Everybody owns their self-worth. You serve people where they’re at, you don’t try to get them to where you are at.” Rick explained the loyalty and mutual regard between the Grubb and the people it serves: “That whole spirit is what draws people here. This YMCA is a resource for people in this community, it’s a place everybody looks forward to visiting -- like a family to belong to--and we all belong to the same family here. Once you walk through that door there is no more Black, White, Indian, Asian; you are a friend and family. There is not a more diverse place in the city.” Most discussions about the North Side Community Recreation Center focus on the sports amenities it promises, on the multi-million cost of the project, and on the financial assets it can bring to the neighborhood. Energy and spirit, diversity and community are less frequently addressed. When asked about the future with the North Side Community Recreation Center, Ramona said, “The transition from this YMCA to the city community center is going to be so important. We’ve gotten some of the material things that we want, but we have to talk to the Des Moines Parks and Recreation department about the importance of hiring people in the community, the importance of making sure the director is somebody of color, somebody who knows the community.” Rick and Ramona talk about the direct line from the groundbreaking, racially integrated Buxton YMCA of the early 1900s to the Grubb YMCA. They want that lineage of community service and welcoming to continue, whether through the Grubb’s continued existence or through transference to its successor, the North Side Center. But how does an institution get that spirit? How does it maintain it? Rick ascribes it to what he learned from the preceding generation. “They were my mentors, they were just like my uncles. A lot of these guys had a certain grace and character. They were righteous upstanding gentlemen, well-educated , good family men, good community leaders. My mom, my dad, they were all community people and believed in community and believed in building everybody up, so it’s just natural. What I learned from them is what I give back to other folks. The easiest way for me to say it is that I just learned to treat people the way I wanted to be treated. Nothing short of that.” There are many places where we are anonymous. A true community center, the Grubb has gained its strength by being a place where people are seen and heard and welcomed. That spirit does not come from a building’s structure. It comes from the people; it’s within them. From the Buxton YMCA, to the Crocker Street Y, to the Grubb: The North Side Community Recreation Center can inherit this proud legacy. THROUGH SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 More info: desmoinesartcenter.org SUPPORT FOR THIS EXHIBITION PROVIDED BY The Harriet S. and J. Locke Macomber Art Center Fund
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