John Davis, left, a police officer with the Knightstown Police Dept, left, and Kelly Hall are senior directors and founders of The Cary Center, a community center in neighboring Knightstown. The Cary Center, renovated from a baptist church, will be available for the public in Henry and Hancock Counties.
KNIGHTSTOWN — Eight months after it first opened, the Cary Center in Knightstown is on its way to becoming a thriving community center offering a variety of programming each week.
The center is housed in a former church at 25 S. Washington St.
The Knightstown Community Education and Law Enforcement Foundation bought the building in February and has since worked to transform it into a space where the community — especially youth — can gather and get support.
The center was created to be a one-stop-shop for people in need — whether it’s food, clothing, counseling or simply a safe place to hang out.
“Whatever the needs are, the Cary Center is going to try to provide it,” said the center’s director, Kelly Hall, a school nurse and community relations coordinator for the Charles A. Beard Memorial School Corp.
As such, she’s been running a food pantry for Charles A. Beard Schools while New Palestine residents Kip and Stacey Bancroft have been running Stacy’s Sharing Closet, a clothing boutique for Charles A. Beard Schools.
Hall is in the process of also offering a food pantry at the Cary Center, which she hopes will become a one-stop shop for support as well as a fun place for the community to gather.
Cary Center volunteers hosted a trunk-or-treat event there Oct. 8 and plan to host a cookies with Santa event in December.
Hall said the center’s ongoing renovations and overall concept are going better than she ever could have imagined.
The former church sanctuary has been transformed into an event space that will be rented out to help cover expenses and support programming at the community center.
“It’s been completely redone with new paint, lights and flooring, and we’re renting it out for weddings, showers and parties, that kind of thing,” said Hall.
“I’ve been getting a lot of calls to rent it and book it, which is great. We have $1,700 a month we have to pay in bills for our mortgage, etc., so we have to rent out this space,” she said.
She and the Cary Center’s assistant director, John Davis, a sergeant for the Knightstown Police Department, are brainstorming ways to raise funds and secure grants for the center.
When the former church building was first acquired, Davis expressed gratitude to the board members and volunteers who made the dream a reality.
“There are a lot of people behind the scenes who have made it happen,” he said.
Davis and Hall both say a community center has been long overdue in Knightstown.
“I don’t believe there’s been a community center at all in Henry County, so there was definitely a need,” said Hall, adding that the center is open to all those in the county and outlying areas.
The center’s volunteer staff is preparing to offer after-school programs for kids to provide a safe place for them to socialize and seek any assistance they may need, from clothing to counseling to a free meal. The center is also home to Brianna’s Hope, a recovery addiction program.
“I work at the schools and I see a lot of stuff going on. I know that kids need a safe place to go so they’re not running around on the streets,” said Hall, who hopes to offer outreach programs and community game nights at the center soon.
“We’re just getting started,” she said.
Hall thanks Cary Center board members Mark Haase, Adrian Darling, Jason Kopp, Jennifer Johnson and John Davis for their help.
“They are an amazing board, and we couldn’t do any of this without them,” she said.
The Carey Center is a registered nonprofit organization. Those who wish to donate or volunteer can call Hall at (765) 345-5455, or mail a check to: The Cary Center, P.O. Box 271, Knightstown, IN 46148.
