What We Offer
The Grow Center offers original programming as well as collaborations with community partners.
Central Christian Church
Central Christian Church is a worshipping congregation that was originally established in Kankakee in 1893. Worship is offered on the 2nd & 4th Sundays of the month at 10:00 a.m. at The Grow Center.
Blessings in a Backpack
Blessings in a Backpack River Valley Communities is the local chapter of the national Blessings in a Backpack organization. Our local chapter provides weekend nutrition for over 450 students in 19 schools in the Kankakee River Valley.
Project Sun
Market 102, located at 310 Main St NW in the parking lot of The Grow Center, has been the home of the Farmer’s Market in Bourbonnais since 2016. 2022 Markets take place on the 2nd & 4th Sundays from 11 am to 4 pm.
Spiritual Direction
Tim Nelson, certified Spiritual Director, offers this opportunity at The Grow Center. The art of Christian spiritual
direction is the practice of two people engaged in a companioning
relationship for the purpose of encouraging a maturing relationship
with God.
Enneagram Exploration
Contact Program & Communications Director Kelly Perotti for more information.
Group Sessions (2 hours)
Ideal for staffs and boards of organizations to
facilitate an improved work environment by better
understanding themselves and each other.
Individual Sessions (3 hours)
Ideal for people who want to delve deeper into
their true self.
Catholic Charities
The Grow Center has provided space for Catholic Charities for workshops about caregiving for loved ones with Alzheimers as well as drive-through flu shot clinics and other programming for seniors.
Harbor House
The Grow Center’s staff serve on the Community Commission to End Domestic Violence. We partnered with Harbor House to raise awareness of domestic violence and to create a violence prevention initiative, “Not in Our House” offered the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th Sundays of the month through the summer and fall from 11 am – 4 pm on the parking lot.
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers meets at The Grow Center on Monday and Saturday mornings. We’re glad to partner with them on a journey of wellness through progress, not perfection.
Illinois People’s Action
Our Executive Director is a Community Organizer with Illinois People’s Action. The Grow Center serves as IPA’s hub in Kankakee County. IPA is a progressive, multi-issue faith and community organization in downstate Illinois. Their mission is to empower everyday people to become true partners in the decision-making process on justice issues affecting their communities, state and ultimately the nation as a whole.
Stony Road Podcast
A Podcast about Then and Now featuring educator Shannon Swilley & Rev. Robert Bushey, Jr. Whenever we discover what history has to offer it grounds us. We appreciate the opportunity to be connected to all that has come before us and all that will follow. We want this podcast to serve as a model for connecting the dots backwards as a means to bringing light and understanding to our current conversations about race and racial identity in America.
River Valley Clergy Alliance
The River Valley Clergy Alliance is an inclusive and ecumenical group of clergy and religious leaders in the Kankakee River Valley of Illinois.
Girl Scouts
The Girl Scouts meet here weekly. We’re glad to partner with them as they build “girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.”
Christmas Day, Inc.
This year is the 28th Annual Christmas Day Dinner. From serving at one site 28 years ago, we have grown to now serving free dinners for all at 9 sites in Kankakee County. The Grow Center (formerly Central Christian Church) has been a Christmas Day Inc site for over a decade.
Route 102 Car Shows serve as a fundraiser for Blessings in a Backpack River Valley Communities.
The Grow Center serves as the polling location for Precinct 5 in Bourbonnais.
*Some events that take place at The Grow Center are not publicly listed. Please use the Facility Use form if you are interested in reserving a space and time for your event.
The Grow Center 