As part of its 50th Anniversary Celebration this year, Brighton Center has introduced a “50 Years, 50 Stories” series to highlight some of the customers, volunteers, donors, community partners or supporters who are part of its history. The Northern Kentucky Tribune has partnered with Brighton Center to share some of those firsthand accounts with our readers.
In the coming weeks, the Trib will publish individual stories that demonstrate the breadth of services Brighton Center provides in Northern Kentucky. Occasionally some slight edits may be made in the text and, to protect confidentiality, we might only provide the first name of the storyteller.
These testimonials, however, describe some of the programs and services Brighton Center has provided in its first 50 years, in the words of the people who have benefited from them.
El Frey: Volunteering at Brighton Center
I first became involved with Brighton Center in the early 70s when the Center was located at 8th and Brighton Street and known as the Brighton Street Center. I was a stay at home mom and looking for a worthwhile outlet. I volunteered in the summer recreation program for a year, teaching young girls how to sew then went on to joining my husband in running our business.
After almost 40 years of running a software company with my husband, we retired leaving the business to the next generation, our son. Now I had time to do things I never had time for. That is when I accepted the invitation from a longtime friend to volunteer for Brighton Center in 2013. The last three years have been fun, very productive, and added many new acquaintances to my life.
I am so impressed with the impact Brighton Center has with helping people live a better and more productive life along with all of the programs offered. I had no idea how many programs and locations Brighton Center had grown to include over the last 40 years since I was originally involved.
I always look forward to my volunteer day and enjoy the atmosphere since every day is different. We are all put here for a reason and hopefully I am helping someone else through volunteering. It seems like all of the people that I meet at Brighton Center are so dedicated to the mission and helping others, there are not a lot of places like that anymore. I am inspired to continue giving my time because I see first-hand how well Brighton Center uses donations and serves the community.
One memory that stands out the most is from Wine Over Water in 2015 and how much of a success the event was. As chair of the event, I was proud of how much money we raised ($37,000) for those in need.
My one message to the community is thank you to those who currently support Brighton Center. And to the rest of the community, we need to get the word out about ……WHO BRIGHTON CENTER IS AND WHAT THEY DO!
From its beginning in 1966 as a modest Newport storefront, Brighton Center has grown to provide a range of programs and services which include meeting basic needs, adult and early childhood education, workforce development, substance abuse recovery for women, affordable housing, financial education and counseling, and neighborhood based programs.
Last year Brighton Center impacted the lives of 60,892 individuals from infants to senior citizens through 37 programs in Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati
For more information about Brighton Center and its programs and services, or to become a volunteer, click here http://www.brightoncenter.com/