NE OKC Community Center Prepares For Fundraising Concert After Break-In

Nearly two weeks after an overnight break-in, volunteers at the Northeast Oklahoma City Community and Cultural Center are preparing for a fundraiser at the facility. Staff members have picked up the pieces since the smash and grab, but the community cente

Thursday, July 25th 2019, 6:12 pm

By: News 9

NE OKC Community Center Prepares For Fundraising Concert After Break-In

Nearly two weeks after an overnight break-in, volunteers at the Northeast Oklahoma City Community and Cultural Center are preparing for a fundraiser at the facility.

Staff members have picked up the pieces since the smash and grab, but the community center is also picking up loads of community support.

“Everybody is pitching in to help,” said director Lori Combs.

The pots were hot as volunteers prepared one of the daily meals Thursday afternoon. It is a service Combs said is desperately needed for many neighbors in Northeast OKC, like one woman who recently shared her story.

“She and a family member were without a job,” Combs explained to me, “and they came here for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and she made the statement that we saved her life.”

Combs believes one of their visitors decided to throw a paint bucket through the window after hours and steal the stereo and money box from inside.

“For anybody that comes in, if you see something you want, you’re more than welcome to have it,” Combs said, “so for someone to break in and steal something, that is hurtful.”

Since then, though, Combs and her team have not had to pay a dime for the damages.

“We got free window replacement,” she said. “Someone brought us a new stereo, and then we’ve had maybe double donations since.”

The fundraising concert already planned for this weekend will be an added bonus.

CEO of Shortt Dogg Entertainment Johann Kimbro said, “We try to do an event at least once a year for her, and it was timely because of the tragedy that just happened at the facility.”

His band Shortt Dogg will be performing, as well as youth group 3 Kings And A Queen, and you can buy a soul food dinner to complete the evening.

Kimbro said, “I’ve never had a time where people didn’t step up in the community when something needed to be done. Such is the case with this.”

The concert kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 27 at the center, located at 3815 N. Kelley Avenue. To purchase tickets, click here.

","published":"2019-07-25T23:12:58.000Z","updated":"2019-07-25T23:12:58.000Z","summary":"Nearly two weeks after an overnight break-in, volunteers at the Northeast Oklahoma City Community and Cultural Center are preparing for a fundraiser at the facility. Staff members have picked up the pieces since the smash and grab, but the community cente","affiliate":{"_id":"5cc353fe1c9d440000d3b70f","callSign":"kwtv","origin":"https://www.news9.com"},"contentClass":"news","createdAt":"2020-01-31T18:38:56.572Z","updatedAt":"2022-03-30T20:33:42.181Z","__v":2,"show":true,"link":"/story/5e347440527dcf49dad709f9/ne-okc-community-center-prepares-for-fundraising-concert-after-breakin","hasSchedule":false,"id":"5e347440527dcf49dad709f9"};