The New Rankin Community Center

For information about events at the Rankin Community Center please see the Woodland Hills School District Facebook


(October 13, 2023)

Last night, members of the Allies for Children team were honored to attend the opening of the new Rankin Community Center. This opening was the culmination of a challenge that was issued to AFC almost exactly a year ago by the District Attorney’s office to mitigate some of the violence that was occurring frequently in the residential areas of Rankin. Once this challenge was issued, AFC reached out to the Woodland Hills School District who pulled together partners in the area, including Center for Victims, Cure Violence, Men of Valor, and Infinite Mind & Body to establish a community center filled with hope, mentorship, fellowship, and, most importantly, positivity for the Rankin Community.

Once key partners were identified, it was quickly suggested to create a community space in the old Rankin Elementary School, which was shut down years ago. Woodland Hills, and particularly Superintendent Dr. Daniel Castagna, led the charge to bring together partners who were invested in helping the children of Rankin. Many people and organizations were already at work individually in the community, and the Community Center project was simply an opportunity to bring those voices and efforts together and give them a centralized space to do their work.

The Rankin Community Center is right in the heart of the neighborhood, easily accessible to many of the residents. The goal is for the Center to serve as a safe space for kids after school, offering them somewhere to go and something to do where there are adults who will care and look out for them, while providing mentorship and other positive opportunities.

It has been just amazing to see all of the hard work of the partners involved in this project come together. In particular, recognition should go to the partners who have already set up an office space at the Community Center, and to the tireless work of the Woodland Hills facilities team, who worked all summer to get the old elementary school back into working order.

Allies for Children is honored to have played a role in bringing the Rankin Community Center to life, and we can’t wait to see what opportunities it will provide to the children and families of Rankin as its work continues and grows.

To read more about the Rankin Community Center, check out this post from Woodland Hills School District and a report from WPXI.

Laura Condon, Allies for Children Project Coordinator