Free passes to fun at Kroc center

The Salvation Army, a donor and the Omaha Public Schools will team up to provide 1,000 free day passes to children who live near the Salvation Army Kroc Center in South Omaha.

It's the first major initiative to provide reduced-price access to the six-month-old community center at 2825 Y St.

The effort aims largely to provide summer activities for children who live in the nearby Southside Terrace public housing development at 30th and S Streets. But it isn't limited to kids from Southside.

Teachers at schools near the Kroc Center will distribute the passes to summer school students based on good attendance and other merits, said Joanne Bemis, director of development and community relations for the Salvation Army.

The list of schools hasn't been finalized, but it will include Highland Elementary Schools and Marrs Middle School.

A nonmember guest day pass normally costs $5. The students will have access to the Kroc Center's swimming pool and aquatic center, gymnasiums, computer laboratory and other facilities.

“I very much want the children to have a healthy, happy and safe summer,” said the donor, Jane Rogers, a member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board. “I want them to be totally, personally responsible to themselves in order to earn the passes and enjoy the benefits that come with earning them.”

Stan Timm, executive director of the Omaha Housing Authority, said more than 1,000 children live at Southside Terrace. The housing authority and the community have many activities for those children, such as OHA baseball, Girls Inc. programs, the YMCA and soccer leagues, but always need more.

“This is one more alternative, and we're very excited about it,” Timm said.

The Kroc Center opened in November. It was built with $30 million from the estate of philanthropist Joan Kroc, part of her $1 billion estate gift to the Salvation Army for community centers in underserved neighborhoods across the United States.

In Omaha, her gift also came with $30 million for an operating endowment. It required a $15 million match for the endowment.

Monthly membership fees range from $20 for individual children to $54.50 for a family. Salvation Army officials have said from the beginning that they would offer scholarships to help low-income families use the center.

Eventually, some revenue created by the endowment will go for that purpose, Bemis said, but it hasn't started generating enough interest yet.

The Salvation Army has started a fund for scholarships and is looking for more donors to help pay for scholarships and for grants for swimsuits and towels for children who don't have them, Bemis said.

“We need people who are willing to step up and make a difference in the lives of kids.”

Contact the writer:

444-1057, christopher.burbach@owh.com

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