YOUR AD HERE »

Christian Center capital campaign enters public phase 

Construction will help nonprofit serve better

For the past 17 years, the Christian Center of Park City has helped local residents who are in need of food, clothing, counseling and other basic needs.

In 2015, the nonprofit, rated as a four-star charity by Charity Navigator, started its private phase of a capital campaign that would raise money for construction of a new building, and for the renovation of its existing structure located at 1283 Deer Valley Drive.

The financial goal of the capital campaign is $7.3 million and the private phase raised more than 60 percent of that mark, said Rob Harter, executive director of the Christian Center of Park City.

“Once we got to the 60 percent mark, a private donor locked in a line of credit for the construction to make sure there wouldn’t be any interruption in the project,” Harter said during an interview with The Park Record. “It’s going really well, despite the snow. It’s all on schedule and Oakland Construction has done a great job.”

Last week, Harter announced the public phase of the capital campaign.

“A few weeks ago, the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation gave us a $500,000 grant that has turned into a matching grant challenge for the community,” Harter said. “We are now turning to the community and asking them to help us match that grant, and raise the remaining 38 percent of our goal.”

There are three options for public donations:

  • Mailing donations to CCPC, P.O. Box 683480, Park City Utah, 84068
  • Calling in donations to 435-649-2260
  • Donating online at http://www.ccofpc.org and clicking on Building Fund“There is not a deadline for donations, but our goal is to at least match the $500,000 grant by July,” Harter said.

    July is when construction on the new building should be finished.

    “We would like to move in by August, and once that happens, we’ll turn our attention to the current building, which will be remodeled and expanded,” Harter said. “We really want to make sure our new building is done before we start this second stage of the process.”

    The remodel will take another eight months or so.

    Anyone who wants to see renderings of the new buildings can visit http://www.ccopc.org to watch a video. People can also visit the Christian Center to see printed renditions during hard-hat tours.

    “The first hard-hat tour will be Friday, March 24, and we want to host two a month,” Harter said. “People can see the various sections of the building, including our expanded food pantry, learning kitchen and counseling center. People can also call the Christian Center and setup private tours.”

    Harter said the expansion and construction will help the Christian Center continue its mission to serve Park City.

    “The Christian Center has been around for 17 years, and it’s become clear that the needs we are providing and the needs that we are meeting are critical,” he said. “We help people who are hungry, or who need other assistances with rent, clothes, furniture. The list goes on.

    “So, we wanted to build something that will be a lasting legacy, a permanent location for the Christian Center where we can continue and increase those services for the growing needs we see.”

    Helping the public with their mental health is one of those services.

    “Currently the nonprofit employs six professionally trained counselors, including a Spanish speaking counselor, on staff to help meet mental health issues in our community,” Harter said.

    “We have seen an up-tick in that need. And we do have a scholarship fund that will help people who can’t pay for full sessions of counseling.”

    Another need the Christian Center fulfills in the community is a food pantry.

    “I think people are continuing to learn that there are some people in Park City who need food,” Harter said. “The Park City Education Foundation found that this year, 24 percent of students in Park City School District qualify for free and reduced-price lunches, under the federal guidelines.”

    Most of those students are members of families the Christian Center serves.

    “These families also need jackets, boots, gloves, clothing and other basic things that other families take for granted,” Harter said.

    While the Christian Center does provide families with these services, the ultimate goal is to help these families out of a tight spot so they can eventually provide for themselves.

    “We had a gentleman that came through our food pantry and he pulled me aside and told me that he had grown up in a very low-income family and would have to go to food pantries,” Hater said. “He told me he was so embarrassed that they had to do that, but also said the pantries are what kept his family alive.”

    The man is now in a successful professional career and donated food to the Christian Center.

    “He told us that food pantries such as ours help people get out of situations that families find themselves in,” Harter said.

    Another woman told Harter she discovered the Christian Center during a critical time of her life.

    “She was also able to donate to us and said that our food pantry and thrift store had helped her get back on her feet,” Harter said. “She told us that we met her at the right time and now she has enough to give back because there are people who we need to meet.”

    For information about the Christian Center of Park City or to donate to its capital campaign, visit http://www.ccofpc.org.

Entertainment


See more

Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Park City and Summit County make the Park Record's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.