Cultural Center comes to town
Published on May 9th, 2001
STONEHAM, MA - Members of the Cultural Center Feasibility Committee met twice a month for a year to get the job done: “Stoneham Creates,” a cultural center, will open for business in June at the former Unitarian Church on Central Street.
And it won’t cost the town anything. The center is sharing space with a sister non-profit organization, and course fees will pay the bills.
“We’re recruiting teachers for art and music classes,” said Committee member Gayna Hoffman at the May 1 Selectmen meeting.
Stoneham Creates plans to offer classes appealing to children, adults and seniors.
The center will share space with the Safe at Our Place children’s programs.
“We are excited about sharing space with the center,” said Safe at Our Place Director Ella Lombara at the May 1 meeting. She said that parents of her students have asked about the opportunity to participate in their children’s art programs.
The citizen volunteers of the non-profit organization — Multi-service Education, Learning and Development (M.E.L.D.) — will oversee the program. M.E.L.D. also administers Safe at Our Place.
Over the past 31 years in Stoneham, M.E.L.D. has organized and run a food pantry, a housing assistance program, aid for mental health patients and after-school day care and enrichment.
“We first took care of the need for food and shelter and now, like Maslow’s theory of psychological needs explains, we are addressing the more sophisticated needs of our community,” said longtime M.E.L.D. Board member Doreen Moore, in a separate interview.
Two former members of the Cultural Center Committee, Selectman Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Born, have joined the M.E.L.D. Board of Directors. The rest of the disbanded Cultural Center Committee will serve as an advisory board to M.E.L.D. on Stoneham Creates issues.
Teachers will be paid and supplies purchased from course fees.
To inquire about teaching or taking a class at Stoneham Creates call Doreen Moore at 781-438-2595.
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