The Aquilian February 2019 Volume 81, Number 4
By: Luke Elliott ‘21 Contributor
Gonzaga College High School Men For Others Since 1821
19 Eye St, NW Washington, DC 20001
The McKenna Center Renovation
Early in January the Father McKenna Center, in the basement of St. Al’s, began what will be a year of renovations. Dr. Kimberly Cox, President of the McKenna Center, says that the five main aspects of the renovations include increasing the number of bathrooms, expanding the number of seats in the dining room, adding a classroom/meeting room for small groups, upgrading the food pantry, and creating new offices for the Center’s staff. Dr. Cox and the McKenna Center team are concerned with upholding the dignity of the men who come through the Center’s doors. By only having three bath-
room stalls and not enough tables for people to eat at during mealtimes, the setting can be rather uncomfortable. There are five different groups that eat in the Center, and it provide safe spaces for the men to share their feelings and get the support they need to make changes in their lives. These groups currently meet in the library, which also acts as the main hallway between the chapel and the offices, so there is no truly private setting for the men right now. The food pantry does not have heating or air conditioning, which is particularly unsafe in the winter and summer months. “This is not good for the food that we have in storage, and it is even worse for our food pantry patrons, many of whom
are elderly,” says Cox. As of right now, two of the staff members are using old closets as offices, which makes it impossible to hold a private meeting with someone. Dr. Cox says that the planning for these renovations has been going on for several years. The previous director of the McKenna Center began the process with the McKenna Center Board of Directors back in 2013, the same year that the first draft of the plan was created. In the fall of 2015, the Board held a strategic planning retreat and identified the McKenna Center’s need for improving its facilities as one of its four strategic priorities. Dr. Cox met with the principal architect of the project from Stoiber + Associates, Jeff Stoi-
ber, in early 2016. They had many conversations about the uses of the facilities, the mission of the Center, and all of the programs that take place. Dr. Cox describes being able to imagine the future of the McKenna Center and the great impact it will have on people’s lives as a “gift.” The staff at the McKenna Center have been preparing the men for these long renovations for quite a while. They will take a quarter of the Center out of commision during each of the four phases of construction. Cortez McDaniel, Director of Services for the Center, says, “We have made do far too long in making the basement of a church function as a social services center. I am happy that we will have
It’s Academic, p.3
Mr. MOCO Snow, p. 5
Squash, p.6
The Oscars, p.7
a building that reflects the mission. I believe the men will be proud to say they come to the Father McKenna Center for services and that they got to be here when the upgrade took place.” One of Dr. Cox’s favorite comments from the men is, “don’t make it too nice - no one will want to leave!” Dr. Cox emphasizes that Gonzaga students make an immense difference when they serve at the Center during their lunch periods. She hopes that the renovations will not deter students from continuing to do so. She added that the biggest thing you can do is to bring “warmth and friendliness with you to put smiles on peoples’ faces.” Dr. Cox and the rest of Continued on p. 2