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by Sue Schumann Warner –
After her death in 2003, Mrs. Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, gave The Salvation Army in the United States a bequest in excess of $1.6 billion dollars for the exclusive purpose of building and endowing Kroc Centers in many communities across the country. The gift, announced in 2004, was one of the largest estate gifts made by an individual in the history of charitable giving.
The first Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center opened in San Diego, Calif., in June 2002, at a ceremony presided over by Mrs. Joan Kroc. There, members and friends of all ages enjoy access to the center’s climbing wall, ice arena, aquatic center, gymnasium, performing arts complex, indoor skate park, family enrichment center, The Salvation Army church, day watch center, and much more.
The Western Territory received a $225 million share of Joan Kroc’s gift, enabling the six centers to be built in the West.
Selected cities to receive from The Salvation Army for Kroc Center Development
Central Territory: Chicago, Ill.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Green Bay, Wis.; South Bend, Ind.; Omaha, Neb.
Eastern Territory: Ashland, Ohio*; Boston Mass.; Camden, N.J.; Dayton, Ohio; Philadelphia, Pa.; Staten Island, N.Y.; Guayama, Puerto Rico.
Southern Territory: Atlanta, Ga.*; Augusta, Ga.; Biloxi, Miss.; Charlotte, N.C.; Greenville, S.C.; Kerrville, Tex.; Louisville, Ky.; Memphis, Tenn.; Tidewater, Va.
Western Territory: Coeur d’Alene, Ida.*; Honolulu, Hawaii; Long Beach, Calif.; Phoenix – South Mountain, Ariz.; Salem, Ore.*; San Francisco – Tenderloin, Calif.*; San Diego, Calif.*