For 101 years, The Community House has been serving the residents of Birmingham and surrounding communities; its current president and CEO has been there for about 40 of those years.
“I came as a boy with my sisters,” says William Seklar. “Then, over the years, I got married, stayed in the area, and brought my children here.”
The Community House was founded during the transition period between the end of World War I and the start of Birmingham’s population surge, Seklar wrote in an April 2023 newsletter. “Based upon the social changes of the day, the founders believed that the establishment of a ‘Community House’ could become a home away from home for the changing community — children and adults ‘gathering, meeting others; to dance, laugh, to sing and to hear someone discuss things that interest and educate.’”
Over the years, The Community House has continued to honor its mission of enriching people’s lives by providing educational and enrichment programs, child care services, and event spaces, plus a place for nonprofits to meet. It also makes sure to accommodate the continuously evolving needs of the communities it serves.
During the Great Depression, those needs included helping community members find jobs and manage their finances. In World War II, The Community House was a place where soldiers’ wounds were tended. In the 1950s, when more women joined the workforce, the nonprofit helped families find personal child care. In 2020, its early childhood care center was there to care for children of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. And today, residents of Birmingham and 220 surrounding communities gather there for weddings, corporate events, and more.
The Community House is still recovering from the pandemic. In September, it finally brought back 68 classes — related to fitness, language, music, and more — which had been paused since March of 2020. “We used to have 900 classes, so you can see we’ve got a ways to go,” Seklar says. “But 68 to us is joyful after climbing out of COVID.”
To learn more about The Community House, including ways to donate funds and time, visit communityhouse.com.
This story originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our digital edition will be available on Nov. 6.
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