MILWAUKEE — The Martin Luther King Community Center is marking 50 years of serving Milwaukee with a public celebration this Saturday featuring historical exhibits and family activities.
WATCH: MKE's Martin Luther King Community Center to mark 50 years with public celebration this weekend
The center, built for $1 million on Vliet Street, has grown over five decades into what its director describes as a safe haven for the community.
Dee McCollum, who has served as director and has been with the King Center for 18 years, said the center's journey was not without early challenges.
"The King Center started, you know, as most places do. They start with their little troubles at the beginning, getting additional funding that they need to have staff," McCollum said.
But McCollum said the center found its footing and expanded its reach.
"As it grew, it became a safe haven for the community," McCollum said. "To up to this day, we do turkey drives, we do breakfast with Santa, we do Easter drives, we do Fourth of July celebration, you name it, we do it here at the King Center."
Saturday's event is free and open to the public. McCollum added that the celebration will feature Milwaukee homegrown farmers and encouraged residents to attend.
"We're super excited. We are celebrating 50 years. It's 2026, family oriented. You can bring your family out. It's a celebration like no other," McCollum said.
Looking ahead, McCollum said that the center's youth programming is more important than ever.
"The biggest thing for me in the King Center is the thing that we teach children with the issues that we're having with the kids here now. If we don't keep providing what they need, we're going to have issues going on," McCollum said. "So we have boxing, we have karate, we have wrestling, and those things concentrate on non-bullying. It concentrates on verbal judo. It concentrates on other ways to handle issues that's going on in the world."
The celebration is supported by sponsors and funding from the Milwaukee Parks Foundation. New murals will also be unveiled outside the King Center as part of the 50th anniversary.
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