ILLUMINATING BAYARD x West Chester
This socially-distanced, CDC-compliant event will be presented by Peopleâs Light and hosted at the outdoor basketball courts.
Category: Community News
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Serving Our Community During COVID
Since 1918, the Melton Center has provided programming to West Chesterâs marginalized communities through educational, recreational cultural, and civic services. The need for resources and programs has never been greater. Due to COVID-19, we were unable to host our usual fundraising events and lost income from our regular facilities rentals. We are hosting this virtual event to continue to support needed programs.
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Since March 2020, we have temporarily realigned our mission to meet the basic and intermediate needs of the community we serve. We have been able to feed over 500 families and provide safe and much needed recreational activities for the east end of West Chester and beyond. Here are a few ways weâve served our community: Â
- Every week, our community volunteers have delivered hundreds of meals to nearly 100 homebound and vulnerable residences including Union Court, Locust Court Apartments, Apartments of Modern Living, Church Street Housing, and Denny Reyburn Apartments. Â
- Despite blistering temperatures, our volunteers completed our Outdoor Beautification Project. Throughout the fall, that was used by New Direction students and MOBBY participants. In partnership with FOSCI, The Center held our 1st “Melton Pot” Garden Party and fundraiser. We canât wait to celebrate many occasions out there! Â
- Over the summer, we distributed 50 bikes to neighborhood kids in partnership with the Salvation Army, through our Giving Bikes Back Program.Â
- Since July, we have offered COVID-safe, in-person recovery meetings.Â
- The Melton Center also cultivates a community garden, cared for by volunteers. This year, more than 200 pounds of food was donated to local food banks.
- John Humanick Family Foundation awarded us a $95,000 grant to support our programs. We are proud of our long-term relationship with Chester County Adult and Juvenile Probation.Â
- During Thanksgiving, the Trinity AG (West Chester PA) and Brandywine YMCA distributed turkeys, outerwear and bags of food to our neighbors on the East Side.Â
- Mentoring Our Black and Brown Youth (M.O.B.B.Y) is a new program that focuses on young black and brown male students. Bi-weekly meetings and monthly trips provide educational, recreational, cultural and civic experiences for these youth.Â
- During the holidays, our generous community donated holiday gifts for our New Directions students through a toy drive organized by Limoncello West Chester, Limoncello Chester Springs, Bar Avalon, and Toys for Tots. Â
- The Melton Center was one of the few places where community service volunteers could do their court mandated volunteer hours. Â
- Construction began on The Melton Center Apartments. Â
- While most recreational places were closed during the pandemic, in compliance with CDC protocols, our gym has continued to offer a safe place for students to play basketball after school.Â
- Two donors have also offered safe gym and rec time for community members. Â
- In January, we hired three new staff members. Â
- Our New Directions Program has engaged 30 students in grades K-8 in more than 350 hours of virtual tutoring, mentoring, and enrichment to support their academic and social-emotional well-being. Thank you to the more than 50 volunteers from West Chester University, our local high schools, and our community who have made this possible!Â
We look forward to holding our first-ever virtual fundraiser, The Melton Center Presents: A Night for CommUnity, on Saturday, April 10 to raise awareness and support for our programs. We hope you’ll join us by purchasing a ticket or becoming a sponsor!
County Lines Magazine: Faces of Philanthropy
"Last March, the Melton Center closed its building to the public due to the pandemic. The resilient staff continued to provide resources and support for West Chester families during this challenging time.
Programs included partnering with other organizationsâWest Chester Area School District, Chester County Food Bank, Oscar Lasko YMCA, and Safe Harbor of West Chesterâto collect and disseminate essentials."
County Lines Magazine
"Faces of Philanthropy
COVID Updates and Hours
We hope you are all well during this unprecedented time. As Chester County moves into the Green Phase of re-opening, we are pleased to be able to open our building once again at 50% capacity.
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However, knowing that the risks of COVID-19 are still very much present and real, it is imperative that the Melton Center and all of our visitors take every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of our staff, patrons, and community.Â
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We ask for your patience, understanding and support while we get through this as a community. We are a small business/Non-Profit directly affected by this current situation and we are doing our best to make it through this difficult time.
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We promise you will be the first to know when we have an update. In the meantime, our offices will be closed until further notice with limited administrative capacity. We very much look forward to seeing everyone when this is over!
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Thank you in advance of your full cooperation during these trying times. If you have any questions, please email Renee at rwashington@meltoncenter.org, Jackie at info@meltoncenter.org, or Ken Winston kennethwinston1@comcast.net.
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Office Hours
Monday – Thursday 10-4
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Please stay safe and well,
Sincerely, Charles A. Melton Arts & Education Center
All visitors must agree to the following:Â
- Â No one who is exhibiting any symptoms of illness or has knowingly been exposed to COVID-19 is permitted to enter the building.Â
- All patrons must have their temperature checked before entering the building. Temperature may not be 100.4 or higher. If Melton Center staff are not present for your meetings, then a member of your organization must be designated to take temperatures using a contactless thermometer. This procedure must be documented for every member of every meeting.Â
- Face coverings are required to be worn at all times by everyone in the building and are to be worn properly so as to cover the personâs nose and mouth. Â
- All visitors must sign in/sign out on the provided sign-in sheet every time they enter the building.Â
- Hand sanitizer must be provided upon entry to the building, and frequent handwashing is encouraged. Â
- All meetings must follow the CDC social distancing guidelines of 6 feet between people at all times.Â
- We ask rental organizations to use disinfectant to wipe down their chairs, tables, and high-touch surfaces (doorknobs, railings) after meetings. The Melton Center will thoroughly clean and disinfect rooms and bathrooms in between uses, but we ask organizations to sanitize surfaces during use as well to help protect our staff.Â
- The Melton Center must be notified immediately if anyone who has been in the building tests positive for COVID-19 or is exposed to COVID-19. Â
- All visitors must follow all CDC, state, and local health and safety recommendations at all times.Â
- Anyone who does not comply with these will rules will be asked to leave.Â
Open GymÂ
- We will have open gym hours from Monday â Thursday from 11 am to 3 pm. The gym is closed on Fridays. Â
- Everyone must adhere to the rules above. If anyone is seen without a mask, the gym will close for the day. Â
- The capacity for the gym is 25 people. Once we have reached that, the gym will be closed to new players until current players have left. Â
In the News: Dorsey added to Borough Council line up
Council members, in a virtual session Wednesday, voted 5-1 to appoint Lisa Dorsey, who serves as president of the Melton Center Board of Directors, to represent Ward 7 on council.