Turkish American Community Center Opens

“Ahiska Turks have revitalized the Old North Dayton neighborhood, having purchased and renovated abandoned housing, and we bought land from the Riverside community to open the biggest American Muslim cemetery,” he said.
Kiser and Ruskin PreK-8 schools have enrolled many of the young Turkish students, as has Stebbins High School and other schools in the area.

In 2009, when the center was organized, the Ahiska Turks leased a building on Stanley Avenue to assist its growing community; in April, the former Bomberger Park was purchased from the city to house a permanent community center.
“The building has been renovated and one of the rooms reconstructed for the mosque,” said Shakhbandarov. The center now offers classes for karate and wrestling in the gymnasium, rooms for women’s committee meetings and charity work, Koranic and English lessons, a day care center, and space for numerous special faith events.

Since the purchase of the site, Dayton officials have made an official visit to Turkey, and Turkish groups from the Ukraine and Turkey have visited the Dayton center.

Although the grand opening will be closed to the public, residents are welcome to visit on Sundays after 2 p.m. for tea, or to stop by the office, which is open daily.

The center’s theme is “Creating a Unity among Diversity,” and, although ethnic and faith-based, it serves not only Ahiska Turkish refugees and immigrants, but under-served communities in Montgomery County. (By Virginia Burroughs - www.daytondailynews.com)