A place where ‘can’t’ is not a word

Rockville Centre's Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center gives children a second home

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“I can’t do it,” said one of the dance students as she struggled to learn a new routine.

“What is that? ‘I can’t’,” her instructor Tjuana Evans shot back. “There’s no such word as can’t.”

She volunteers her time every weeknight — right after her day job as a dietary aide at South Nassau Communities Hospital — to teach dance lessons at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center on Centre Avenue. She’s not professionally trained, but from around 4 to 7 p.m., Evans gathers a handful of young girls into a studio located at the back of the center and teaches them what she’s learned over the years. “I like to call it Studio City,” she said about the small practice space.

Evans hopes the instruction will teach the girls teamwork and problem solving skills, and, if they are really dedicated, a way to dance professionally. But most importantly, she wants to give the girls something they can do to stay out of trouble. “The main thing for me is to keep them off the street,” she said.

Some of the girls expressed appreciation for what Evans has given them. “It keeps me out of trouble,” said Kamani Carper, 14, who has been going to center since she was five. Evans described her as one of her “die hard five,” referring to her group of advanced students. She has been teaching Carper since she was seven.

Under director Pat Morris, dance is one of the many services and programs available for the dozens of kids who come to the hub every day after school. There, they receive a snack, do homework and play games. During breaks and over the summer, the kids go on trips and sometimes outside to play dodgeball. There’s karate instruction as well, and in January, a handful of computers were donated to the center by the village’s IT Department.

“I like hanging out with my friends at the center,” said Naijah Mcgraw, 11. “Usually, they come every day to the center too.” She noted the center’s namesake and proudly reported that Dr. King himself had spoken at her own school — South Side Middle School — in 1968.

“I like coming to the center because we can play games, and sometimes play outside,” said seven-year-old Amira Calhoun. “All my friends come to the center.” She had a message for anyone who might not know about the spot. “They should come here ‘cause it’s fun, we play games and we go on field trips.”

“I come to the center to do my homework, play with my friends, play outside, play dodgeball, play shuffle board and go on the computer.” Said Jayden Burrell, 9. “And that’s really what we do.”

Established in 1971, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center was originally envisioned as an alternative to the Recreation Center on the other side of town, according to Morris. Today, he sees it as a place where parents can rest assured their kids are safe in a supervised environment.

Morris, who is also an assistant basketball coach at Molloy College, has a long history with the center. He grew up there, and at 14 he got his first job there as a summer counselor. “I go way back at the center so it’s definitely a special place to me.”

He returned as director in 2010, after spending some time in a similar role at an after school program in Queens. He liked working with the kids, but it wasn’t the same. “I guess the saying’s true,” he said. “There’s no place like home.”

He said all are welcome at the center, not just people from the West End of town, but everyone in Rockville Centre and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Evans echoed the same sentiment. “Don’t be afraid to come to this side of town,” she said. “We welcome everybody with open arms.”