About Us

A Brief History

The Westside Community Center is a non-profit community-based organization whose members are committed to enhancing the quality of life of underserved citizens in our community. In June 1990, the formerly Old @estside High School closed its' doors, ending a nostalgic era in the life of the school and its' relation to community needs. In May 1991, a group of concerned citizens under the leadership of Dr. Beatrice Thompson, a former teacher, and counselor in the closed school, met and organized for the purpose of acquiring the abandoned school with the goal of renovating the facility designed to provide programs and services to assist in meeting the needs of citizens in an underserved community.

In September 1991, the group was formally chartered as a charitable non-profit organization with the help of many facets of the Anderson community, including Old Westside High Alumni, parents, teachers, concerned citizens, churches, along with the support and cooperation of local government, businesses and industry, and many other community agencies, most notably An-Med Health. Then, the work began. The proposed mission was to renovate the facility and house programs and activities determined to be most crucial in decreasing negative factors in the community and replace them with programs that would provide healthy growth and improved self-esteem along with self-sufficiency to assist in these proposed efforts. WCC formed partnerships with agencies willing to locate programs in the facility and work together as multi-service providers.

In August 1998, The Westside Community Center officially opened its' doors with AnMed Medical Clinic, an Anderson City Police sub-station, and an outreach program of The Anderson County Health Department. Renovations, services, and programs have continued to grow over the years, which led to the addition of more than 18 programs including child care, adult education, job training, counseling services, recreation programs, just to name a few. The success of these programs and their impact on the community has led to other improvements in the community including upgraded streets and infrastructure, improved community relations, improved coordination of community services, with one of the most obvious being improved housing with a large housing development that sits adjacent to The Westside Community Center.

We are proud of the successes that we have made since our opening in 1998 which is due to the commitment and hard work of the staff, board members, community support, and partnerships. However, we are still a "work in progress" and continue our mission to enhance the quality of life for citizens in our community. As we move forward, we continue to seek financial assistance for the improvement of our programs. We continue to seek funding through fundraisers, grants, and financial donations. We are most appreciative of everyone's ongoing moral financial support as we strive to achieve our mission of service and commitment to make a positive difference in the lives of citizens in our community, remembering that "together we serve".

Our Staff

Dr. Beatrice Thompson

Director

Dr. Thompson, serves as executive director of the Westside Community Center, widely known in Anderson as "the haven on the hill."

The building was originally Westside High School until a tragic event occurred where principal Dennis Hepler was murdered there during a late-night armed robbery on Aug. 31, 1988.The building then became West Franklin Elementary School when the current Westside High School opened in 1972. The elementary school closed shortly after and the building became a "horrible place" littered with broken windows when Dr. Thompson and a group of activists soon began seeking to transform the building into a community center. The plan finally became a reality in 1998, thanks largely to a $500,000 grant from AnMed Health.

Dr. Thompson has been able to turn a dilapidated vacant building into a vibrant community center with the help of the community that it serves as well as people who don't even live in the immediate community.

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Carolyn Thompson

Administrative Assistant

Carolyn has faithfully served alongside Dr. Thompson for many years. She has an extensive background in office management and after much consideration decided to utilize her talents and serve the community by dedicating herself to the Westside Community Center.