George Washington Carver Community Center

George Washington Carver Community Center fulfills the legacy of black women who believed in the motto "lifting as we climb." , The Colored Women's Aid Club was part of a rich network of women active in the social reform and social welfare statewide and nationally. Founded in 1899, the Peoria Club organized to give "charity in aid of colored people." , On October 9, 1922, the Club opened the Negro Community Center in a house at 108 S. Globe. By 1937, they moved the center to a larger house at 1010 Sanford. In a community-wide effort, the center officially became George Washington Community Center and opened on this site in 1944. , Carver Community Center thrived in the heart of a growing black neighborhood filled with people who left the south searching for a better life. Their neighborhood changed, but Carver remains a significant landmark for their joys, struggles and achievements. , Its hallways know the footsteps of a comedy icon, civil rights leaders, Olympians and local legends in education, sports, the arts, politics, business, medicine and human rights. Generations honor Carver as a beacon of hope and opportunity barely available to them elsewhere. , A small group of women laid the groundwork for a community institution. George Washington Carver Community Center is a testament to the collective work and responsibility true to the meaning of "lifting as we climb."