Mt. Zion Charitable is now over halfway to its funding goal to build its Family Life Center after it received a $1 million donation from Ascendium Education Group.
The new center aims to replace Mt. Zion’s original space, which was built in the 1960s facing Baird Street, with a new center for its education, youth development, career readiness, and family support services. Its planned 20,000 square-foot space is estimated to cost $8.3 million — but with the recent large gift from Ascendium, Mt. Zion is at 56% of its fundraising goal.
“Each step forward confirms that this work is both necessary and achievable,” said Rev. Marcus Allen, pastor at Mt. Zion Church. “Today represents another powerful milestone in this journey.”
The new space will help bolster Mt Zion’s existing programs and enable it to add more to meet community needs.
Currently, it operates an education center, mental health support in partnership with Anesis Therapy, socializing opportunities for older adults to promote quality of life, youth development programs, food pantry, career services, case management, community empowerment, and more as it frequently steps in to meet what Madisonians need.
(Photo by Omar Waheed)
Its old space is still in use for programs, but in areas like its basement — where the education center was housed — issues like flooding and asbestos removal make it unsafe to use.
“We didn’t want to have our kids around it. For us to change out the floor alone is about $50,000 to $75,000, and so it was like, ‘Hey, we got to do what we do on that side until we get the money to build instead of putting that money here,” Rev. Allen said.
The space is loved by students and is more spacious than its current arrangement on the other side of the building, but it’s not usable for the time being. The Academic Learning Center has been moved into the “newer half,” Rev. Allen calls the other side of the building, much like most of its programs.
However, the church and its programs have become increasingly cramped in the newer half and have worked to shift its education and mental health services as interest has grown.
Mt. Zion also announced its plans for the new Academic Learning Center for when it’s finally built. It will be named after long-time member of Mt. Zion and educator Christine Hodge.
(Photo by Omar Waheed)
“Miss Christine Hodge, a retired principal with a deep love for children and education, founded and operated what is now known as the Academic Learning Center,” Rev. Allen said. “She believed every child deserves support, encouragement, and the opportunity to thrive, and today we honor her extraordinary legacy.”
Hodge was not aware of the announcement beforehand. Hodge moved to Madison in 1971 with her three children, five, seven and nine years old at the time, from Arkansas. She wanted to join a church like the ones she had back home — Black Baptist churches — and was directed to Mt. Zion.
“I raised my children here, and this church has wrapped their arms [around them]. I was a single parent, and it helped me raise my kids. All of my kids,” Hodge said. “When I decided to retire and really retire in 2006, I thought I wanted to do something for South Madison, who so lovingly put their arms around me and helped me raise my children.”
She founded the Academic Learning Center, which had around five or six different names, Hodges recalled. It was a largely self-funded venture for its first three years.
Mt. Zion is still raising funds for the Family Life Center and hopes to break ground in the fall of next year. It anticipates construction will take 12-18 months.
A ceremony is planned at a later date when the new wing is built for Hodge and the Academic Learning Center.
