BROTHERS WHO CARE

The Multicultural Outreach Center project offers an opportunity to centralize multi-racial outreach and increase multi-racial contribution in the Hagerstown-Washington County area. The center will help revitalize the historical Jonathan Street neighborhood, a predominantly Black inner-city community.  The multicultural component will build a contact point for minority outreach to Blacks, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans in the Hagerstown-Washington County area.  Bringing resources and outreach to minority populations increases educational, economical and business growth. Below is an outline of those components:

 1. Multi-racial Outreach Services
The center will have offices for Black, Latino, Asian and Native American outreach. Multiple racial groups can have a central place to deal with minority affairs such as: health, education, jobs, housing/home ownership and minority business enterprise.  The cultural affairs office can also serve as a place to deal with racial and cultural conflict issues.
 
2. Museum/Exhibit Area  and Gift Shop
The facility will have a museum/exhibit area for African American, Asian American, Hispanic-Latino and Native American Indian collections to highlight ethnic heritage.  The heritage collection on Hagerstown’s Buffalo Soldier Corporal William O Wilson, housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, is an example of what could go on loan in the Museum/Exhibit Area.   The museum can promote diversity education to our local schools and educational institutes.  A nominal donation fee to tour the museum can help it to be self-sustaining.  The Gift Shop can help generate funding to run the center.
 
3. Community Conference – Banquet Room
This area of the center can be used for community events such as: the Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Dinner, the Annual Neighborhood Youth Rally, musical concerts, dances and other events.  The community room can be used for conferences, banquets, trainings and other community activities.  

4. Public T.V. studio
The studio will offer trainings, facilities and equipment to meet the needs of those who want to make use of the public access cable channel.  A studio for the public to use and produce programming will be cost effective and the location can also serve as the head end connection to broadcast the public access channel.

5. Ann Vesta Doleman Library
Brothers United Who Dare To Care currently houses the Ann Vesta Doleman Library on the second floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center.  The Doleman Library has one of the largest collections of black heritage books, periodicals and videos in Washington County and is expanding into a multicultural collection.
The current library also serves the neighborhood youth groups and residents in need of computer and Internet services.  BUWDTC will contribute this library to the Multicultural Outreach Center.

6. Health & Fitness Area
The health and fitness area will provide outreach to promote proper diet and exercise to reduce minority health disparities including services to deal with juvenile obesity.
Health & fitness classes with proper equipment for cardio and strength training will be available for community use.

7. Multicultural Food Court with indoor/outdoor café
The Food Court can be an attraction that offers various cultural food experiences.  The food court will create business and job opportunities as well as generating revenue for the center.
 

·      Multi-racial Outreach Services

·      Cultural Experiences

·      Education

The Center will be available for Community and Social Events:
Nominal fees will apply to use of the center for Dinners, Dances, Receptions, Family Gatherings, Reunions, Luncheons, Banquets, Fashion Shows, Birthday Parties, Baby Showers, Office Parties, Retirement Parties, Teas, Weddings, Pow Wows, Trade Shows, Flea Markets, Auctions and more. Fees will be used to support the operations of the Multicultural Outreach Center.