Walking
into the Long Beach Island Community Center, better known as the St.
Francis Community Center,
is like attending a great, big family reunion. Working staff and
volunteers co-mingle with visiting members, laughing and chatting
about everything and anything. The conversation topics range from
recent recreational events to the hectic Causeway traffic and
sometimes-crazy Island weather. It is plain to see that an immediate
and overwhelming sense of community exists within the confines of the
center – a mission the organization has maintained over the past 40
years.
“It’s
really a great facility. The brains behind it were very
forward-thinking in what needed to be done,” she said. “And we’re
very lucky to have it here in Ocean County – I mean very lucky to
have it here. You can see the passion in this organization. You know
it’s a friendly place the minute you walk in. When you walk in the
door, you know this is some place that you feel safe, and you feel
like you want to be here.”
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| Photo Courtesy of SFCC 1972: This summer marks 40 years since the original center was dedicated by Bishop George W. Ahr. |
In
1972, Long Beach Island was much more of a seasonal destination than
it is now. The longing for a year-round facility where local
residents of all backgrounds could intertwine with one another was a
prominent force within the community. The St. Francis of Assisi
Parish in Brant Beach understood that need. In July 1972, the friars
raised enough funds for a new building to be erected behind the
church for the purpose of serving the public.
Activities
at the center began with senior services and recreational events such
as a lunch program and social games, along with volunteer
opportunities. More senior services were added over the years to
include home-delivered meals, health screenings, transportation,
fitness classes, day trips and workshops.
In
the late 1970s, the outdoor pools, tennis courts and large
recreational gymnasium were the focal points of the St. Francis
Community Center, alongside the saunas, weight room and firing kiln,
which are no longer in existence. Recreational activities now
encompass sports lessons, arts and crafts, card games and dancing.
A
counseling services center was opened later, offering family,
educational and self-help support services. A youth services office
followed shortly thereafter.
The
center’s most recent additions include an indoor aquatics center,
built in 2003, and renovation of the outdoor pool area, completed in
May 2005. A second floor was added to the back of the building, known
as the “knight wing,” where the parish offices are now located.
In
a nod to environmental advocacy, the center has also been home to a
clam nursery, or upweller, a project managed by ReClam
the Bay for the past six years.
Special
events have grown to include art and antiques shows, raffles, a
Festival of the Sea carnival (Aug. 8-12 this year) and an 18-mile run
(Oct. 7), founded in memory to the 11 Israeli athletes killed by
terrorists during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. A generation
later, the three-quarter marathon is also dedicated to the memory of
the nearly 3,000 who died on 9/11.
The
St. Francis Community Center supports all of Ocean County and has
expanded its support services to the mainland. A satellite office in
Manahawkin – the Ocean County Southern Services Center – serves
all of Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton, Eagleswood, Stafford, Barnegat
and Waretown. The Berkeley satellite office in Bayville serves Lacey,
Ocean Gate, Pine Beach, South Toms River, Beachwood and Berkeley.
“It’s
great because we have the senior population and we have the children
– we have 14-month-old and preschool kids here. It’s wonderful
because there’s events that happen, and everyone can all come
together in the gymnasium and be with everyone else,” said Connie
Becraft, executive director.
 |
| Photo by Kristin Blair 2003: One of the center's most recent additions includes an indoor aquatics center. |
In
honor of the St. Francis Community Center’s 40th anniversary,
the organization scheduled three events this year that are, of
course, open to the public.
“We’re
holding three different types of events with three different price
points for three different types of audiences. So there’s something
for everyone here – if you live locally, or if you come down to the
Island in the summertime,” said Lori Dudek, communications
coordinator. “We want everyone to be able to celebrate our
40th anniversary; we want to make sure everybody is included in
one way or another.”
A
celebratory brunch was held in April where families and parishioners
reminisced about the past 40 years over an assortment of breakfast
and lunch foods, served by Touch of Elegance Catering (Sweet
Jenny’s in
Barnegat).
An LBIsland
luau will
take place on the bayfront premises, 47th Street
in Brant Beach, on Saturday, July 14 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Beach
Haven Catering will be serving up hors d’oeuvres, roast
pig with roasted pineapple barbeque sauce, coleslaw, macaroni and
cheese, salad and spirits. A raw clam bar provided by the Bay
Shellfish Restoration Program and ReClam the Bay will also be
included. Musicians and Hawaiian hula dancers will help you
dance the night away. Tickets to the event cost $60 a person ($50 if
bought by July 7).
Raffle
tickets for
a chance to win a $5,000 gift certificate from Home
Town Travel in Manahawkin cost $25 each, sold only to the
first 1,000 purchasers.
And
for the postseason, a 40th Anniversary
Gala will
be held at the Sea
Shell Resort and Beach Club in Beach Haven on Friday, Sept.
28 from 6 to 11 p.m. The night will consist of cocktails, dinner and
dancing. The winner of the Home Town Travel gift certificate will be
selected and announced that night. Event tickets costs $150 a person.
Scrapbooks
of old newspaper clippings and a photo slide show showcasing the past
40 years at the St. Francis Community Center will be on display at
both upcoming events. A “Then and Now” picture DVD can
be ordered for $15.
This article was published in The Beachcomber.
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