More than four years after planning for the facility began, the Wright Family Center in Dieterich is now officially open to the public.
Village residents and community leaders met in Dieterich Friday morning to take part in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly constructed facility, which includes a gymnasium, a 24-hour fitness center and a day care which is creating 50 new child care spots amid Effingham County’s child care shortage.
The Wright Family Center is located directly across the street from Dieterich Junior-Senior High School, and the facility’s day care is operated by Montessori Kids Universe.
Funding for the approximately $5 million facility includes a $2 million grant from the state of Illinois and more than $1 million in donations from local business and residents like Tom Wright, the chairman of Wright’s Furniture & Flooring, whose family purchased the naming rights for the facility in the spring of 2022.
“It’s great to see the turnout,” Tom Wright said during the ribbon cutting ceremony, held in the gymnasium of the Wright Family Center. “We, as the Wright family, we couldn’t be more proud of this fantastic facility. It couldn’t happen without all of you.”
In a press release sent out March 6 by Wright’s Furniture & Flooring, another member of the Wright family, Wright’s Furniture & Flooring President John Wright, commented on the opening of the facility and said their sizable donation was their “way of giving back” to Dieterich.
“It is so exciting to see this community center finally open its doors,” John Wright said in the press release. “Our family has always cared about the development of the Dieterich community, and this is a project that we know will make a tremendous difference for a lot of people. Wright’s Furniture & Flooring has been around for more than 130 years, and our success wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our community.”
Dieterich Village Clerk and Economic Development Coordinator Brittny Gipson reflected on the early stages of planning for the facility, which began in the fall of 2019. At the time, she thought the project was just a “crazy harebrained idea.”
“But this building is absolute proof that dreams come true, and without the community and our entire county backing us in this project, and the state of Illinois, this building would not have happened,” Gipson said during the ceremony. “This is probably the biggest crowd I’ve seen at a ribbon cutting, which is a testament to how much the community has supported us.”
Wright Family Center Director Traci Bruns, who has served on the Dieterich Park District Board for approximately seven years, said she’s looking forward to seeing more residents get involved in the different activities available at the Wright Family Center, including basketball and pickleball.
“I started in November, but my starting with this project was with everyone else back in the mapping back in 2019. And whenever we had this idea, I was so excited about,” Bruns said during the ceremony. “There’s so many amazing opportunities that we have, and I’m just so excited to explore everything that we can offer in the community.”
Also speaking during the ceremony were Dieterich Village President Brad Hardiek and Effingham County Chamber President and CEO Lucinda Hart who, as a Dieterich resident herself, said the facility is a “really exciting thing” for the village.
Dieterich American Legion Post 628 Commander Donald Dorn and his wife Karen Dorn attended the ribbon cutting Friday morning. Donald Dorn said Post 628 donated $20,000 for one of the daycare center rooms in the facility.
“We’ve got a commander board and stuff that they’re going to put in there, and once they get it all put up, then we’re going to come and see it,” Dorn said after the ceremony.
He also said that he and his wife are already thinking about becoming members of the Wright Family Center, so they can begin using its fitness center.
“It’s amazing what a small community like this can do,” Dorn said.
Many village residents, such as Dieterich Unit 30 Board member Devin Aherin, are all too familiar with the village’s need for its own fitness center because the nearest workout facility had been in Effingham.
“It’s something we didn’t have on this side of the county,” Aherin said after the ceremony. “I live south of here, eight miles. We’re 20 miles away from the nearest gym. I can’t believe this is here.”
Aherin, who attended Dieterich High School, is glad that current and future students will have access to high quality workout equipment, and he said the district and the Wright Family Center have agreed to let students use the facility during morning workouts. He noted that this “give and take” relationship between the district, which donated some of its land in the area for the facility, and the Wright Family Center is important, especially in a small town like Dieterich.
“I remember in high school working out on the 30-year-old equipment we had out there,” Aherin said. “It’s great for the school district.”
In addition to benefiting the district, he also believes that the Wright Family Center will help the village compensate for the residential growth and development it has been experiencing in recent years.
“This really provides another level of amenities to our residents here. It makes Dieterich a place to come and live,” Aherin said. “It’s a real draw here.”
According to the press release from Wright’s Furniture & Flooring, anyone looking for more information about the Wright Family Center or the leagues and programs offered there can check out the facility’s Facebook page at facebook.com/WrightFamilyCenter, and anyone interested in volunteering or making a donation to the Wright Family Center can visit wrightfamilycenter.com.