Greetings, and welcome to OCC!
My thanks to all our donors, volunteers, partnering organizations, and program participants for the generous contributions that allow us to continue making a difference in the community.
I’m proud of the fact that OCC maintains scheduled activities 95% of the calendar year, while standing ready 100 percent of the time as a facility for use in emergencies. With this in mind, our Board continues to maintain current CPR/AED certification.
Being responsive to the community is what we’re all about. Urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg states in his book The Great Good Place that people need three places: 1) The home 2) the workplace and, 3) the community hangout or gathering place. This third place he deems essential to public and community life. OCC is such a third place, fostering on a day to day basis the sense of connectedness that creates the spirit of community; and doing so now for over a quarter of a century. For 26 years, children have enjoyed summer camp and after school programs; for that same number our resident theatre group has graced the stage bringing joy and laughter. For 23 years, our Fine Arts Fair has welcomed artists and patrons from all over the United States as well as a third of Oxford’s population as volunteers. Yes, some 300 dedicated friends collaborate on this show, OCC's largest annual fundraising event. Why the art fair’s traditional homemade strawberry shortcake is itself a work of art!
Fundraising events help make possible the activities we present to the community free or at a reduced cost, such as health lectures and our youth after school program. OCC remains committed to having everyone find a place at OCC- regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, income, family status, or religious preference. We are not just a community building, we are building community.
