South Philadelphia: Hawthorne Cultural Center Unites the Community

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Wednesday nights at Hawthorne Cultural Center are particularly hectic due to the variety of programs being held simultaneously. While parents are attending Young Moms’ class, children are doing art projects or watching movies. In another room, a tai chi and kung fu fusion class open to adults and children takes place.

The center, located on 12th and Carpenter streets, immediately stands out. The building, covered in colorful ceramic hand prints, is home to a community center that specializes in the arts.

Hawthorne serves as a gathering place for a diverse crowd. The programs offered attract families from all over the city. Homework help, martial arts classes, arts programs and family support groups give visitors the opportunity to exchange new ideas with others.

Kung fu and tai chi instructor Mujah Rudi said that Hawthorne Cultural Center gives people in the community an opportunity to do things they have never done before.
“My class gives the adults a chance to relax and express themselves. They get to do something new. There aren’t really a lot of places around here for tai chi,” said Rudi.

The center’s instructors and program coordinators take pride in being a part of the Hawthorne community. Ruth Scott serves as an art coordinator and childcare facilitator at the center. Her art room is covered in glass mosaic works and other student created pieces.

Scott’s students designed a series of Nutcracker puppets last year made with common household items. The dolls,

which are on display in the art room, are a prime example of the innovative way things are done at Hawthorne.

“This is one of the only art centers to still make puppets like this. This was made using nothing but duct tape and paint. You just don’t see this at other centers anymore,” said Scott of an 8-year old student’s Mother Ginger doll.

Scott runs from art room to game room on Wednesday night making sure that all children are accounted for while their parents are attending Young Moms.

The Young Moms’ program is a six-month class that culminates in a graduation. It allows young parents to voice their frustrations and find alternative ways to express anger. Psychologist Linda Schubert, who runs the program, explained that people enjoy the class so much that they take it again after graduation.

“People keep taking the class because they enjoy it, but ideally, we would like them to take what they’ve learned here and apply it at home,” said Schubert.

Young Moms is a safe place to talk about things going on at home, which attracts new participants. After the discussion portion of the program, the parents have dinner at the center with their children. Hawthorne then provides taxi services to those who do not live in the area to ensure that they get home safely. The program is free of cost to those enrolled.

In fact, all of the services and programs at Hawthorne are free or low cost. Director Theresa Williams has been overseeing functions at the center for five years. Funding is a constant worry. The City of Philadelphia provides recreation centers with the space to hold their programs; however, the centers are responsible for their utility and repair bills.

“Most of our funding comes from outside grants. Members of the community also do what they can to make sure we stay up and running. Sometimes when we need repairs, there are people from the community that come in and do them free of charge,” Williams said.

Much of what goes on at Hawthorne is a community effort. Students from the neighboring Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts collaborate with the center to produce shows and create art pieces. Neighborhood residents also volunteer their time to help run the programs at Hawthorne.

While the dedication of the community is helpful, the center still needs a steady advisory board to run internal functions efficiently.

“We currently have advisory board members, but nothing gets done. The positions don’t really mean anything, so we need to work on developing that,” said Williams.

At a recent committee meeting, elections were held for a new advisory board. The committee is currently working on redefining the roles of the board members. Williams hopes that this will result in a positive change for the center.

The Hawthorne Cultural Center is currently accepting volunteer and donations for its programs. For more information, visit the Philadelphia Department of Human Services site here.