Center for Community Resilience
The Center for Community Resilience is a bold initiative to create a permanent space for disaster preparedness, community education, and volunteer-driven recovery. Through interactive exhibits highlighting major U.S. disasters—alongside a community meeting room, podcast studio, food pantry, and immersive theater—the center will educate, inspire, and empower individuals to strengthen their communities. We are now raising funds to make this vision a reality.
Why This Center Matters
Communities across the United States have faced moments of crisis that tested their strength, resilience, and unity—from the San Francisco earthquake and September 11th to Hurricane Katrina and the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. In those moments, recovery has often depended not only on institutions, but on people stepping forward to support one another.
It is the strength of the community—the willingness to serve, adapt, and rebuild—that determines how recovery takes place.
The Center for Community Resilience is designed to capture those lessons and turn them into action. By educating individuals, fostering volunteerism, and creating opportunities for engagement, the center will help prepare communities before challenges arise—and strengthen their ability to respond when they do.
This is about more than responding to disasters—it is about building a culture where individuals see themselves as stakeholders in the wellbeing of their communities.
The Center for Community Resilience is how we begin to do that.
What the Center Will Include
The Center for Community Resilience will bring together essential programs and resources under one roof—creating a space where education, service, and community engagement work hand in hand to strengthen individuals and neighborhoods.
The center will bring together key programs and resources designed to serve, educate, and strengthen the community.
Industrial Modern Community Classroom
An inspirational place where we host community meetings, conferences, presentations, workshops, training, seminars, and more. The modern furnishings have been specifically chosen for easy movement and to accommodate a variety of layouts. It boasts an open-floor layout with industrial-modern interior furnishings, community-inspired decor, and greenery to bring the outdoors inside. Your donations have allowed for us to host:
- Disaster Preparedness Day
- Women In Business conferences
- Police & Fire Open House
- National delegation conferences
- State Official Meet & Greet
- Community Meetings
Community Food Pantry
In the year 2020 and at the onset of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Safer-At-Home order, the Foundation transitioned operations to provide hot meals to Ontario residents who were furloughed, unemployed, or unable to take advantage of social services due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Thanks to the generosity of donors and grantees, we opened up the service to all San Bernardino and Los Angeles County residents while giving priority to seniors. Current funding needs include:
- Ongoing prioritizing of senior citizens
- Advertising in community publications
- Matching funds to retain grants provided by FEMA Emergency Food Service Program.
Community Gathering Hub
The Community Gathering Hub is a community gathering and resource site open to community members who are not a part of official organizations but have a strong desire to network and work with neighbors on community projects. This is a place where grassroots projects like neighborhood block parties, information sharing, civic engagement activities, leadership development, community assessment, demonstration projects, and resource distribution among neighbors take place. The Community Gathering Hub serves as a convener to respond to multiple community needs. Current funding needs include:
- Ensuring the use of the space remains free to non-organization affiliate members
- Providing free office supplies
Sounds of the Community Studio
The Sounds of the Community series is a music and speaker series designed to support public engagement, support early-career storytellers, and educate community members on the significance of human understanding and cultural perspectives in leadership. By curating stories and sharing them online, we aim to provide a platform for community members to access these valuable narratives even after the events. Current funding needs include:
- Ensuring the use of the space remains free to program affiliates
- Providing free lessons to high school students interested in audio and pod-cast production
- Providing an outlet for local artist
Each component of the center is designed to strengthen communities by empowering individuals with the tools, resources, and opportunities to serve.
Help Us Build the Center
The Center for Community Resilience represents a long-term investment in the strength, stability, and future of our communities. To bring this vision to life, the Lampkin Foundation is launching a capital campaign to secure a permanent facility that will serve as a hub for education, preparedness, and community-driven support. Now is the time to take the next step. This effort is about more than constructing a building—it is about creating a space where individuals can come together to learn, serve, and respond to the challenges that shape our communities. Every contribution plays a role in making this center a reality. Whether through individual donations, community partnerships, or organizational support, your involvement helps lay the foundation for a stronger, more resilient future.
Our goal is to secure funding for a permanent facility that will serve the community for generations to come.
Ways to Support
Make a Donation
Support the development of the Center for Community Resilience and help bring essential programs and resources under one roof.
Become a Founding Supporter
Join a group of early supporters who are helping establish the foundation for this center and its long-term impact.
Partner With Us
Organizations and community leaders are invited to collaborate in building and sustaining a space dedicated to resilience, education, and service.
Be part of building something that will serve generations to come.
A PLACE BUILT BY THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE COMMUNITY
The Center for Community Resilience is more than a building—it is a shared vision shaped by the belief that strong communities are built by people who are willing to show up, support one another, and take ownership of the future. Throughout history, it has been the collective effort of individuals—neighbors, volunteers, and local leaders—that has carried communities through their most difficult moments. This center is designed to honor that legacy and provide a place where that spirit continues to grow. Every contribution to this effort represents more than support for a project—it represents a commitment to building stronger, more connected, and more resilient communities for generations to come. The D’Andre D. Lampkin Foundation has a proven track record of serving the community through volunteer-driven initiatives and outreach programs.