About Us

The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center of the Mid-Willamette Valley (TSA Salem Kroc) will embody the very best of The Salvation Army’s service and mission impact for the 21st century. The Salvation Army is committed to producing tangible outcomes that will build character, confidence and competence in the children and families of the Mid-Willamette Valley region and throughout the Sate of Oregon.

The Salvation Army has resolved that the development of the TSA Salem Kroc will be guided at every step by the following five mission-driven principles:

Be planned, developed and operated in a manner consistent with the mission of The Salvation Army: to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

Remain true to the intentions of Joan Kroc: to relieve the suffering of the poor, communicate dignity, and provide opportunity to those with limited opportunities to develop their skills to the full extent of their potential.

Be a beacon of hope and an agent of change in the Mid-Willamette Valley region that will actively reach out to those who might not otherwise feel included and make the center open to everyone.

Offer programs and program facilities that will enhance the quality of life, build relationships, and help unify a diverse community; and transform youth, families and neighborhoods through education, art, recreation and worship activities.

TSA Kroc will be a seven-day-a-week magnet and anchor for the community and will be planned, developed and operated in a manner that engages true community-wide leadership, networks and support resources.

History:
In January, 2004, McDonald's heiress Joan Kroc left a gift of $1.5 billion to The Salvation Army to build and partially operate corps community centers across the country. After 20 months and three competitive phases, On May 1, 2006 The Salvation Army, Salem was awarded $56 million of the Ray & Joan Kroc gift to build and operate The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center of the Mid-Willamette Valley (hereafter Kroc Salem CCC). Then in early 2008, due to rising construction costs another $7 million was added to the grant from The Salvation Army. Along with the more than $9 million raised from the local community, the total amount given to build and endow this state-of-the-art recreation and community center rose to $79 million. Bringing nearly $2 million a month during the construction phase into the local community. Finally, in May 2008 construction began.

Community Planning:
Planning for Salem Kroc CCC has been characterized as one of the most far-reaching, broad-based planning efforts ever conducted in the Mid-Willamette Valley. The process has engaged individuals from every sector of our community and state. Over 250 individuals have served on boards, committees and task forces to help shape the proposal and over 800 citizens and school children participated in community forums. Over 300 households participated in a "statistically valid" phone survey as part of a market study. The input and counsel of each of these groups served as resources to The Salvation Army in determining how to meet the needs of the underserved and disadvantaged populations in the community.

Community Statements:
"The opportunity for the Salem area to boost its educational, recreational, and spiritual resources through the advent of the Kroc Center is an amazing triumph for the Mid-Willamette Valley. This once-in-a-blue-moon, nay, millennium, circumstance for our kids, their parents and grandparents, gives each of us the chance to join in a legacy for the benefit of generations to come. As the only Center to be built in the Pacific Northwest, it will greatly enhance the livability of Salem and its environs."
Gerry Frank
Chair, Kroc Center Initiative Committee

Community Need:
Through these studies and discussions, a number of important facts emerged, including:

• Salem's Northgate neighborhood, where the Center will be located, contains the highest density of low-income population in Oregon

• 63% of Salem/Keizer children live below the poverty line

• Salem's juvenile arrest rate remains 22 points above the state average

• Salem and Keizer account for most of the teen pregnancies in Marion County

• Oregon has on the highest obesity rates (1 in 4) in the nation

• There is a severe shortage of low-cost child care in Salem

• There is a severe shortage of after-school programs and activities for children

• There is no family aquatics facility in the Salem area community

Location:
The address of the new facility is: 1865 Bill Frey Drive. The Kroc Community Center is situated on a 10.65-acre site which adjoins a 22-acre city-owned nature park. It is positioned almost 2,000 feet off of Portland Road, a major arterial, and is accessed by way of Bill Frey Drive. Two lakes, Claggett Creek, wetlands and nature trails surround the building site.

Architectural renderings of The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center of the Mid-Willamette Valley - Salem, Oregon

Aerial View | Main Entry | Classroom Wing