11 mo. 2 weeks and 5 days (354 total days) Vol.1 Issue 1

On October 16th, I will celebrate my first year in the position of Executive Director. We have worked hard this past year to reach out beyond 33 Barnett St.. We especially thank those who have joined our email list, visit our website, and just stopped in to say hi.  I invite everyone to our Open House on Oct. 20th.

What attracted me to the Dakota Center was/is/will be the noble and holy work done each day at this community center. Each day we serve over 75 youth and senior citizens impacting their quality of life with programming focused on educating the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. We value the marriage of knowledge with virtue.  By listening, rather than preaching, by encouraging others to meet their potential, by treating all with human dignity and respect, The Dakota Center goes about our work.

Mission:
To provide a safe community atmosphere engaging Dayton West Side neighborhoods in programs to educate the whole person.
Vision:
We develop character values for life to benefit all ages by awakening human creative potential in a climate of tolerance and understanding.
Core Values:
1. Understanding that God desires that love and service manifest their qualities in experience, attitude, compassion, leadership, and action.
2. Development of the individual’s physical, psychological, intellectual, moral, social, and spiritual qualities.
3. Safety in an unsafe world requires prayer, resourcefulness, stewardship, mercy, grace, skills, and appreciation of community.
4. We are dedicated to Building Character, Connecting Communities.

I can help but think our founder Fr. Philip Hoelle, SM (1912-2005) would be proud of our stewardship this past year. Father Hoelle, a Marianist priest, believed in serving others. This spirit of service is alive and well here at the center he founded in 1965. I am blessed to be a part of it. So, here we go on another trip around the sun. Hang on, it is going to be a GREAT one (just like the first!!).