Our Mission: Kirk Centre provides an open, safe, diverse and inclusive community centre where many groups contribute to a vibrant Northwest Edmonton community hub.
Our Vision: We envision the residents of Northwest Edmonton enjoying their inclusive, multi-faceted community centre which meets their diverse cultural, educational, religious, spiritual and physical needs.
Our Purpose: To establish, administer, and maintain a multi-purpose, multi-faith and culturally diverse community centre for the public for the purpose of the advancement of religion, education and physical and mental health
What is one interesting fact about your space?
Kirk Centre benefits our surrounding community members by providing a variety of resources, programs and events in our beautiful building and grounds. Being available at costs that are not prohibitive to the average small business, faith group, nonprofits and community minded individuals. Our diversity is a huge benefit to the community.
Kirk Centre is able to provide charitable benefits to the community because of our biggest asset, the building. Although the building itself can be seen as a for profit revenue generating asset, Kirk Centre does not use it that way. We use it in such a way that the surrounding community members, community league, non-profit organizations and small businesses benefit from having an affordable and accessible meeting space in the community.
Kirk Centre has 17 offices and 6 community spaces including a gymnasium with stage (200 ppl), 2 boardrooms (15-200 ppl), Our Lower Auditorium (50 ppl) as well as a Sanctuary (375 ppl) and Chapel (50ppl). This gives the programming and events many choices of size, budget and atmosphere to suit their needs.
All of Kirk Centre’s programs, events and small businesses serve the whole community and our surrounding communities. We are not held to a geographic border like a community league, which gives us room to spread and be diverse. It also allows us to work with our local community league rather than compete with them. We provide physical, spiritual, emotional and educational activities and services for all ages for the welfare of the public and members. Our four walls have no restrictions on what activities can be performed here at Kirk Centre. People must only have a similar ethos as Kirk Centre: to create and protect a safe, diverse and inclusive environment for all who enter our doors.
What are your favorite resources that you would recommend to others?
Over the years Kirk Centre has been home to 4-7 communities of faith in any one week. this gives the neighboring community members a lot of diversity and choices for their spiritual needs.
With it’s 17 offices, the small businesses that run out of the centre and it’s employees have the benefit of a small businesses while also feeling as though they have co-workers and people to take a break with. Bonds are built similar to collegiality that is built within a single business space space in conventional offices.
Small businesses have access to use all of our community rooms at a discounted rate, because they are a Partner Tenant of Kirk centre. This means they only need to pay for a boardroom, for example, at the times when they need it. In regular commercial spaces you must rent your full office and additional rooms on a monthly basis which can be cost prohibitive.
Kirk Centre is home to 2 working cats, Mabel and her son Mouse. They have lived in the building for 7 years and were originally brought in to take care of a mouse problem that we inherited when taking over the building. They have completely eradicated and new mouse entry and nesting, and we have seen no new signs of mice in the last 3 years. We brought in pest control, allergy specialist and the SPCA to discuss the plan before getting the cats. The side benefit is that these animals in the building give everyone a sense of home and peace in the building. They are regulars in the sessions our 2 phycologists have with their clients. they are very comforting and friendly.
Kirk Centre provides our Little Free Pantry, Closet and library all outdoors for people to use as needed. These provide books for all ages, shelf stable food and seasonal clothing for those in need. Some feedback we received is that some do not get the help they need due to social stigmas and lack of wanting to share their needs with others. These platforms allow people to get the items they need, without having to ask.
Center Name: Kirk Centre
Center Member Type: Center in Operation
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Center Website: https://www.kirkcentre.ca/
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