Who We Are: The OCCC is an independent and self-funded community center that serves as a public gathering place for individuals, families and organizations in the city of Oak Creek and surrounding communities.   

Our Mission: The Center, since it's founding in 1995, has established itself as a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to improving lives, strengthening community, and fostering civic engagement through a diverse offering of community programs, services and special events.

Our Vision: We envision an engaging and vibrant community where individuals are caring and giving: where families are participative in community recreations and civic activities: where organizations work together in partnership and collaboration: where individuals, families and organizations are dedicated to improving the quality of life for others and our community.

Our Guiding Principles and Values:  In fulfilling our mission, we will strive to: *provide our programs in a manner that is sensitive to the needs of our community, consistent with the intent of our donors, and respectful of the vision of our founding members   *conduct all activities with the utmost professionalism and treat all persons equally and with dignity and respect   *act with integrity, openness, and honesty in all relationships, dealing's and transactions   *keep faith with the public trust through the efficient, cost-effective, and compassionate stewardship of resources   *always remain mindful that our mission is accomplished through the support, generosity, talents and dedication of others.

Celebrating Our Past: The OCCC, nicknames The Center, celebrated its 10th anniversary beginning January 2005, 10 years since opening its doors to the residents of Oak Creek and surrounding communities, 27 years since becoming a dream of its founding members.  The following article, reprinted from The OCCC 10th Anniversary celebration booklet, provides a brief history of The Center and pays tribute to the passion, commitment, and perseverance of its founding member, organizers, volunteers, and community supporters in realizing a dream-a community center that would service a public gathering place and long lasting legacy for the community.

Story of Oak Creek Community Center Filled With Dedication and Dollars 

By Chuck Doherty

It all started with a commemorative plate.  The story of the OCCC was one of tireless fundraising, auctions, rummage sales, donations both big and small, run/walk, raffles, bingo games, T-shirt sales, brick sales, hat sales-but the first was a plate to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the city of Oak Creek.     It was a fitting move, Oak Creek itself was credited with lobbying for the appropriately nicknamed "Oak Creek Law" which allowed the community on the far south side of Milwaukee and then other communities statewide to be incorportated as cities.

The same "can-do" attitude that created the city of Oak Creek in 1956 was at work again in the late 1970's as a group of civic leaders gathered to consider what could be done to recognize the city of Oak Creek's 25th anniversary and, at the same time: establish a lasting legacy for all in the community. 

The idea of the community center was the easy part.  The real work was raising the money and the concept of asking for tax dollars wasn't even a consideration.  So dollar by dollar, the Oak Creek Communtiy Center was created.

Even the most ardent supporter admits today that the idea merely crumbled in the constant push to raise money, one that extended for 13 years by the time the first shovel of dirt was turned to mark the facilities ground breaking.  But they perservered, winning the hearts and minds of their city's resident and raising 1.2 million along the way.

Walk through The Center, a nickname that's both short hand an fitting for its spot in Oak Creek today and you'll see the pride, even the love of all the work and dedication reflected in many ways.  On bricks you'll find names like Archie Bury, Tom Rosandich, Richard Hay, brothers Don and Jerry Ashbaugh, Floyd Leonard, Lawrence Procknow, Hazel Nirode, George Abendschein, just a handful of the many organizers who lent so much time and effort to creating the facility.

You'll see Ulrich Hall, named for the late David Ulrich and his wife Agatha.  David Ulrich, an Oak Creek Business legend and philanthropist, committed significant amounts of dollars, time and resouces to The Center, even asking three of his top executives to join the organizations board to make sure the facility was built and built well.  "I've never been associated a loser", he told organizers as he threw his support behind The Center.  His track record stayed unblemished with The Center.

Maybe more than anything, though, you'll see a facility truly developed for the people of Oak Creek.  In any one year, possible 125,000 people walk through the doors of the Center.  There are meetings of all sorts of local organizations, weddings, rummages sales, monthy fish fries and corporate banquets.  There's Breakfast with Santa, and Lunch with The Easter Bunny for the young.  Septembeer Fest beer tasting and comedy nights for the adults, a brunch for moms, and summer concert series for all.  National Night Out, a nationwide event designed to promote community safety and awarness annually attracts more than 6,000 people to The Center grounds.  The list of events is big and growing.

Ten years into The Center;s life, the facilities caretakers continue to look for new ways to expand its reach into the community.  The OCCC Scholarship Fund is in it's sixth year, annually handing out a pair of scholarships to worthy young people.  The Center's board is even looking at expanding the facility to accommodate more requests for free meeting space.  In one measure of The Center's success, non-profit groups looking to meet in The Center or brides looking for a site for a reciption now sometimes hear the word "No", there simply is more demand than The Center can accommodate.  As anyone will tell you, it's a nice problem to have.

The Center's success has prompted a constant stream of hopeful organizers from their communites to ask for tours.  Many cities would love to replicate a facility like The Center in their own hometown and they all wonder how Oak Creek was able to pull it off.

The answer, organzers will say, was the citizens of Oak Creek who gave money for all the fundraisers and didn't give up on the dream even when it took more than a decade to complete.  Perhaps the next commemorative plate should feature the Oak Creek Community Center as an integral part of the city's Civic Center, a gift made possible 'of the people, by the people, for the people".