Growing Together: The Next Chapter of CCC

There are moments in the life of an organization when you have to pause, take a deep breath, and remind yourself why you started in the first place.

For me, this is one of those moments.

Colley Community Center is entering a new chapter. After more than two years of welcoming neighbors through our doors, creating spaces for connection, and building community together, we are moving out from our current space.

Change is never easy, especially when you’ve invested so much care into a place and watched it become part of your story. In many ways, our space felt like a second home for so many.

But as I have reflected on this transition, I keep coming back to something I have always believed about CCC: our community was never really the building.

The building gave us a place to gather, but the people gave CCC its heart. And when I look at what we have accomplished together in just over two years, I am reminded of just how much can happen when a community decides to show up.

When we opened our doors in May 2024, we had a simple idea: create opportunities for our neighbors to learn, connect, create, and grow without cost becoming a barrier.

We didn't have everything figured out. But people started showing up. Since then, we've welcomed hundreds of participants, worked with dozens of facilitators and volunteers, and built partnerships that have made programs possible that I couldn't have imagined when we first opened.

We've welcomed children, teenagers, parents, college students, neighbors, and older adults—from infancy to 87—into the same community. And when I think about what we've accomplished, I don't think about the numbers first. I think about the moments. A family discovering a resource they didn't know existed. A teenager thinking about their future. A volunteer showing up early and staying late. A facilitator sharing something they love with their community. Neighbors meeting for the first time and leaving with a new connection. And the laughter. Gosh, the conversations and the smiles. Those are the moments that remind me why this work matters so much.

That's CCC.

Leaving our space has been hard. There is something reassuring about having a place you can point to and say, This is where we are. This is where our community gathers.

But this transition has reminded me of something important:

The building was never the whole story.

The building gave us a place to gather, but the people created the community. So while we are still figuring out where our next permanent home will be, the work continues.

We'll continue partnering with organizations and using community spaces to bring programs to our neighbors. We'll continue developing opportunities around health and wellness, economic opportunity, personal growth, and arts and creativity.

We're already looking toward 2027, and for the first time in a while, I'm thinking less about simply filling a calendar and more about what we want CCC to actually become. We know the direction we're going. We want to continue creating meaningful opportunities for out neighbors to connect, learn, create, and grow—and we want to deepen the partnerships that help us do that.

And yes, we're still looking for our next home.

I want CCC to have a space that can grow with us, a place where we can bring people together consistently and create the kind of connection that is hard to replicate anywhere else. But I also know that our work doesn't have to wait for a building. We can keep building partnerships, creating programs, and bringing our community together while we work toward that next home.

Because if I've learned anything over the past two years, it's that community really does take a village.

Our volunteers, facilitators, partners, donors, participants, and supporters have all helped build CCC. Some have given their time. Some have shared their resources and expertise. Some have opened doors and made introductions. Others have simply believed in us and said, “Keep going.”

And I am so grateful.

There are still unknowns. We don't know exactly what our next space will look like or exactly when we'll find it. We know there will be challenges along the way. But there is so much possibility.

We have learned a lot since opening our doors. We have learned what our community responds to, where there are gaps, what partnerships can accomplish, and what CCC needs to grow sustainably. Most importantly, we have learned that there is a community willing to show up. That gives me confidence in what comes next. This is not because I have every answer, but because I know we don't have to figure it out alone.

As the Executive Director, I know there is a lot that comes with leading an organization through a season of transition. There are decisions to make, problems to solve, and plenty of moments when the path ahead isn't completely clear.

But I also know this:

CCC has never been built by one person.

It has been built by a village.

And that village is coming with us.

Our address may change. Our programs may look a little different. Our next chapter may not look exactly like the last one.

But our commitment to creating opportunities for our neighbors to connect, learn, create, and grow remains.

We have accomplished a lot in just over two years, but I don't believe we are anywhere near finished.

There are more neighbors to reach. More partnerships to build. More young people to encourage. More families to support. More ideas to explore. More opportunities to create.

So, here's to the next chapter.

We're moving forward—and we're taking our community with us.

Will you come with us?

CCC is entering this next chapter with a clear direction, but we can’t build it alone.

If you believe in what CCC is building, there are three ways you can be part of what comes next:

Join us. If you’re interested in helping shape CCC’s future, consider applying for a board role.

Invest in us. Become a monthly donor and help provide the consistent support we need to keep creating accessible opportunities for our community.

Show up with us. Volunteer your time, skills, or expertise at an upcoming program or community event.

Whatever your role, there is a place for you here.

The building may be changing. The work is not. And there is room for you in this next chapter.

With love,

Nicole Barnes