Lexington, KY - As the director of the Kenwick Community Center on Owsley Avenue in the Kenwick Neighborhood, Dwayne Rice and his staff are always trying to help kids overcome "the negative" -
Rice's all-encompassing term for the horde of detrimental obstacles children from lower-economic households tend to encounter which can put a strain on their lives: drinking and drugs, absent or apathetic parents, mischief and peer pressure, a lack of access to resources like computers, clothing, and even food.
But with over two decades of experience in the city's Division of Youth Services, as well as a support network which includes Lexington Parks & Recreation, area churches, high schools and colleges, as well as Kenwick neighbors and neighborhood association, Rice knew it would be a fulfilling challenge when he became director nine years ago.
"There's never a dull day, you never know," Rice said. "It's always something new. You never know what you're going to walk into one day."
As summer winds down and school gets back into session, so begins the busy time for the Kenwick Community Center, one of six such centers operated by the Division of Parks & Recreation (not that the summer is a downtime by any stretch, as they host a number of day camps).
The upcoming after-school programming is broad, diverse and, hopefully, an appealing enticement for kids to come in and participate: arts and crafts, youth basketball and other fitness activities, field trips, video and board game nights, movie nights, visits and demonstrations from various organizations, homework clubs, even cooking and nutrition classes. The Kenwick Community Center is also home to one of Tubby's Clubhouses (named for former University of Kentucky men's basketball head coach Tubby Smith, whose foundation funds the program), an eight-week program where applicants, students from area high schools, tear down and rebuild computers -
then take one home upon completion.
These activities are open to kids in grades kindergarten through 12, but parents have to fill out a permission form for them to be able to participate, which the center keeps on file. Rice said around 200 kids from the neighborhood sign up each year, and around 15 to
20 of these are daily fixtures at the center, with other kids making appearances one or two days a week.
But the Kenwick center isn't only for young people, there are a handful of facilities, such as a computer lab and library, and programs, such as karate and weight-lifting classes, three-on-three basketball leagues, and a very popular Zumba program, open to adults as well in the evenings. Rice said a lot of neighbors are really surprised when they discover all of the amenities which are open to them.
"A lot of folks don't know about it. It's all free. It's provided from the city, and they can come here and get a lot of good services," Rice said.
The center also serves as a meeting place for various organizations, especially the Kenwick Neighborhood Association, which is heavily interested and involved in the center's success.
"They care a lot about the place and make it go," Rice said. "Without their help, I don't think I would be able to survive. They get a lot of things done."
Nearby Victory Christian Church is also instrumental in giving needed assistance to the center, helping the staff provide free snacks, meals and stock a clothing bank.
"You would not believe a lot of kids that come in hungry, and it's after school. Sometimes this might be the only meal that they get. And I feel good about that, at least they know they can come here and have a little something to eat," Rice said.
The changes Rice has brought to the Kenwick Community Center through his stewardship in the past nice years, in terms of its physical appearance and its influence on the neighborhood, have been testing at times, but always inspiring, and anything to help combat "the negative" is worth the challenge.
"I knew it was going to be tough coming to Kenwick when I started," Rice said. "I felt good in my heart that I could come here and be that positive influence. It's not all good days. You have your challenges, but the reward I get at the end makes you feel really, really proud. You're doing something positive for the kids."