Behind the Scenes at The Salvation Army North Corps
One thing Lt. Johnny Miller and Lt. Marsha Williams-Miller didn’t expect when they moved from Chicago to Omaha last July to oversee The Salvation Army’s North Corps Community Center was that the North Omaha community would feel so much like family.
“This whole neighborhood is a family,” said Lt. Marsha. “And The Salvation Army is very much a part of that. It’s home.”
The Salvation Army North Corps Community Center — known simply as “The Sal” by most in the neighborhood — first opened in 1933 in a rented space on North 16th Street. For nearly 90 years, it’s been a cornerstone of North Omaha. Now located at 24th and Pratt Streets, the building — which was originally intended as a temporary facility — is “bursting at the seams with joy and people,” said Lt. Marsha. And much more goes on within its walls than most people realize.
“Every Space is a Multipurpose Space”
Every weekday, the gym at North Corps doubles as a food distribution center, serving as many as 100 individuals who stop in for a home-cooked lunch. In the afternoon, the same gym accommodates up to 50 middle schoolers who participate in the after-school program. On Saturday mornings the gym is home to a men’s basketball league, and every August, it serves as a hub for the backpack distribution program, which equips thousands of local children with the supplies they need to start the school year off right.
Likewise, the corps’ chapel serves double-duty as a conference room and a space for after-school activities and Vacation Bible School. A small office houses the Sweet Threads closet, where people in need can browse for winter coats, clothes and personal-care items. Adults in the community use the computer room to file their taxes and work on resumes and job applications, while kids utilize the space to do homework. The corps even has showers that are open to those who are shelterless and need a place to freshen up.
“Every space here is a multipurpose space,” said Lt. Marsha.
“This Is a Part of Who They Are”
Despite its challenging space constraints, the Millers are grateful that the corps is located in the heart of the North Omaha community.
“I can’t imagine what North Omaha would look like without The Salvation Army here at 24th and Pratt,” said Lt. Marsha. “This is a part of who they are.”
North Corps also contributes to who the young people in the community are becoming, added Lt. Marsha. She and Lt. Johnny are proud to be part of the many stories worth celebrating in North Omaha.
King Science and Technology Middle School seventh grader Keyon Williams has been coming to North Corps’ after-school program for two years. “I love that I can come here to chill after school,” said Keyon. “To be honest, if I hadn’t come to The Sal, I probably wouldn’t have even started to like basketball. Once I started playing here, I started liking it and devoting my time to it. And now I love it.”
Basketball may seem like a small thing, but it’s one element of a broader strategy and a much larger dream. “These kids deserve for us to invest in them — and not just for this community, but as a whole, for the nation,” said Lt. Johnny.