Community

A Place to CONNECT

Middletown’s community center continues to foster success stories

BY GINNY MCCABE

For generations, the Robert “Sonny” Hill Jr. Community Center (RSHCC) has continued to build success stories—one life at a time.

“One of the biggest things we like to brag about at the center is just how much people feel connected to the community center. Almost every young person in the 1970s went through the community center and grew up there,” says Verlena Stewart, assistant executive director of the Community Building Institute, which manages the center.

As one of the oldest institutions in Middletown, the center has continued to provide a safe, fun and educational environment for members of the community. The center even displays a historical timeline, along with photos of individuals who came through the community center.

Notable names that have been touched by the center include Cris Carter, who played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

“We have also noted individuals like Stephen Hightower, who now has one of the largest Black-owned petroleum companies in the country,” Stewart says.

These individuals and countless others have gone on to be successful in different careers, but as children, they spent time at the center.

“They were all little kids that grew up at the community center, and many of them feel like if it had not been for the community center, they’re not sure which path their lives may have taken. So, the community center is near and dear to many individuals around the city,” Stewart says.

The community center is known as a place where families and parents feel comfortable allowing their children to come to get a hot meal and hang out with their friends, she says.

“I applaud the City of Middletown for their work, and for their continued connection with the community center. We will celebrate 80 years in October 2022 and the City of Middletown has continued to support and invest in this asset that belongs to the community,” says Stewart.

“We are looking at an expansion right now. It’s an expansion made possible through the work of the City of Middletown and the Middletown

The Robert “Sonny” Jill Jr. Community Center offers a variety of programs to residents of all ages, from young children to adults.

City School District. We’re looking at a potential $6.1 million, to as much as $12 million, project, depending upon the final outcome of a grant request pending before the Butler County Commission,” Stewart says.

The potential expansion project would provide better youth services and allow for more space and activities. Offerings could include a culinary component, expanded early education services with a preschool, expanded rental services with a nicer all-purpose center, and a larger STEAM or STEM room with expanded activities, just to name a few. The project is expected to be completed in 2023 with a launch in 2024.

“The community center has always been this asset, this beacon of light for families in the Middletown community. It continues to serve families in the community. We have a much larger, or much broader, outreach now to make sure that everyone feels at home when they walk through the doors of the community center, and that everyone is served,” Stewart says. n