Eastside Park Community Center

Beginning in the 1980s, Eastside Park became the focus of significant revitalization efforts after years of economic hardship, deteriorating housing, and concerns about neighborhood safety. In the early 1990s, Project Homestead, Habitat for Humanity, and Greensboro’s Episcopal Housing built 60 homes and renovated 50 apartments in the East Greensboro neighborhood.

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Around that time, Westminster’s Session was exploring how the congregation might help address racial divisions in Greensboro. At a housing summit in the spring of 2000, the Rev. Cindy Higgins of Westminster and Eastside Park resident Linda Jones began discussing the possibility of a partnership. Listening sessions followed, giving residents an opportunity to identify the neighborhood’s needs and priorities. A central concern was the well-being and future of its young people—what residents described as “losing their children.”

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An after-school program began in the home of resident Marie Stamey, but it quickly outgrew the available space. From that need came the idea of creating a community center. North Carolina A&T State University, Crown Automotive, local Rotary clubs, John Lomax Construction, VF Corporation, Jefferson-Pilot, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and other community partners joined the effort.

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Bringing that vision to life took time. Land was acquired from the city, funds were raised, and construction began in April 2002. The Eastside Park Community Center, established as an independent nonprofit organization, opened that September. Its After-School Homework Help and Tutoring Program soon began serving neighborhood children.

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For more than 20 years, Westminster remained actively involved in the neighborhood and the community center. Over time, leadership changed both within Eastside Park and at Westminster. The COVID-19 pandemic brought additional challenges, including the closure of the after-school program and a decline in activity at the center.

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The Eastside Park Community Center’s board continues to maintain the building, which is currently used primarily for special events such as birthday and graduation celebrations. Westminster has begun reconnecting with residents and exploring how it can support the neighborhood’s hopes for the center’s future. Any renewed vision must be shaped by the people of Eastside Park—their ideas, knowledge, leadership, and commitment will determine what comes next.

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Interested in supporting this work? Contact Scott Neely at scott.neely@westpreschurch.org.