About Us

The staff and volunteers at The Intersection are committed to serving the youth and adults in the Garth and Sexton neighborhood through educational programs and public events that build a healthy prosperous community.

Staff

The Intersection is governed by a Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is responsible for budgeting and spending oversight, policy planning and fund raising. The Board of Directors delegates the daily management of The Intersection to the Executive Director and other staff members and volunteers. To contact the Board of Directors via email, send messages to:  theintersection1@yahoo.com.

Board

Who Do We Serve?

The neighborhood we serve has a median household income of $11,392, which is less than one third of the county average of $37,485. 47% of area households have incomes at or below poverty level. There are over 1,000 children within walking distance of The Intersection. Our activities address issues of poverty such as lack of education, poor job skills and broken family relationships. We are a safe place for children and a community center where parents can meet, serve, learn and change their neighborhood and their future.

 What is the spiritual aspect of The Intersection?

The spiritual focus of The Intersection is on the development of hope, love and trust within each youth which makes it possible for them to engage in a healthy community process.

 Hope holds out the possibility that our future can be different from our past, that we can change things.

Love sees ourselves and others as valuable and unique. We receive and give love in relationship and so love binds us to one another in mutual need.

Trust educates us about ourselves and others. As we understand somebody better, we are more secure in relationship with them and trust them to honor our interests as well as their own.

An ideal of healthy community which we hold out is one in which:

  1. Each member is honored as a valuable part of the whole
  2. Each member has a responsibility to the community
  3. There is forgiveness for errors
  4. There is grace to change and make a fresh start
  5. There is a standard of right and wrong beyond ourselves
  6. There is accountability to one another

The History of The Intersecton

When you look back over the history of The Intersection you can see clearly that it is one of vision and faith. Our aim from the beginning has been to be a crossroads for connecting people across generational, racial and economic lines in a safe, caring environment.

The center’s name was inspired by its location in a racially diverse neighborhood. In addition to the large population of children and adolescents in the area, there is also a sizeable population of older residents at a housing facility called Oak Towers.

Here is a brief history of events which led up to the opening of The Intersection on October 1, 2003:

  1. July 27, 2001 - The land The Intersection now sits on and the surrounding grounds were purchased by Grace Covenant Church.
  2. October 2001 - Application for our first YOP grant was approved as one of the highest dollar amounts granted ($124,000) and one of only 22 projects funded in that year.
  3. January 2002 - The Intersection received it’s tax-exempt status.
  4. February 21, 2002 - First fund raising banquet and silent auction was held at Jack’s Gourmet Restaurant
  5. July 1, 2002 - City Council approved plan for The Intersection, parking lot, walking trail and the sanctuary for Grace Covenant Church
  6. October 19, 2002 - FallFest fund raiser at Boone County Fairgrounds
  7. October 25, 2002 - Alpha Tau Omega, Alpha Kappa Lambda, Alpha Phi and Phi Delta Theta raised funds for The Intersection at the Karnabali Carnival.
  8. October 26, 2002 - Ground Breaking Ceremony for The Intersection
  9. January, 2003 - Foundation was poured
  10. February 8, 2003 - Construction began on The Intersection, silt fencing was laid and began the process of laying utilities and grading the site.
  11. March 22, 2003 - First volunteer framing day of The Intersection
  12. April 21, 2003 - City Council voted to give The Intersection $48,000 in CDBG funds.
  13. June, 2003 - First Americorps summer VISTA’s
  14. July, 2003 - Received a $25,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor for faith-based, grassroots and community initiatives.
  15. August 16, 2003 - Open House celebration for The Intersection’s completion.
  16. October 1, 2003 - The Intersection opened it’s doors for programming.