Salvation Army Kroc Center hosts its first wedding since opening last year

The Salvation Army’s Ray and Joan Kroc Center in East Falls hosted its first wedding this weekend, celebrating the marriage of Geraldine Pettiford and Arnold Bernard Peterson.

The couple knew eachother as children but were reacquainted about a year ago, around the same time that the Kroc Center opened in November of 2010. Friends and family attended the ceremony, officiated by Salvation Army Pastor, Captain Dennis Young. 

The Philadelphia Kroc Center is one of several nationwide made possible by a donation from Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc.

The community center boasts a conference facility, gymnasium, basketball courts, pool, café, worship center and athletic fields. Men, women, children and seniors are offered a wide variety of educational, artistic, athletic and spiritual programs.

The center currently has about 7,000 members who come from all over the greater Philadelphia area. With its resources for both physical fitness and spiritual well-being, East Falls resident Mabel Laws explained that the center provides “everything we need all in one building.”

After their Saturday wedding, the newlyweds and several other Kroc Center members were to be inducted as soldiers in the Salvation Army in a ceremony on Sunday. Bernard stated “I am fully committed to the Salvation Army now, and I am happy to do what they call me to do.”

The Kroc Center is open to the public and scholarships are available. For more information, call 215-717-1200.