Freeman Community Center
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Real Identity: Not Applicable
Appearances (SS): Child's Play, Sons of the Fathers, Junior, Bent Out of Shape, Trouble Squared, Static Shaq, Frozen Out, Jimmy, The Usual Suspect, and Kidnapped
Powers/Skills: None
Voiced By: Not Applicable
The Freeman Community Center was named after the lawyer, Augustus Freeman for his charitable good works. It is located in the Ferris Row area of Dakota City. Robert Hawkins is the most senior social worker and manages the Center. Virgil Hawkins, his son, and Richie Foley were practically raised at the Center, as well. While it mainly operates on the mandate of helping the needy, the Freeman Community Center appears to focus most of its operation on at-risk youths. A fountain adorns the entrance while the Center is outfitted with a basketball gymnasium and arcade for the children. After the Big Bang, Freeman's gym was damaged by a construct of Dwayne McCall. Luckily, the insurance covered it. As a gesture of good will and investment in the children, Edwin Alva paid for a new addition to Freeman, the Edwin Alva Gymnasium. The dedication was a black tie event and several high profile figures attended, including the Mayor and half of City Council.
However, Freeman often operated on a tight budget and depended on grants to manage cash reserves. Periodically, the Center dodged bankruptcy. In one instance, in exchange for saving Edwin Alva Junior, Static arranged for Alva to write a $10 million endowment to the Freeman Community Center. When Shaquille O'Neal was in Dakota City for a publicity tour, he agreed to conduct a basketball mini-camp because of a prior relationship with Robert Hawkins. O'Neal and Static later fought the Ruffpack, a metahuman gang, in the old community center, now used for storage. Months later, the Center teamed up with a local church for a Christmas food drive to help the homeless.
Next year, Frieda Goren convinced Hawkins to allow her to use the Center grounds for the Fright Fest and set it up with student volunteers over the course of a week. One of the volunteers, Jimmy Osgood, confronted a trio of bullies with his father's handgun at the Center. Richie Foley tried to intervene but was shot in his left leg. After volunteering her time over the years, Sharon Hawkins eventually became a counselor and one of her first cases was Marcus Reed. They became part of a revenge scheme hatched by Reed's ex-girlfriend, Tamara Lawrence. While leaving for the night, Robert Hawkins was kidnapped by Puff and Onyx then delivered to Omnara who discovered Static's secret identity and planned to blackmail him.