Cheryl Allen Center stays true to the Mizpah Mission

LIMA — A lot had changed at Mizpah since it began in 1912. Originally opened as a way to bring Bible lessons to people throughout the city, it had become a school and a social outlet by the 1970s.And when the decade of the ‘80s began, Mizpah had found a home under the umbrella of the Allen County Council of Minority Agencies. It was joined there by Bradfield Community Center, the Friendly Senior Center and the Lima/Allen County Community Action Commission.Yet times were tough for the agency. So tough, that on the last day of 1982, Mizpah had to close its doors for lack of funding.But the local community, which was used to fighting to keep Mizpah operational, was determined to re-open the facility. Members offered donations, served dinners, raffled cars, participated in walk-a-thons, sold cookies, and made calls to raise money for their beloved Mizpah.Their efforts paid off, and in August 1983, the facility again opened its doors, at least temporarily. The limited program was run by long-time teacher Bernice Upthegrove.Meanwhile, as Mizpah was going through this turmoil, Lutheran Social Services began eyeing the agency. That organization had wanted to find a way to deal directly with the poverty of Lima’s south side and saw Mizpah as the perfect opportunity to do just that.In 1984, Lutheran Social Services, headed by Cheryl Allen, moved its operation to the Southside Center, at 1802 S. Central Ave., on Lima’s south side. It became the primary funding source for the former Mizpah Center.A workaholic by her own admission, Allen labored tirelessly to keep the center functioning for the community. Neighbors were welcomed there and offered help in all its forms. As she told The Lima News in 1984, “I never met a stranger.” And the paper added, “Mrs. Allen is always ready with a yes when someone asks her to help.” She credited her mother, Inez Chambers, and a neighbor, Willa Mae O’Neal, with her love for community.And at the new Southside Center of Lutheran Social Services, Allen began implementing some of her ideas. She introduced a food basket program for the elderly on fixed incomes, and an emergency feeding program. Meanwhile, the Head Start programs there continued, as did the day care and after school programs.For a time, Allen even forfeited her own salary to keep the agency operational. She worked as a volunteer to ensure that any money coming in would go strictly toward center programs.When Allen died on July 1, 1987, at age 41, her loss was mourned throughout the community. To honor her, the center was renamed the Cheryl Allen Southside Center of Lutheran Social Services.Determined to carry on her legacy of helping the community, Beverly White was named the director of the agency. By this time, there were clothes distributions and health screenings also offered at the non-profit agency.As The Lima News noted in 1994, “The Center is a lifeline for many people in the community.” That year, 120 children participated in summer programs there, and 1,000 families were provided Christmas baskets.In 1995, Brenda Johnson took over the reins as the agency head. Her vision of the agency, she said in 1997, was that of a “safe haven.” Her goal included offering an abundance of programming to help young people realize their potential.By August 1995, the center had finalized its mission statement. That document read, “the mission is to alleviate the hardships of poverty, which causes low to no self-esteem; which results in: drug use, drug trafficking, teen pregnancy, incarceration, gangs, violence, etc. This purpose, to alleviate the hardships of poverty, is to be accomplished primarily through meeting human need, advocating dignity and justice for all people, working for peace and reconciliation amongst all people, bringing the Gospel of Christ’s love to those whose spiritual and material needs are not being met.”Yes, a lot has changed since Mizpah first opened in 1912, but the purpose has remained much the same.