Doyle Community Center anchors flood recovery in neighborhood that had never flooded before

When the July flood waters reached Monterey, Lawson, and West Shriner Streets — a cluster of generational neighborhoods hugging Town Creek — they arrived somewhere they had never reached before. Town Creek crested 10 feet higher than it did in the historic 2002 flood. Homes that families had owned for 60 years took on water for the first time.

Rae Cardenas, executive director of the Doyle Community Center, was already moving before the water receded.

“Since Doyle in the beginning when it was a school, it was the cornerstone of our community and the neighborhood,” Cardenas said Friday on Lead Live’s Nonprofit Week. “We’re literally in the center of the neighborhood. So we want to be that heart. We want to be that cornerstone, that crutch, that neighbor.”

The center, officially registered as the Doyle School Community Center, sits at 110 W. Barnett St. at the corner of Pascal and West Barnett. It began as a K-12 school — later a kindergarten — serving what was then a segregated neighborhood. For many families who have lived nearby for decades, the building is a piece of living history.

Cardenas, now in her third year as executive director, went door to door after the flood to assess damage and track down evacuated families. She bought squeegees, shovels, rakes, and water at Home Depot and distributed them throughout the neighborhood. The center became the central hub for all flood recovery information and partner coordination — a function it continues to serve.

The center is also advocating for residents on George, Miller, Pearl, and East Davis Streets who were flooded by overflow from a nearby retention pond. Cardenas described a neighbor’s account: “She said it felt like the ocean was outside her door.” The center is working with city officials in streets, engineering, and planning departments to pursue permanent infrastructure solutions.

Beyond disaster response, the Doyle Center hosts ESL classes on Tuesdays, U.S. Citizenship classes on Thursdays, a monthly senior lunch and game night, and the popular after-school lounge and computer room. It organizes the annual Cinco de Mayo and Bluesfest, with this year’s Bluesfest expanding to a 1,000-wristband tracking system and improved pavilion layout.

The center’s most immediate need is volunteers for a full playground rebuild in partnership with the national nonprofit KaBOOM, set for Sept. 24-26. A registration link is available at the center’s website. Future outdoor plans include pickleball nets, adult and youth sports leagues, and pavilion improvements.

The center also works closely with longtime neighborhood figures including staff member Clifton Fifer, known as Coach, and Miss Shaw to preserve and digitize historical records of the Doyle district.

“You come in whatever you’re looking for when you walk through those doors,” Cardenas said. “You’re not leaving empty-handed or without answers.”

To volunteer for the KaBOOM playground rebuild Sept. 24-26, visit the Doyle Center’s website. The center is at 110 W. Barnett St.