Staff

Dwight Warren is the heart of the McKim Center.  He’s been associated with McKim for forty seven years:  seven years as a young participant, thirty nine years as a staff members and thirty-three of those years as executive director.  His roots are in the Historic Jonestown Community.  He grew up in public housing at Lafayette Courts, he is a graduate of Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School and Morgan State University, where he earned a B.S. Degree.

 Dwight is devoted to providing children with intellectually, physically, and spiritually stimulating activities in the safe, structured, and nurturing environment of the McKim Community Center.  Children have the opportunity to participate in an excellent after school program, summer camp, two Saturday activities a month, lacrosse, and track and field.  Central to McKim’s program is wrestling, the activity that has meant so much to Dwight and to hundreds of boys who came after him.  He is the current coach at Mergenthaler (Mervo) High School.

In addition, children are able to broaden their horizons with enriching field trips to many venues:  intramural athletic competitions, a working farm, state parks, museums, bowling alleys, and Historic Jonestown’s New Heritage Walk.  This is all part of Dwight’s strategy to offer youngsters a positive experience and provide them with creative outlets for their energy.

Dwight has always been a staunch supporter of the East Baltimore neighborhood where he and McKim are held in high regard.  He has served on the board of the Jonestown Daycare Center, he is a longtime member of the Historic Jonestown Planning Council and the Kiwanis Club of Baltimore City, he has been a member of the Maryland Association of NonProfit Organization and of the Empowerment Zone, he was co-chair of the Eastside Task Force Land Use Plan, and he has been active in many other community and city- wide activities.

Dwight Warren sums up his experience this way, “I have found that working in the human service field, ‘people business’ has afforded me many opportunities to learn, understand, create, direct, and find personal satisfaction in witnessing the growth of our young people.  I am proud to know that I have played a part in the positive development of thousands of youngsters here at the McKim Communty Center”.

 McKim Community Center statement:

It is the hope of McKim Center that when these young people are given an opportunity to take their place in society; they will be equipped for the task and the challenges by mentally and physically drawing upon the contributions the McKim Community Association has made to their development”. 

********

For thirty six years, Debra Coates has been greeting children and adults at McKim Community Center with her warm, welcoming smile.  Debbie takes care of invoices and financial records, manages correspondence, and coordinates programs such as field trips, outreach functions, and

cultural events.  Callers will find Debbie answering the phone, always ready with information on McKim’s activities.  She’s our jack of all trades, who fills in where ever and whenever needed. 

After high school, Debbie continued her education at secretarial school, and more recently, she has taken computer courses at Baltimore City Community College.  McKim appreciates Debra Coates for her competence, her loyalty, and her wonderful personality.

********

Marcia Bowyer-Barron oversees Youth Place, McKim After School Program; Summer Camp, Saturday activities, and many other events and programs.  Her strong administrative skills, dedication to the well-being of the children in her care, and her ability to work with people of all ages make her an ideal person for this job.  Having raised nine children of her own, Marcia has practical knowledge about what is important for a child’s development. 

Just before coming to McKim, Marcia spent fourteen years as a Coordinator-Consultant for Academy Concepts, Inc., where she developed and implemented a training course for volunteers, in the Baltimore and Newark, New Jersey school systems-a course which led to a considerable increase in the number of school volunteers. 

Earlier, Marcia majored in chemistry at Morgan State University and worked at four chemical plants around Baltimore.  She then worked as a Intervention Advocate for the Baltimore City Public Schools Breakthrough Team, which created programs that substantially decreased delinquency.  Later, she was employed as a case manager for Empowerment Zone One, where she taught life skills and job preparation.

 Affectionately know as “Mother Marcia”, she has received numerous awards and certifications while volunteering in schools, churches and neighborhoods.  Marcia has always been focused on improving the lives of children and their communities.