The Center’s History

The Center was originally incorporated in 1922 as the Newport Community Center and was renamed in honor of Dr. King in June 1968 to commemorate his death. The founders were a group of Newporters who looked around the community, saw that the needs of their neighbors were going unaddressed, and decided to do something about it. They were Joanna Buffum, whose husband William served in the RI Legislature, Arthur Leland, Harold A. Peckham, the Hon. William P. Sheffield, Jr., who was at one-time City Solicitor for Newport, and Agnes C. Storer, whose husband Horatio was a prominent Boston physician and obstetrician. All were members of the Board of the Newport Historical Society at the time. The Historical Society had just been left the Great Friends Meeting House on the corner of Marlborough and Farewell Streets and was looking for a way to breathe new life into the old building, while honoring the legacy of its founders.

From its 1922 opening, the Center immediately became a gathering place for people of all cultures and communities. Its board, staff, and clients were from every background and every neighborhood in town. The Newport Players’ Guild ran a very active community theatre program and performed frequently at the Center. The theatre was also used for fashion and talent shows as well as other community presentations. As a youth recreation facility, it was THE place to go after school, on weekends, and in the summertime. A fondly remembered feature was its playground and adjacent basketball court. Over the years, there were also classes on cooking, arts and crafts, sewing, music, and drama. The Center hosted its own 4H chapter, two Girl Scout Troops and the Boy Scouts Troop 1. The Rhode Island Urban League got its start at the Center. The place was fondly called, “the Rec,” for its recreation programs, but also eventually because of its state of disrepair.

By 1945, the need for a more active, user-friendly facility became obvious. Wheeler Weston was hired as janitor and general supervisor of building and grounds. William Harrison became the first African-American Board Member, and Win Mason was appointed to study building improvements. As a result, the mortgage was increased, and a three-year rehabilitation process undertaken. In 1947, the association was incorporated. A Board of Directors, bylaws, and a constitution were put into place.

The Center also began hiring paid professional staff to run its programs and to supervise community volunteers. Community groups were also asked to pay rent for space. The RI Foundation and the Community Chest made grants to the organization, and a second African-American joined the Board.

In 1946, the Center instituted a summer Youth Hostel program which involved adding housing, showers, and a kitchen to the facility. Community support came from local businesses, the Navy, Red Cross, and community members who donated everything from a piano to kitchenware as well as their time and talent.

In 1951, for the first time, the City of Newport supported the Center with a $2,500 grant. But a survey by the National Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers found that the Newport Community Center operated out of an unsuitable building, needed more professional staff and more programs to appropriately address the social needs and problems of the community. Nevertheless, the Center continue to operate with little financing, a small staff, and enthusiastic and energetic volunteers.

Early in 1960, at the time when the Community Chest cut funding to the Center by a third, the question of selling the old Meeting House arose. The Board agreed that, unless a property that would allow the Center to conduct its full array of programs could be found, the Center would continue to operate in its current location. They appointed William Weston to the position of Director. Mrs. Alan Gibson was employed as the “girls’ worker.” Funding was restored.

In 1967, the West Broadway USO building became city property and available for a reasonable price because the military had been integrated and no longer needed the facility, which had been built in 1940-41 by the US Navy to house activities and programs for servicemen of color. During segregation, the Armed Services YMCA a few blocks away (now Newport’s local shelter) had been off limits -- except at certain hours -- to black soldiers and sailors. The Center’s cinderblock bunker was capable of housing 90 men upstairs as well as accommodating dances, games, and plays in the gymnasium. The building’s deliberately unremarkable façade was meant to conceal the nature of the services inside.

The National Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers was asked to survey this property. Their recommendations about utilizing the space and establishing programs were accepted. The RI Foundation provided major funding for the purchase and renovation of the USO. The building was sold to the Newport Community Center in 1967 and renamed in honor of Dr. King in June of 1968.

In 1970, Ron Miller became the first African-American Board Chair. His concern was with responsibility – personal, civic, and racial. He was followed by Thornton Drummond who headed what had become a mainly African-American Board. The United Way continued to be a major funder.

Dr. Rowena Stewart followed Warren Weston as Executive Director and began many of the programs operating today…college trips, outreach, high school equivalency, teenagers’ “lounge,” college tutorials, and strong alliances with government agencies. She also implemented the Adolescent Residential Center, the first in Rhode Island. It operated successfully for three years until funds were no longer available. At this time, too, operating guidelines, personnel policies, and job descriptions were updated.

In 1982, Marcia G. Farrar was appointed Executive Director. During her tenure, a multi-year plan was developed. The result was a capital campaign which returned the Center to fiscal strength, enabling the implementation of Day Care and After School Programs, the Feed a Friend Food Pantry, breakfast and senior citizen programs.

The following years were difficult ones, starting with the illness and untimely passing of Marcia Farrar. Three Executive Directors followed, but none was the right fit for the organization, which began to struggle from the lack of consistent leadership. Suggestions were made to merge the Center with another Newport social services agency, New Visions. Elsie Yates Goodrum, a Newport native and New Visions employee, was appointed interim Executive Director at this time. Elsie Goodrum had grown up in the community, with “the Rec” a part of her adolescence. Knowing that the MLKCC had a unique role and filled a unique need in the community, she committed to its leadership. Merger talks ceased, and in 1992, the Center began to renovate.

In 1999 Elsie Goodrum notified the Board of her family’s plans to relocate, and Amanda Frye Leinhos joined the Center as Executive Director. During her tenure, the number of clients served has grown, and the programs proven their success.

The food pantry supplied 41,040 meals in 2007 --an increase of more than 50% over 2006, surpassing the previous record high of 32,310 meals. The total number of food program meals was a record total of 69,211 meals provided to the community.

The Center’s Lighthouse Preschool has been certified as a Center of Excellence by the Federal Early Reading First Initiative for its outstanding early literacy program. The Lighthouse is one of fewer than 60 preschools nationwide to achieve this designation.

In 2005, the Center’s summer literacy program became the model for all Reading Reaps Rewards programs sponsored by Newport Public Schools; and in 2007 its Summer Literacy Scores were the highest in the city for the 5th straight year of data collection. 97% of students maintained or improved their reading scores, 85% increased, and 12% maintained their scores

Teen Center attendees have a consistently high HS graduation rate (100% over the last five years among teens who attend at least once a week), and a correspondingly high college enrollment rate (90% over the last five years for this group). The program, based on the three themes of ScholarShip, LeaderShip, and CitizenShip, offers a wide variety of academic and enrichment activities six days a week for middle and high school students, including regular college tours, community service, and civic engagement projects.