry is celebrating a new milestone and is expanding its services in the Southeast Roanoke area.

On April 24, the Presbyterian Community Center (PCC) and the community gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony at the ministry’s new building on Jamison Avenue.

The new building will serve as a cornerstone to expand programs and services including the Pathways for Youth after-school program. The initiative provides tutoring, counseling, and enrichment programs for 1st graders to high school seniors and their families.

The new PCC building will also house classrooms for up to 80 children, a gymnasium, a community gathering space, a kitchen, a food pantry, and offices.

Karen McNally, the Executive Director of PCC says they have been working on this move since 2016.

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“We moved in in the early 1990s and I bought the building in 97′. As our programs have grown over the years, we have expanded beyond this old building, which is literally falling apart,” she shared.

She says today is the culmination of their plans over the last six years. McNally says in 2019 they received their first architectural drawing and soon after an angel donor stepped in and started the campaign with a $1 million gift. Over the years, they continue to receive donations and hit their goal.

One parent Melissa Graybill, told WFXR that she was excited when she learned that PCC was expanding in the Southeast area.

“It’s a big step, but it’s finally happening,” shared Graybill. “A lot of things that my kids have learned here they wouldn’t have learned had they not learned from here.”

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She says staff have been completing projects with the students that will be featured in the new building.

While being hands-on with youth in the community, PCC also offers emergency services for families and offers two programs to help families facing poverty. The non-profit has been in Roanoke since 1967.

For more than 25 years, PCC has been a resource for families and children in the city, county, and the Town of Vinton. Through its financial aid services, the non-profit has assisted over 300 households.

PCC hopes to fully move into the facility in May or June of 2025.

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