Salvation Army in Aurora Breaks Ground on New Site
A few sprinkles didn’t dampen the excitement on October 23 as Salvation Army staff, Aurora leadership, and community members officially broke ground on the new site for the Aurora Corps Community Center. The new location, at 550 Redwood Drive in Aurora, will include social services offices, a food pantry, a chapel, and classrooms. Phase 1 of the construction project, which will be just over 11,000 square feet, is expected to wrap up in August of 2020.
Salvation Army Advisory Board Chair Forest White welcomed the 50-60 attendees at the groundbreaking ceremony, noting that The Salvation Army has been serving Aurora for 135 years. “The new building has been a long time coming for this community,” he said. “The current building is not the type of facility to do everything they want to do in this community.”
After the presentation of the flags by the Aurora Fire Department Honor Guard, Captain Dan Faundez sang the national anthem and Colonel Steve Howard offered the invocation.
Captains Rich and Linnea Forney, the corps officers in Aurora, then shared their vision for the new building. “Today we celebrate not in where we are, but where we can be, and will be. Not just as a building, but as a community. We celebrate the hope for a better tomorrow for all our neighbors in need,” he said.
“This building and all that will take place here represents hope. Hope for the hungry, for those struggling to pay their rent. Hope when there is loneliness. Hope for the immigrant far from their family seeking to make this their new home. We are Aurora Strong. We are Hope Strong.”
Aurora Chamber of Commerce president Jessica Linder Gallo offered a few comments, praising the use of local contractors and laborers for the construction project. “I can’t wait to be back with our big scissors for the grand opening!” she concluded.
Aurora Alderman Carl Franco said the new corps community center will help revitalize the immediate area of Aurora and “serves as a significant piece of the puzzle to make this whole area better.”
Aurora’s Deputy Mayor Chuck Nelson, a longtime supporter of The Salvation Army, noted the presence of people from the entire community at the groundbreaking. “That says something about an organization,” he said. He concluded his remarks by praising the Army’s “inspiring and unwavering devotion to serve the physical and spiritual needs of our community for years to come.”
After a benediction by Commissioner Barry Swanson, more than a dozen Salvation Army officers and Aurora leaders donned hard hats and took part in the ceremonial shovel ceremony. Afterward, the crowd enjoyed coffee and donuts from the Army’s Emergency Disaster Services vehicle housed in Aurora while the sun finally made an appearance.
Check out our groundbreaking photo album