Community Centers Program

Oakwood Forest and the Community Enrichment Center

Contact for Community Enrichment Center: Natacha Nikokeza at 336.334.5466 or n_nikoke@uncg.edu.

Contact for Oakwood Forest: Allyson Crickenberger at 336-355-8506 or a_crickenbe@uncg.edu.

Goal

The CNNC Community Centers Program at Oakwood Forest and the Community Enrichment Center all facilitate the integration of immigrants and refugees into the community with equity and a sense of justice through a focus on:

  • Education
  • Health
  • Employment
  • Cultural Brokering
  • Referral
  • Advocacy

Find out more about our community centers:

Programs

The two centers: Oakwood Forest and the Community Enrichment Center provide:

  • ESOL classes (group and one-on-one)
  • Employment readiness sessions, as part of the GREAT program
  • American cultural and social education
  • After-school tutoring for K-12 students
  • Social enrichment activities, field trips and summer programming for youth
  • Health and safety classes
  • Forums to educate parents in the complex on issues of safety, health, childcare
  • Case management services
  • Weekly visits by Congregational Nurses

Get Involved

Serve as an AmeriCorps Member

Each year the majority of the programs and services offered at the centers are coordinated by AmeriCorps Members! The Community Centers partner with two different AmeriCorps programs: 1. ACCESS and 2. the Partnership to End Homelessness.

Find out more about the ACCESS Project and apply.

Become an Intern

Annually, the Community Centers Program hosts between 15-30 student interns!  Open to undergraduate, and graduate-level students, and non-degree seeking individuals, we accept interested applicants from any background.

Check out what some of our past interns have said about their experience, see our intern FAQs, and find out how to apply.

Volunteer

Our Community Centers Program is always looking for volunteers! We work with over 600 volunteers every year. We work with individuals and groups of volunteers. Some opportunities include:

  • After-school tutoring immigrant and refugee youth
  • Building mentoring relationships with newcomer youth and young adults
  • Assisting with English, Citizenship and Job Training classes for adults
  • Providing much-needed childcare and preschool aged programming for toddlers
  • Provide social enrichment programs for youth through boys and girls groups, sports teams and special interest groups
  • Provide health information to adults through one-time or ongoing sessions
  • Beautification projects at the centers including painting, cleaning organizing supplies, etc
  • The opportunities are endless!

Find out more and how to get started.

Donations the Community Centers are currently seeking:

  • Office supplies: staplers, staples, tape dispensers, scotch tape, whiteboard markers, whiteboard erasers, whiteboard cleaning spray, scissors
  • School supplies: calculators, pencils, glue sticks, chalkboard chalk, chalkboard erasers, spiral notebooks, good pencil sharpeners, backpacks
  • Art supplies: washable paint, individual Elmer’s glue, craft glitter, white poster board, seasonally oriented crafts, pipe cleaners
  • Household items: plastic reusable cups, paper towels, Clorox wipes, disinfectant spray, sponges, dish soap, hand soap, toilet paper, 13-gallon trash bags
  • Outside activities: soccer balls, soccer ball pump, sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, Frisbees
  • Dictionaries for adults and youth
  • Books: children’s books, young adult
  • Clothing of all sizes, particularly GCS SMOD clothing and new or gently used bathing suits
  • Winter clothes
  • GTA bus passes
  • Make a monetary gift
    • $15 a month/$180 a year ensures one child participants in educationally and socially enriching programming all year long including having a safe place to go after-school and having engaging activities to participate in throughout the summer
    • $500 covers one month of sponsorship at one of our three community center sites ensuring adults who need work have a place to seek assistance in filling out job applications, individuals with chronic conditions can weekly visit a congregational nurse and community health worker, and newcomers need to improve their English can receive one-on-one tutoring

Population/Area Served

Residents of the Oakwood Forest and Community Enrichment Center neighborhoods and the surrounding community.

Referral

To make a referral for case management or employment services, please complete our referral form and submit it to Natacha Nikokeza via email at n_nikoke@uncg.edu.

Sponsoring Source

Local university service-learning students, interns, community volunteers, United Way of Greater Greensboro, the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, the Weaver Foundation and NC Council for Women.

United Way of Greater Greensboro

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