Groundbreaking to be held today for COME Center

By Kristin Edwards
Staff Reporter

May 09, 2008 10:04 pm

— The groundbreaking ceremony for the future Community Organization for Missionary Endeavor center will be held at 10 a.m. today behind the Walker County Senior Center.
According to Georgia Elmer, COME center executive director, the ceremony will include several addresses by county dignitaries and center board members.
“Everybody’s really excited about this groundbreaking,” she said. “Hopefully, we can bring everybody together so the community can support us and help us get this building going. We’ve been here since 1962, and all we’re interested in doing is helping out our local residents.”
Walker County Judge Danny Pierce, several members of the COME center board and representatives from non-profit agencies in Walker County will attend the groundbreaking, Elmer said.
“We’ve invited all of Walker County and other non-profit agencies like United Way,” Elmer said. “We’re also supposed to be having entertainment and speeches from the judge and from our board president.
“Following the groundbreaking, we’re going to have a barbecue at the Walker County Senior Center sponsored by the First United Methodist Church Men and the senior center.”
The current COME center building will also be open during the time between the groundbreaking ceremony and the barbecue.
“Our volunteers are going to have our current space open so people can see what we’re working with,” Elmer said. “If they look around, they should be able to tell why we need a new building.”
Elmer said the COME center is still in the process of raising the necessary funds to continue the new building’s construction.
“We’re trying to work on some grants, but we need more money to match the funds available through grants,” she said. “Hopefully, the community will pull together and help us build this center, because it’s all for them.
“I really do think Walker County can come together and do this.”
Barbecue will be available beginning at 11 a.m. for $5, and Elmer said additional donations would be greatly appreciated as the funds will go entirely to the building fund.
For more information regarding the groundbreaking or the COME center, contact the United Way of Walker County at (936) 291-8986.