‘This work is a passion’

The Five Towns Community Center’s new executive director, K. Brent Hill, will tell you that working for a nonprofit is in his blood.

Hill, 59, took over at the center in November, after having been the director of a Philadelphia-area YMCA from 2013 to 2018. Family friends told him about the job opening, he said.

“I have some extended family in this area who told me about the community center and its history,” said Hill, who’s originally from Philadelphia but now lives in Lawrence. “I thought this was a great opportunity to take and try to make an impact on this community.”

Hill’s parents were long involved in local organizations. “My mother worked many years for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization,” he said. “My father is a basketball icon in Philly who founded a student-athlete organization in 1968.”

Hill’s father is Sonny Hill, who’s known as the “Mayor of Basketball” in Philadelphia. He founded the Sonny Hill Community Involvement League, an amateur summer basketball program that now consists of roughly 60 teams. In 2008, Hill was honored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a co-recipient of the Mannie Jackson Basketball Human Spirit Award, named for the owner and chairman of the Harlem Globetrotters. Sonny Hill is also an executive adviser of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.

“Any basketball player who’s from Philadelphia has most likely crossed paths with my father,” Brent Hill said. “I was fortunate to have access to well-known people, and I think that helps me today, because it makes me comfortable with speaking with politicians and civic leaders in the area.”

Though he was been at the community center for only three months, Hill already has initiatives in mind to improve it. “One important thing is to make sure that everybody in the community is aware that the center is open for everyone,” he said. “Right now, I’m looking to focus on getting more programs for senior citizens and teenagers.”

Veronica Ortiz, the center’s director of youth services, said that Hill has been very receptive to new ideas. “Because of how energetic Brent is, he has already pumped new blood into our center,” Ortiz said. “He’s been very supportive, and always takes the time to hear you out, no matter how busy he is.”

Ortiz added that Hill has a practical vision of the center’s future. “Brent realizes that we need a lot of things here at the center, such as monetary donations,” she said. “He’s already exploring other funding avenues to enhance our programming. I think the future of the community center is looking very bright under Brent’s leadership.”

From a financial standpoint, Hill said, that the 114-year-old center is stable, but could be improved. “I’m amazed with what we’re able to do with our limited resources,” he said. “We haven’t had a deficit in funding for a few years, but like any other social program, we can always use more resources. It’s my job to get more funding.”

Nassau County leases the building, at 270 Lawrence Ave., to the organization. A loss of $400,000 in county funding in 2012 severely reduced the center’s budget and forced it to shut down its senior center. The facility now supports its programs with grants from the state and donations.

Whether it is acknowledging staff members’ birthdays or naming an Employee of the Month, Hill said he is trying to maintain a positive work environment. “I’ve been in nonprofits long enough to be able to relate to the duties of each staff member,” he said. “I think a lot of the staff also appreciates that I have an open-door policy for whenever they need to talk.”

Helen Hunter is the center’s longest-tenured employee, having been worked a teacher in its Head Start program since 1969. When Hunter turned 80 in late January, Hill organized a party for her. “I think Brent has brought a positive mindset to the community center since coming here,” Hunter said. “He’s very engaging, and is always interacting with the staff.”

While he acknowledged that there is more work to be done at the center, Hill said he was positive about the future. “People in the community have a great deal of reverence for the community center, and I want the legacy of it to continue,” he said. “This line of work is a passion, and we all have to work together to be successful at maintaining the legacy of this building.”