Roosevelt Junior High School/ Neighborhood Center
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images
Historic photo of Roosevelt Junior High School.
US President Barack Obama speaks on drug abuse at the East End Family Resource Center on October 21, 2015 in Charleston, West Virginia.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Roosevelt Junior High School was built in 1922 and opened in 1923 as a neighborhood school to educate children from the seventh to ninth grade. The structure is made of limestone and brick, with terrazzo floors in the interior hallways and wooden flooring in the classrooms. This school was the oldest continuously-operating school in Charleston prior to its closing in 2000.
In 2001, the building was converted into the Roosevelt Neighborhood Center, also called the East End Family Resource Center (EEFRC). The EEFRC is devoted to making resources available to people living in the East End of Charleston. The EEFRC also provides programs to help keep kids in the community busy so they stay off the streets and out of trouble. The EEFRC has an after-school program, a family fun night, as well as senior programs. They also have a community computer lab that is open on the weekdays from 12-6 pm to allow individuals access to the internet for GED preparation, resume building, and employment searches.
On October 21, 2015, President Barack Obama spoke at the EEFRC about opioid drug addiction in West Virginia, which has reached epidemic proportions and reflects the larger nationwide problem..
The EEFRC also contains a detachment of the Charleston Police Department.