Hamilton Rec a common thread promoting area’s quality of life
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Kurt Johnson
It’s a behind-the-scenes story worth knowing, telling and sharing.
Aurora has many unique recreational facilities and programs, all of which help make this community unique. Local residents are familiar with the Youth Center, 12th Street Cinema, baseball/softball complex, field turf, flower basket program and tennis facilities, though some may not be aware of the common denominator that helped create them.
Hamilton Recreation Inc., is that common link, a nonprofit umbrella organization created in 1984.
Aurora has a long list of acronym organizations working to make this community better, each with its own mission and focus. If you live here long enough, you know all about HCF, ADC, PPRI, AHDC, ACE and others, though HRI does not usually make the ANR headlines.
Perhaps that’s by design, but upon closer examination you’ll find that some of Aurora’s feel-good stories might not have happened, and continue to happen, if not for Hamilton Rec.
Though the screen is dark now due to COVID, for example, one simply cannot put a value on the number of hours and evenings people of all ages have been at the 12th Street Cinema. It’s an amazing story in and of itself, but just a single chapter in the HRI book of community support. The theater and Youth Center are often the focus of the board’s attention, though each of the other entities has a seat, and a voice, at those board meetings.
The HRI formula begins with a good idea, backed by local citizens committed to the cause. Without that foundation, no project can succeed in the long term, nor, truth be told, should it probably be launched. The difference here in Aurora is that a good project idea can quickly gain momentum, utilizing a nonprofit umbrella structure that taps into this community’s unparalleled resources of volunteers and philanthropic giving.
A new chapter in the HRI book of local success stories is now in rough draft form, though ultimately the community will decide if the Aurora Community Clubhouse is a go. We’ll watch that proposal with interest.
Quality of life is what HRI is all about, ultimately. That and community spirit. Aurora has ample on all counts.
Kurt Johnson
