Boon Street Community Center announces May events, new computers and summer food program

Representatives of the Boon Street Community Center updated the Marion City Council on upcoming events and recent investments in center programming.

Colin Hawthorne, a board member, announced a women's health fair scheduled for May 16 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and asked the community to attend. Daryl Wimberly highlighted an Illinois Housing Blueprint listening session to be held at the center, noted recent donations and partnerships including Deaconess of Illinois (to provide mammogram resources for the health fair), and said the center had ordered 10 new computers for a public computer lab and made Chromebooks available for students.

Wimberly also described a summer meal program beginning June 6 and running through July 31 (Monday through Friday) with activities and weekly treats like ice cream; he thanked the city for its support and noted that community vocational programs (including a construction class) had helped build a new room in the facility.

Why it matters: The updates show expanded community services — health outreach, digital access and summer food programming — that affect families and students during summer months.