About The Whitin Community Center (WCC)
The Whitin Community Center, located at 60 Main Street, serves as the organization’s primary operating site. The 11.5-acre property features a 50,000-square-foot, four-story building that includes:
- A full range of health and fitness facilities: a gymnasium, two pools, locker rooms, a fitness center, a spin room, and a racquetball court.
- An Early Education and Care Center with five classrooms.
- Administrative offices and meeting spaces.
- Expansive grounds that support a vibrant summer camp program.
- A 7.5-acre public park with a pavilion and two outdoor restrooms, used for summer camp and community events.
Beyond its main campus, WCC also operates:
- Two school-age licensed classrooms for up to 50 children at Douglas Primary School.
- Two school-age licensed classrooms for up to 40 children at the 21st Century Learning Program in the Taft Early Learning Center in Uxbridge.
- The Rockdale Youth Center in Northbridge, leased from St. Peter’s Church, which accommodates up to 52 youth daily for free after-school care and supports ages 5–17 through the Youth Outreach Program.
With more than 4,000 members, and countless others who rely on WCC for childcare, youth development, fitness, wellness, and community connection, the Center is more vital than ever. Often described as “a gift to the community,” WCC has been woven into the lives of generations of families, becoming part of the very fabric of the Blackstone Valley. With your support, we can preserve this legacy and continue to provide essential programs and services for at least another 100 years.
Learn about the Fernandes family's experience at WCC!
Renovation Projects
WCC is undertaking significant renovation projects to modernize facilities, address structural issues, and ensure safety, comfort, and accessibility for all.
Gymnasium: 100% DONE
Repairs to the roof, replacement of the floor, new HVAC, replacement of windows and new equipment.
Original Pool: 60% DONE
Repair & Updates by regrouting, replacing pipes, updating handicapped accessibility for code compliance, and replacing HVAC and windows.
Play Spaces: 95% DONE
Upgrades to the outdoor play spaces will extend our health and wellness activities for children and expand learning in a nature-based playground to aid in the development of motor skills, address the whole child’s needs, and provide access from the building to our amazing park.
Fitness Room: 10% DONE
Outdated equipment has been replaced, relocation to the current Racquetball and Spin Room locations to create a 2 story space with natural light is still to come.
Locker Rooms: 50% DONE
Showers updated, new lockers installed, and ADA code compliance met. Consideration for a complete renovation to the saunas and showers in the future.
Tennis Court Renovation: Future
A turf field or other multi-sport surface will replace the tennis courts, now in disrepair, in Whitin Park. This will expand fitness opportunities for childcare, youth programs, and summer camp and provide the community with rental space, creating a new income stream.
Blackstone Valley Children’s Place Expansion: 2026/2027
Transformation of Aldrich School Building to expand BVCP award winning childcare program by relocating and tripling the number of School-Aged children served from Kindergarten to 5th grade and allowing an increase in Preschool enrollment by 25%.
Main Entrance: FUTURE
New welcoming covered entrance, improved access, and installation of safety equipment.
Rockdale Youth Center: FUTURE
Renovation of the Rockdale Youth Center’s first floor to offer academic enrichment through STEAM (Science, Technology Engineering, Art, and Math) and physical and mental wellness programs, as well as the remodeling of the bathrooms and creation of a community shelter in case of emergencies such as flooding, fires, etc.
Expansion and Off-Campus Renovations
The Blackstone Valley Children’s Place
To expand Early Education & Care, WCC has purchased the historic Aldrich School Building across from its main campus. Renovations will transform five classrooms, alleviating waitlists and offering more families access to a safe, nurturing environment, especially those supported by the state’s childcare voucher system.
In addition to early education, the Aldrich School will provide flexible space for:
- Community meetings
- Adult education classes
- Exercise and wellness programs
- Rental opportunities to strengthen WCC’s financial sustainability
Youth Outreach
The Rockdale Youth Center, housed in St. Peter’s Church school building, opened in 2016 after a major renovation of the second floor. It currently provides free before- and after-school care for up to 52 children daily. Planned renovations to the first floor will expand opportunities with:
- A dedicated STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math) space
- Enhanced after-school programs
- New fitness facilities for older students
- Updated restrooms
- Emergency shelter for natural disasters and neighborhood emergency situations
Project Cost & Funding
The total project cost is estimated at $10 million, covering direct construction, architecture, engineering, permitting, and financing. Funding will come from a combination of:
- Capital Campaign pledges
- State and federal grants
- Historic preservation tax incentives
- Corporate and Individual giving
Projects will be completed in phases, with each stage beginning as the previous one concludes:
- Gymnasium Renovation – $1M
- Original Pool Preservation – $1M
- Creation of New Whitin Park Play Spaces – $500K
- Fitness Room Relocation, Entrance Improvements & Locker Room Renovations – $3M
- Rockdale Youth Center Renovation – $500K
- Blackstone Valley Children’s Place Expansion – $4M
Be part of the Whitin Community Center's legacy!
The Legacy Capital Campaign is a community-wide effort to ensure a vibrant future for the Whitin Community Center. Your support helps us reach our ambitious goals and strengthen the foundation for generations to come.
Levels of Support
- Visionary – $1,000,000+
For those whose transformational gifts shape the future - Pioneer – $250,000-$999,999
Bold partners who build major new possibilities and anchor our mission. - Legacy – $100,000 – $249,999
Honoring those whose enduring commitment creates lasting impact - Heritage Circle– $25,000-$99,999
Champions of long-term preservation and meaningful program growth - Cornerstone – $10,000 – $24,999
A foundation of strength that upholds our mission - Champion – $5,000 – $9,999
Driving progress through passionate and sustained support - Leadership – $1,000 – $4,999
Guiding the way with generosity and purpose - Supporter – $25 – $999
Valued partners who join us in making a difference
Recognition & Appreciation
- Gifts of $1,000 or more will be recognized on the Legacy Donor Wall in the WCC lobby.
- Gifts of $750 or $1,000 donated to the Dive Into Your Pool Seat designation will receive an engraved seat in the Original Pool balcony. Gifts of $1,000 or more will also be recognized on the Legacy Donor Wall.
- Gifts of $100 or more will receive a choice of either an exclusive 100th Anniversary Ornament commissioned by Vaillancourt or a section of the engraved WCC gymnasium floor (while supplies last).
It’s Easy to Give
- Donate online, or mail a completed donation form to:
Whitin Community Center, 60 Main Street, Whitinsville, MA 01588 - Pledge your support over a period of up to 5 years by contacting Victoria.Waterman@OurGym.Org, 508-234-8184 ext. 122
- We gladly accept gifts by credit card, check, stock, or IRA required minimum distributions (RMDs).
- For Donor Advised Funds, please select George Marston Whitin Memorial Community Association.
- To explore meaningful ways to contribute, contact Victoria Waterman, Development Manager, at
Victoria.Waterman@ourgym.org, 508-234-8184 ext. 122, or ask for her at the WCC front desk.
Please consider helping us meet our goal — and be part of a legacy 100 years in the making. Give today!
