Part of the Cherokee Nation reservation and 30 miles north of Tahlequah, Kenwood has a population of 904, and more than 500 of those residents are Indigenous.
The new community center replaces the original one, which was built in the 1970s.
Cherokee Nation Chief Chuck Hoskin says the 10 million dollar investment is part of the tribe’s mission to keep even the smallest areas of the reservation prosperous.
“We mean to keep Cherokee Communities alive and thriving,” Hoskin said at the center's official opening. “That is the choice we're making today in the great community of Kenwood.”
Dawni Squirrel has lived in Kenwood her entire life. She says the new center is a monumental step for the community.
“It’s hard to almost take in,” Squirrel said. “I mean, I’m looking at it and it’s hard to believe this exists here now.”
The new center is over 33,000 square feet and will have wellness programs, an elder nutrition program, new playing fields and courts, school sporting events, a Head Start facility and areas for cultural games.
It’s part of a larger, 1.2 billion investment the Cherokee Nation had made to improve surrounding local communities.
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