Booker T. Washington Community Center Celebrates 45 Years with New Sensory Room for the Community

The Booker T. Washington Community Center marked its 45th anniversary of serving the Historic Pleasant Hill Neighborhood and Macon-Bibb County with an Open House event on Friday, November 8. The celebration included the unveiling of an exciting new initiative — a sensory room, created in partnership with the Leadership Macon Class and Macon Mental Health Matters Alliance.

Each year, the Leadership Macon class selects a community project to support, and this year’s class proposed the creation of a sensory room for the Center. The space is designed to provide a safe, calming environment where children can self-regulate and decompress, featuring calming wall colors, soft chairs, therapeutic toys, sound machines, and special lighting.

“This class heard us and recognized the need in our community to have a safe space like this, and they responded in a most amazing way,” said Andrea Cooke, Director of Macon Mental Health Matters. “This sensory room will be available for both agencies in the Center to use as needed, benefiting the community as a whole.”

Olivia Walter from the Leadership Macon Class shared that the sensory room project aims to offer a peaceful space for children and personnel who frequent the Center. “We wanted to provide the children and the personnel here with something special,” she said. “This room will be a great benefit to all who come through these doors, whether for assistance or to provide support.”

The Open House also celebrated the Center’s long-standing role in the community, offering information about the many services it provides, including mental health support, music and arts programs, wealth development, housing services, and more. Several organizations, including the Pace Center for Girls, Eric Foundation, Wealth ASAP, and others, participated in the event, showcasing their efforts to support the local community.

“This is a chance to celebrate a building that is more than just four walls and a pool,” said Cooke. “We celebrate an empowering space that has served the needs of our community for 45 years. We want to honor those who came before us and ensure that the entire community knows about the services we’re providing.”

The event was sponsored by Francis and Wade and the Urban Development Authority, with light refreshments served for attendees.