Resource Center gets a makeover
It's been eight years since the Hoffman Estates Community Resource Center opened its doors.
"It's just grown by leaps and bounds," says center director Kathy Kohlstedt.
The center serves Schaumburg Township residents, with 12 agencies offering programs from immunizations to craft fairs for kids. The center is at 700 Salem Drive at the Salem Hill/Interlude apartment complex.
This year, the 600-square-foot center underwent a bevy of renovations; gone are the ugly kitchen cabinets and the '70s-style shag carpet. A toilet that didn't flush was also replaced and laminate flooring was put in to replace the carpet. The renovations started in the spring, paid for by a $3,000 grant secured by the Rotary Club of Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates, Kohlstedt said.
The carpeted classrooms meant Zumba dance classes had to be held in the hallways. That won't be a problem anymore with the new flooring.
Kohlstedt wants the public to see the improvements. The center will host an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16. R.S.V.P. by calling (847) 490-9398.
"It's also a 'thank you' to the Rotary Club," she said.
The majority of the more than 100 families served by the resource center are Latino, and ESL courses are among the classes offered. Kohlstedt also says Indian and Pakistani populations are served.
"We're pretty diverse," she said.
In this turbulent economic time, the center's services are more important, she said. She talks about the cost of enrolling children in recreational programs like soccer. The center aims to give children from low-income families activity options close to home. Some of these families lack transportation and can't drive their children to park district facilities or other places that offer games.
Kohlstedt said grants and donations pay for the center, which is paying no rent to operate in Salem Hill. The center was first built to help the Spanish-speaking population at the apartment complex. Village inspectors were finding a variety of code violations.
The solution was to bring in different groups, like the Schaumburg Township Library District and Schaumburg Township Elementary School District 54, to help at the three-building apartment complex.
Kohlstedt would like to expand in the future to a larger space, but right now she's happy with the improvements, and urges residents to check out the center.
The first one's free: Hoffman Estates residents can rest assured that another fast-food chain will open within the village borders. Chipotle will have a grand opening on Friday, Oct. 10, at 4600 Hoffman Blvd., inside Prairie Stone. Wanting customers to get a taste for its burritos, tacos, salads and the tortilla-less burrito bowls, the store will be giving away free food and soft drinks from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, Oct. 9.
• Do you have a Hoffman Estates story idea? Contact Ashok Selvam at (847) 427-4475 or aselvam@dailyherald.com.