Kroc Center

The Kroc Center was officially dedicated on July 17, 2011. Read below about the history of the Kroc Center in Augusta, Georgia.

Click on the link below to see a virtual tour of the new Kroc Center in Augusta, Georgia
www.youtube.com/watch

Kroc Center Vision Statement
The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center of Augusta's vision is to provide excellent programs, facilities and services that will promote positive life changing experiences for all people of the Greater Augusta Area.

Background
In 2004, the estate of Joan Kroc made the largest single bequest ever to a charitable organization ($1.7 billion) to The Salvation Army earmarked to build and endow Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Centers across the United States. Nationally, The Salvation Army studied the bequest to determine if the Kroc Centers prescribed parameters were in keeping with the Salvation Army's overall mission. It was determined the centers, once built, had the potential to increase The Salvation Army's ability to serve more people and was not in opposition to the existing mission: To conduct a ministry to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

Augusta's Kroc Center Story
In 2006, The Salvation Army in Augusta gathered a coalition of partners to make application for and was awarded the authorization to develop a Kroc Center. The approved proposal brought $33.9 million for construction and $33.9 million for an operational endowment, provided Augusta raised another $30 million for the endowment. The Salvation Army earmarked sufficient funds from its operations budget in Augusta to reduce the new money required to be raised locally from $30 million to $20 million. Once the campaign ended with over $22 million raised for the operating endowment, The Salvation Army in Augusta received a $33.9 million community center with a permanent operations endowment of over $55 million.

The Salvation Army's Kroc Corps Community Center building included over 100,000 square feet of programming space with a 77,000 square foot complex located on a 17 acre site in the historic mill community of Harrisburg. Nestled along the Augusta Canal, the center campus is comprised of one main building designed to complement the nearby Sibley Mill and King Mill and a 10,000 square foot building that houses the First Stop Family Service Center. In addition, there is an expansive park space. Several historic homes and even an historic church were renovated to become part of the programming on the campus.