As the COVID-19 pandemic has put many things on hold, those behind the Greenwood Community Center have been reassessing how they can help the community in a time of social distancing.
One way has been through beautification efforts, including a colorful mural splashed on the walls of the Community Center’s building along Avenue I.
Sybil Levine, a Carrollton-based artist, painted the mural with assistance from Holley Peel, a Greenwood musician, and Debra Adams, who co-founded the Community Center with her husband, Earnest.
The mural offers “a chance to visually represent our goals and what we stand for as a community center,” Levine said. “It’s also there to provide a sense of relief, visually, to come across something happy when you’d least expect it.”
Another recent addition has been a community garden, which was made possible when Levee Run Farm, off Mississippi 7, donated five tomato plants to the Community Center, Levine said.
The food grown in the garden will eventually be served in the center’s kitchen.
Levine said these upgrades are examples of how historic buildings can be brought back to life.
Landscaping has helped brighten the area in front of the Greenwood Community Center’s Avenue I building.
Before the Adamses purchased the 709 Ave. I building from Pax Christi Ladies, a Catholic lay women’s organization, last year, it housed the St. Francis Center, which offered a variety of community services.
The Adamses aim to do the same once the Community Center can open following a series of renovations. Even with the building being closed, however, the Adamses have provided a number of community services, such as a summer camp and Wednesday night meal giveaways, which stopped because of the pandemic.
Levine, a member of the Community Center’s board, began working with the Ad-amses at the start of this year.
Her uncle, Wilson Carroll, an attorney in Vicksburg, was a friend and classmate of Earnest Adams at Greenwood High School. They played on the football team and bonded over their passion for sports.
Late last September, after getting back in touch with Earnest, Carroll and members of Mississippi State University’s Kappa Alpha fraternity assisted with some handiwork for the Community Center.
In addition to helping out with the mural and community garden, Levine has assisted with grant writing.
The Adamses “don’t lose hope for that vision that they have,” Levine said. “That’s very inspiring to me. I’m also inspired by their priority of services. They really prioritize the act of serving others.”
In return, the Adamses have appreciated what Levine has done. “Sybil has put a lot of energy in coming back to Greenwood to assist with the vision of the Greenwood Community Center,” Debra said.
Also, “she’s an artist with a vision that portrays the community that we’re in,” Debra said. “She brought a lot of that out in that mural. She’s different. She just knows how to create based on what we’re doing at the Community Center.”
Interior renovations for the building, such as bathroom, kitchen and office space work, have been done, though the work has slowed since volunteers couldn’t always come in because of the pandemic, Debra said.
Interior renovations should resume next week, she said, adding that it’s hoped the center can open sometime in July.
The center welcomes financial and plant donations. To inquire about making a donation, contact the Community Center on its Facebook page, Greenwood Community Center, or visit greenwoodcommunitycenter.org.
•Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
