Community Celebrates New Youth Center Groundbreaking

In the summer of 1969, Gary Sipes, a young boy aged 11 or 12, joined a procession in his neighborhood on Aurora’s East Side. With little else to do that day, he walked alongside members of St. Olaf Church. Their journey began on Benton Street in Aurora and led to the groundbreaking for a new church on Douglas Avenue, Montgomery. At that time, the site was surrounded by cornfields.

Last Wednesday morning, Sipes returned to the same property for the groundbreaking of the new Youth Center for Wayside Cross Ministries. This center will occupy four acres purchased from the church. Now a local resident, Sipes acknowledged that addressing neighborhood concerns was a major hurdle Wayside faced when proposing this project to the Montgomery community last year. While wary of change, Sipes recognized the project’s potential benefits, “If we do what we are supposed to do,” he remarked, “we are here to help these kids.”

Around 125 supporters attended the groundbreaking ceremony. Montgomery Village President Matt Brolley, a speaker at the event, addressed community concerns. Following a tour of Wayside Cross’s main campus in downtown Aurora, he supported the development, noting the significant need that the center will address beyond local boundaries. The site’s proximity to the church, Fox Valley Park District fields, and Krug Elementary School made it an ideal location. “I am very excited,” Brolley stated, “to be just a little part of this.”

Vicki Morkos, president and CEO of the Dunham Foundation, discussed the longstanding relationship between her organization and Wayside Cross. Thomas Dunham, founder of Equipto Electronics, was instrumental in establishing Wayside in 1928. His son, John C. Dunham, later founded the Dunham Foundation with a mission to improve quality of life. This mission aligns with that of Wayside, Morkos noted, explaining why the foundation has consistently supported the ministry’s programs.

For about 15 years, Wayside Cross has utilized St. Olaf for its after-school and summer programs for children from Aurora and Montgomery. An event years ago, when Wayside Executive Director James Lukose noticed the open land next to the church, sparked the idea for this project. The roughly 10,000-square-foot center, set to be completed next summer by Sequoia General Contracting, will feature classrooms, a multi-purpose room, gymnasium, and kitchen, with plans for future sports fields. The center will offer tutoring and educational opportunities, youth leadership, and recreational activities.

Interim Pastor Dan Haas of St. Olaf highlighted how this initiative aligns with the church’s mission and the aspirations of its founders, Norwegian immigrants seeking religious freedom in America in the early 1900s. “Today we start to make the vision a reality,” stated Sequoia President David Blasi as he encouraged the audience to begin the work with “hard hats and shovels.”