The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center — Local services in Quincy

I recently signed up for a new membership this weekend and decided to use it for the first time today. What a terrible first experience I had. Let me share my experience. My husband, 2 kids, a friend, (ages 13 and 11) and myself decided to enjoy a fun filled day at the Kroc center. We could not have been more excited. When we get there around 1030 am we were automatically greeted with, you weren’t planning on going swimming were you? I responded to her. Yes that was the plan to let the kids swim while my husband and I go do some workouts. We then find out the pool doesn’t open until 1 pm. We live out of town so going home and coming back later was not an option. We had already promised the kids that they could go swimming and they were really looking forward to it so We decided to go to the basketball court with the kids and play a little 2 on 2 to kill some time. We did that for about an hour before They were tired of that. My husband and son went to do some cardio and my daughter, her friend, and myself went to the walking track since they are only 11 that was the only other thing they could do. We walked the track until about 1130 when the girls got bored of that. Then I thought oh they can go play in the Game Center until the pool opens. So we walk on over to the Game Center and it’s closed until noon. I then told the girls to grab their phones and we can go sit in the chairs in the basement until the Game Center opens. Meanwhile I go back to the check in desk to find out if they have a schedule of what time everything opens and they said yeah and handed me this pamphlet of all the times everything started. I informed her it sure would have been nice to have this when I signed up for my membership only for her to respond back with. They should have given you one. Nope never got any pamphlet. All I got was a piece of paper telling me when my next payment will be. No apologies or anything. Then I asked if there was anything my 11 year old girls could do right now while I work out and she responded with they can go to the Game Center and I said, but it doesn’t open until 12, and she said they will be ok, they can still go in there, and so I confirmed with her that anytime the facility is open they can always use the Game room, and she responded with, yes. So I go downstairs to grab the girls and bring them to the game room only to find the door locked and the girl that just told me that they could go in there chasing me down to tell me that they can’t go in there until noon. WOW really. Future suggestion for new memberships would be to give the potential member a full tour of the facility and provide all useful information someone would need to know before using your facility for the first time. Not having the times of when everything opened made our first experience with our membership a very terrible experience. I would hate for another family to experience what we went through...

Keyte Family Service at Fifth & Broadway: The Salvation Army in Quincy, 1924–Present

In 1924, Thomas Leonard Keyte and Mary Ivy (Attey) Keyte were married in the Salvation Army’s first permanent Quincy headquarters, a small stone church at Fifth and Broadway built after the Army secured the property in 1920.

During the Great Depression, Thomas worked on the construction of the Quincy Memorial Bridge (1928–1930) while Mary Ivy — dressed in the Army’s traditional cape and bonnet — collected pennies in Quincy taverns and bars. In those days, a penny could buy a meal, and her efforts helped sustain the ministry through its hardest years.

Their son, Jack Keyte, later became Central Division Commander of the Salvation Army, serving in many cities across the central United States. He is buried in the honor section in Chicago among senior Salvation Army officers.

Other family members also carried forward this legacy of service, including Paul Warner, “The Singing Sergeant,” whose deep voice carried the gospel in song, and Donna Keyte, a devoted aunt who continued the family’s tradition of faith.

The Keyte family’s devotion and sacrifice — from the bridge to the taverns, from the pulpit to the stage — helped build the foundation of the Salvation Army in Quincy, a legacy that lives on today in the modern...

I was trying to check out the facilities when I encountered two of the rudest human beings that I have met in some time.

The gentleman at the desk for the workout area spoke in a condescending manner and told me.that I couldn't walk around the facility unattended (um, hello?!?!, It's a community center !! I belong to the community!). ..Then, on my way out, I was accosted by this Barney Fife-like security guard who seemed intent on provoking, instead of letting me just leave. ... I was on break from my job, and was there wearing dress pants, dress shirt, and shoes...and minding my own business when. I encountered these rude people/employees who apparently don't want to share their community center. The other guests that I encountered were your typical friendly folks from Quincy. Crazy. ....stay away from thatall cop looking dude! (Seriously, he looks like John Candy in the first Vacation movie). He has an IQ equivalent to his show size, and a chip on his shoulder. ...it was a really strange...