Michael Kraft
In Fortuna, you’ll find this jewel of a place, the GLC, starting with the 27-acre campus itself. Seven acres are allocated to buildings, with the rest being protected and restored wetlands. It butts up against Strong’s Creek, near Newburg Park. There are 1.5 miles of trails open to the public and, benefitting a community center, kids and dogs are encouraged. (Leash your dogs and, for the love of all that’s holy, please use the poop bags.) Cal Poly and College of the Redwoods students have worked on sign designs so that you can learn things such as the life cycle of a tree frog.
The McLean Foundation purchased the property back in 2014. Buildout of the center itself finished just prior to the Covid outbreak, causing a period of pause-and-reset. The ERV Community Center Foundation (owner and operator of the Gene Lucas Community Center) became established as a separate nonprofit, and McLean gifted the campus and building to the new entity.
As cool as the grounds are, there’s also a lovely historical aspect to the center’s main building. During construction planning, Eric Thomsen of Loleta introduced himself. He had salvaged old growth redwood lumber, apparently a lot of it, in the wake of the ’64 flood. That gorgeous wood now adorns much of the interior.
The center’s mission is to support all people in Eel River Valley in art, education, health & wellness. This involves many different things. I spoke with the center’s team, Lauren Correll and Hayley Simera, to learn more. Lauren sorts the organization’s programming into three buckets.
First, there are the tenants. This includes McLean, which is central to many good things that happen in the Eel River Valley; Remi Vista, which provides youth mental health services; Reaching For Independence, which provides job training for adults with developmental disabilities; Healing Roots, a Latina owned therapy practice; the Humboldt Literacy Project, Teen Court (a part of Boys & Girls Club), and the Humboldt Senior Resource Center’s nutrition program. HSRC also occupies another building on the campus, where they run their PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) & adult daycare programs.
The second bunch includes community partners, over 100 different entities, such as Sunrise Rotary, Food For People, College of the Redwoods Community Supported Agriculture operation, LatinoNet, and a display from the Ink People’s Monster Project. These partners use the center free of charge. Much of the intent is to help bring services centered in Northern Humboldt further south. Related to this, the GLC also rents out space for special events.
Last, but not least, from Lauren’s sorting hat are the programs & classes run by the GLC itself. Playgroup, for example, is an initiative for kids 0-5, supplying a space for families to play & interact, free to participants and funded by community support. Playgroups demonstrably help with a child’s social skills and cognitive abilities. They also counter the isolation that parents can experience. There’s yoga for kids and Nature Joe sometimes comes in. The GLC is launching kids’ cooking classes.
Hayley grew up in Fortuna. She says “I always thought we needed a center for people to go. Now being able to provide what people in the community want, meeting our wonderful, kind community members, that’s why I get up in the morning.”
Lauren says “I’m a social worker by background. What’s really cool about our center is that it only takes one person, one moment, which helps someone feel better about themselves. It’s going to make a positive difference in somebody’s life. I see so many positive things.”
One of those favorite things: a gentleman who eats at the senior nutrition program. Prior to lunch, he walks the halls and checks in with staff and whoever is around. Intergenerational things happen serendipitously. “This is what a community center is about.”
Volunteers help the organization in various ways. They clean up the campus and remove invasive species from the walking trails. They staff game nights and events like the stocking stuffers coming up on December 6, which is like a market with youth vendors, photos with Santa, cookie decorating, food vendors. To volunteer, the best way to get started is to call Hayley or Lauren at 707-725-3300.
If you’d like to donate, go to the website (https://glccenter.org/) and look for the heart-shaped donate button at the bottom right. Staff are currently seeking sponsorships for Ollie’s Kitchen.
Now, about Ollie. Here’s something from the Who Knew? file. Ollie earned his spot as the GLC’s mascot because it turns out that Strong’s Creek at least occasionally holds otters. Otters in Fortuna creeks would never have occurred to me, although they are spotted in the Eel River, so it makes sense that some would venture up nearby streams.
If you live in the southern half of Humboldt County, it’s good to be aware of the Gene Lucas Community Center and the resources it provides. If not, you may still want to visit, walk the trails, and maybe run into some of Ollie’s descendants. Or tree frogs. It’s all good.
Michael Kraft writes the Good Work series. He is currently seeking nonprofit organizations to profile in 2026. To nominate a deserving organization, email michael@kraftconsultants.com.
Leave a Reply