The Dakota Center is a nonprofit community center in the MacFarlane neighborhood of Dayton, Ohio, offering programs that educate the whole person — mind, body, and spirit — for youth, families, and seniors.
To provide a safe, positive atmosphere engaging Dayton West Side neighborhoods in programs to educate the whole person by developing character and connecting community.
Every program is built around developing character — helping young people grow in responsibility, confidence, and respect for others.
From homework help to a summer reading program, we support students so they stay in school and succeed academically.
A landmark in the MacFarlane neighborhood, the Center connects families, volunteers, and seniors across the West Side.
Founded in 1965 by Marianist priest Philip C. Hoelle, S.M., and William Hoben, the Dakota Center grew from a single social hall on Dakota Street into a full-service community center. Today it serves families throughout Dayton’s West Side.
From after-school learning to summer enrichment and support for seniors, the Dakota Center offers a full calendar of activities year-round.
A curriculum-based after-school program for K–8 students in Montgomery County, with a hot meal, homework help, and character-building activities.
A ten-week summer program filled with field trips, aquatics, and a reading program to keep young minds active through the break.
A program focused on health and assistance with errands, including transportation to and from the Center for area seniors.
For more than sixty years, the Dakota Center has been one constant in a neighborhood that has seen a great deal of change. Generations of families have grown up walking through its doors — first as children in the after-school program, later as parents dropping off their own kids, and eventually as seniors served by the Center in turn.
That continuity is the point. A child who has a safe place to do homework, a warm meal, and an adult who knows their name is a child who is more likely to stay in school and thrive. The Center exists to be that place, year after year, for the whole neighborhood.
The Dakota Center runs on the time and generosity of neighbors. However you show up, it helps keep the doors open for the next family.
Share an afternoon with the Homework Club, lend a hand at summer camp, or help at a community event. Consistent, caring adults are the heart of everything we do.
Know a K–8 student in Montgomery County who could use after-school support? Point their family our way and we’ll help them get started.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Center depends on the support of people who believe in the West Side. Every contribution goes toward programs for youth, families, and seniors.
Our core programs serve three groups: K–8 students in Montgomery County through the after-school Homework Club, children through the ten-week summer enrichment camp, and older adults through our senior program. Whole families are welcome at the seasonal community events we host throughout the year.
The Center is at 33 Barnett Street in Dayton, Ohio 45402, in the MacFarlane neighborhood of the city’s West Side. It has occupied this building — its permanent home — since it was dedicated in 2001.
Yes. The Dakota Center, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 31-0731056) and has been tax-exempt since 1968. It has served Dayton’s West Side continuously since 1965.
The best first step is to call the Center at (937) 228-8961 or stop by 33 Barnett Street. Our Programs page describes each offering, and the Contact page has directions and a map.
Whether you volunteer your time, refer a family, or support our work, you help the Dakota Center keep its doors open for the next generation.
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