Meals for seniors, job fairs and a third space for people to call home are all possibilities at a new north Tulsa Cherokee community center.
Cherokee Nation held a grand opening for the 4,000-square-foot space Thursday. Located at 1205 E. 46th St. N., Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said opening the $2 million center was a defining moment for both him and the people he represents.
“There is no more important moment for me as chief than this building, because this building is about our communities,” Hoskin told a packed room of nearly 75 people. “This building is an affirmation that we are a nation … that understands that we’ve got to take care of each other, as families, as friends, as neighbors.”
That’s especially important to demonstrate in a part of the city “where we’ve not done enough of it,” Hoskin added.
Waynetta Lawrie, president of North Tulsa Cherokee Community Organization, said programming at the center — and the space itself — will be for everyone.
“This building will be available for other Cherokee organizations that need space for gatherings and also other members in the community,” Lawrie said. “Our citizens are so excited and we’re looking forward to bringing cultural services to this community.”
Starting in the summer, the center will offer free lunch five days a week to Cherokee citizens ages 50 and up as part of their elder nutritional program, Hoskin said. Younger people and non-citizens will be able to eat for a “modest fee.”
Events are already on the center’s calendar. A job fair is set for March 12 and a Cherokee language class on May 11.
Hoskins says the next phase for the property will include a playground and other outdoor amenities with the potential for low-income housing units to be built on site.
