Mission & Goals

Creating Something Better

At the Rosenwald Recreation & Community Center, our mission is to preserve the history, heritage, and legacy of the Rosenwald Recreation & Community Center Trustees that was established over fifty (50) years ago. To further the educational, social, and economic development of the community. The organization will develop programs that will be approved by its members, and board of directors, to further its mission, purpose, and objectives.

Our Story

From Then - To Now

Rosenwald Recreation & Community Center’s Journey

Around 1929 when McAdams School was the school for the black children, the teachers and parents were concerned and wanted a better high school facility for their children. They heard of the Julius Rosenwald Fund that was created in 1917 by Julius Rosenwald. It provided matching funds to construct more than 5,000 schools for African American children during a time of segregation. The parents and teachers met monthly at the old school building with an Rosenwald fund Agent named Robert E Clay that helps with the raising of the required community contributions of cash and labor to match the Rosenwald Grant of $500 to $2,100 depending on the school size.

They decided to form a club and began raising funds for several years totaling around $1700.00 and in June and July of 1936 they purchased two lots of land, one from Wade Hampton Gossling and the other from Johnson Thompson and his wife Lela Thompson with the intentions to build a better high school facility for the African American children. The City, County and the Government decided to raise the old McAdams school for a new school that was named the Bedford County Training School and did not need the land or the funds that the Rosenwald Club members had raised. So, the club members were given back the land and the remaining funds and in 1946 they build a Rosenwald Recreation & Community Building for the education and use of the African American people of Bedford County Tn.

The Community Center was used for tutoring, art classes, family festivals, food distribution, Kindergarten, and a Headstart. The Rosenwald Recreation & Community Center Trustees are continuing to serve the community providing social, cultural, educational, and economic development. It was listed in the National Register of Historical Places on November 21, 2024.

Rosenwald Recreation & Community Center Trustee is rooted in the belief that we all have an inherent responsibility to make a meaningful difference in our community. With a variety of active projects and the collaboration with other non-profit organizations, we harness our skills and resources to successfully achieve our goals.
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