MANSFIELD, Ohio – The official opening of the Mansfield UMADAOP Community Outreach Center brought together members of the Mansfield community and beyond to celebrate another step in community service.
The atmosphere was jubilant on Friday as the cut of the ribbon welcomed community members and dignitaries from both the city and state into a brand-new facility dedicated to helping youth in Richland County.
“It’s been an exciting ride, and this ride isn’t just Richland County and Mansfield UMADAOP’s ride,” said Dennis Baker, executive director of Mansfield UMADAOP. “It’s not just us, our doors are always open.”
The Community Outreach Center, located at 215 N. Trimble Road in Mansfield, is the third building under the charge of Mansfield UMADAOP. The main office is located at 400 Bowman St. in Mansfield, and the organization opened an assessment center at 91 Park Avenue West after continued growth.
The Community Outreach Center will provide treatment, prevention and mental health services. It will offer evidence-based curricula drug treatment for youth along with different prevention activities and programs.
“We had all these addicted people coming into our facility, but it had us scratching our heads with what to do with our youth,” Baker said. “We didn’t want our youth to be involved in that environment. As our revenues increased, we began looking for a building to house our youth programs, and by the grace of God we found this place.”
Housed in the former Mansfield Community Elementary school, the Community Outreach Center has been completely renovated. Improvements include a new HVAC system, six classrooms, two large meeting rooms, a gymnasium, a multipurpose room, kitchen and computer lab.
The Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Programs (UMADAOP) of Ohio were first established in 1980. In its early years, UMADAOP focused on community outreach and education, and today Mansfield UMADAOP has grown to become a vital force in substance abuse education, prevention and treatment.
“To me, your heart operation is to help individuals stay clean and be productive citizens,” said Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker.
Theaker was one of many local political leaders to praise the work of Baker and Mansfield UMADAOP, including Richland County Prosecutor Bambi Couch Page and Richland County Commissioner Gary Utt. Sen. Larry Obhof and Rep. Mark Romanchuk were also present, and emphasized UMADAOP’s role in reducing the state’s problems with addiction.
“We are in an epidemic, and everybody in the Columbus area and locally understands that,” Romanchuk said. “I’m very grateful for the work UMADAOP and Mr. Baker and his staff are doing. It will require an all-hands-on-deck effort. There’s no one thing that will get us out of this epidemic.”
Ultimately, Baker noted the Community Outreach Center is a culmination of vision and hard work, and his entire staff is excited to start their work with local youths.
“We’re not doing this to make money, we’re doing this to provide service to the community,” Baker said. “We’re trying to be good stewards and a positive aspect of the community.”
