The Benefit of Community Centers

By: Briana Hyslop

Another benefit that cultural centers provide by hosting so many events is that they bring the community together. Nearly six in ten people try to give back to the community at cultural centers. About one in ten people, eleven percent, give back in more than four ways. Typically this means they are participating in different organizations or making sure each thing they do targets a different community struggle. While volunteering, people are exposed to fun and fulfilling activities, introduced to people with similar interests, and are informed about local resources. Being more active in one’s community can help provide a better outlook on life. Mental and physical health can also be affected by how involved someone is with their community. People who are more involved in their community are more likely to have less anxiety because of the connections and knowledge about local resources they have acquired. While volunteering, I have run into an older couple many times. They told me that the Mauldin Cultural Center gives them a chance to get out of their house. They mentioned that they wouldn’t usually be as active as they are without the cultural center. Without these opportunities many people may not be as involved in their community and their health may suffer. 

Overall, different cultural centers like the Mauldin Cultural Center are beneficial to the community, because they bring people together and provide opportunities for many people. Most teenagers will take classes or participate in the plays that cultural centers put on for the community. These centers also help to bring people out of their shell as they build confidence over time. While volunteering or participating in an event people are forced to socialize and they end up making friends and connections with others.

Many communities have a cultural center that benefits the majority of the population in more ways than one. According to the Mauldin Cultural Center website, the main purpose of a cultural center is “...to continuously develop a more vibrant community.” These centers do this by providing opportunities to youth groups and bringing the community together. The Mauldin Cultural Center in South Carolina was originally built as Mauldin High School in 1937. Later in 1957, this building was deemed too small for the growing number of high school students who were attending and was turned into an elementary school. Due to the increasing number of people moving to Mauldin, it eventually became too small for an elementary school. In 2003, the city bought the building and the surrounding 14 acres and started building a sports center for the community. Soon an arts center was also built alongside the sports center.          

The Mauldin Cultural Center hosts many different events in the community like “...youth theater programs, local and touring musicians, makers market, art education classes, and festivals.” Youth theater programs have been a big hit at the Mauldin Cultural Center as most of the plays have an average attendance of 100 people per show. The Mauldin Cultural Center website states, “With all events combined the Mauldin Cultural center hosts 30,000 people and 1,000 events per year.”  With this amount of events and plays, the center is one of the biggest providers of the fine arts for Mauldin. These centers also give many people the opportunity to give back to their communities and personally get involved in helping to enrich the community. When asked why she likes to volunteer during her free time, Abby Thomas, the volunteer stage manager for the upcoming Christmas Carol youth play at the Mauldin Cultural Center, said, “Everything they do is just amazing and I like being able to help others.”

The Mauldin Cultural Center has no age limit on who can volunteer and lets people volunteer at their plays, festivals, and many other events. These volunteer opportunities help provide many teengers with the opportunity to either fufill service hours for an extracurricular/club, graduation, or college applications. As a teenager attending Mauldin High School, I have benefited in many ways from volunteering at the Mauldin Cultural Center. Not only have I been able to fill requirements for many school clubs, but I have also developed new/stronger friendships with many of my friends. It is important that teens have these kinds of opportunities because volunteering at a younger age can build respect for the community, a fresh perspective for kids, and it can show teens that they can make a difference.