New West Oakland community center provides social hub

At Friendship Community Presbyterian Church, the idea of building a community center in its West…At Friendship Community Presbyterian Church, the idea of building a community center in its West Oakland neighborhood arose after members of the congregation recognized a need for community outreach in a largely forgotten sector of Pittsburgh.

After three years of planning, the church opened its new community center, The Corner, on Robinson Street last spring. Those involved with the creation of The Corner say it will benefit Pitt students and West Oakland residents alike by providing services that fit individual needs.

Pitt English Professor Mark Kramer, a member of Friendship Community Church and one of the leaders in the push to create The Corner, said the new venue tailors its programs to members of the community.

“The idea here is to engage people socially and at a level to fit their own personal needs,” Kramer said. “We wanted to have a place to express concerns and make plans for organizing activities.”

For Kramer, the opening of The Corner is a tribute to the hard-working members of Friendship Community Church.

According to Kramer, the planning process began after the church hired a consulting firm and surveyed more than 50 people in the area, including local residents and representatives from institutions such as Pitt, Carnegie Mellon, Carlow and UPMC. The survey gauged the interest level of the community in issues affecting area residents.

When church organizers received the results of the survey, Kramer said they decided on a variety of needs to focus on in the neighborhood, including after-school programs for local high school students and job skills training programs.

Since opening its doors, The Corner has served as a site for neighborhood council meetings, as well as a provider of services for area residents.

Kramer said The Corner provides the opportunity for Pitt students, members of the Friendship congregation and local residents to interact — especially during the renovation of the property.

Rahul Joyce, a junior accounting major at Pitt, said in an email that his experience painting and cleaning The Corner before its opening allowed him to meet West Oakland residents and form friendships with other Pitt students.

“It was very fulfilling to know that the local community will be able to enjoy an environment that I had a part in helping clean up,” Joyce said.

Joyce’s involvement in the project began after taking Kramer’s Seminar in Composition class during his freshman year. The class focused on community service, a subject he is passionate about.

“It was wonderful to meet and make new friends from Pitt and with residents around West Oakland who had very similar interests as me,” Joyce said. “It is great to work with a group of people united to make a difference.”

While Joyce said that he would like to eventually attend a program at The Corner during the fall semester, other Pitt students have made the project a part of their studies at Pitt.

Whitney Bosnyak, a student in Pitt’s Graduate School of Social Work, said in an email that she became involved with The Corner through the school’s second-year program placement.

She said The Corner offers a variety of summer programs such as Saturday markets, an open microphone night, nutrition classes, a home-buying workshop and free health screenings.

Bosnynak emphasized that the Saturday morning markets, which take place outside of the community center, have been received positvely by members of the community. During the weekly event, artists and local food vendors sell their products to shoppers from West Oakland and beyond.

Like Kramer, Bosnyak said The Corner is a community-driven project, and its programs reflect the needs of West Oakland residents. For her, this aspect of The Corner promises a positive output from the community center heading into the future.

“In my opinion, the role of a community center in an area as diverse as West Oakland and Oak Hill is a really important one,” Bosnyak said. “I think the more that people can get to know one another and build relationships, the better neighbors they will be, and there will be a greater understanding of various life situations and circumstances.”