Fairborn Community Center loses grant to cover administrative costs

FAIRBORN, Ohio (WDTN) - Leaders of a local charity will be forced to close their doors, but not their heart.  The Fairborn Community Center administration building, off Kauffman Avenue, will be closing after Christmas. 

In August, the center lost a $200,000 annual grant that funds its administrative costs entailing rent, salaries and benefits.

Initially the center was run by two full-time and one part-time employee, but now it is operated solely by volunteers.

Leaders said they don't want to alarm the community, especially with Christmas just around the corner

"Despite the cut in funding, all of the programs the Fairborn Community Center offers will remain," said Jen Lymen, the Executive Director at FCC.  "This is because all of the programs are funded by community dollars for which we are very grateful."

The FCC will continue to provide programs such as The Christmas Project which provides nearly 400 families with food and Christmas presents during the holiday season.  All of its programs that help issues of hunger, housing, transportation, education and giving will remain because they are funded by community dollars.

Lymen is calling the lost grant a "blessing in disguise."

"Right now we are in the process of re-structuring the organization in a more growth oriented way," said Lymen.  The foundation we were receiving the grant from did not allow us to grow."
 

Lymen said she will be operating out of the Second Chance Boutique until a more permanent solution is figured out.  The boutique is also located off Kauffman Avenue in the same shopping plaza as the FCC and one of its programs. 

Lymen was not able to give a timeframe as to when she anticipated being able to move the center into another building.