<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4Thjh8_18DybvtO00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4Thjh8_18DybvtO00" width="800" height="420" ></figure>The yellow-brick exterior of the former Lacure Elementary School looks much like it did in 2023 when its last class of students bounded outside for the final time.But inside, it’s a whole new story.Classrooms once home to spelling tests and multiplication tables are now filled with nearly two dozen business start-ups: budding entrepreneurs selling vintage clothing and motorcycle parts, providing services like massages and hair styling and everything in between.On weekends and evenings, home-school groups, Scouts, exercise instructors, pitching coaches, and robotics teams take their turn in the building’s spacious gym and meeting rooms. And with 100 parking spaces on 10 acres, it’s also the perfect spot for large graduation parties, baby showers, and even memorial services.“It’s truly become the center of our community, which is why I renamed it the Lacure Community Center,” said Jason McConnell, a Genesee County real estate agent who purchased the Clio Area Schools’ building two years ago.Since then, McConnell has successfully transformed the Thetford Township school into a thriving small-business incubator, nonprofit center, and neighborhood hub.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0b1w9Z_18DybvtO00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0b1w9Z_18DybvtO00" width="2048" height="642" ><figcaption>A variety of organizations have set up shop in the new Lacure Community Center. This includes, from left to right: Native Sun Arts, Custom Looks &amp; Lengths, and The Tangled Web Handweavers Fiber Guild.</figcaption></figure>Built in 1958, Lacure Elementary was a bustling K-5 school for decades. But declining enrollment across the district in recent years forced the Clio Board of Education to close Lacure and Edgerton elementaries and consolidate classroom operations elsewhere.“There was a lot of love for this school, so the last thing anybody wanted was for it to sit dark and abandoned,” McConnell said.He and his wife, Nicole, knew the building well, having sent their sons, Ethan and Chace, to the school just a mile from their home. When the district put the building up for bid, the McConnells purchased it for $155,000.Originally envisioning it as a halfway house for veterans, their plan soon veered in a new direction.“We knew a lot of people who wanted to start their own business but couldn’t find space without high rent and a long-term lease,” he said. “Nicole suggested we offer the classrooms on month-to-month leases to small businesses and entrepreneurs. As soon as we started advertising the idea, a lot of people jumped on it.”By providing area residents with affordable space, Lacure Community Center aims to remove common barriers to first-time business owners.Monthly rent ranges from $150 to $700, depending on classroom size and amenities, such as a private bathroom and air-conditioning. All utilities are included.It’s been ideal for 22-year-old Ariel Lessert, who opened Glitz-n-Glitter Competitive Cheer there last summer.“I did competitive cheerleading as a young girl and always dreamed of becoming a cheerleading coach,” said Lessert, a Clio High School graduate. “The Lacure Community Center helped me start my business with its convenient location and affordable rent prices. I also love that I have access to the gym when practicing with my athletes.”Lessert already has a roster of 27 students she coaches evenings and weekends after working at her mom’s daycare center. She hopes to coach full-time one day.“I really love Lacure so far; everybody here is very friendly and nice,” she said.Coincidentally – or maybe not for a small town – Lessert’s grandmother taught for over 30 years at Lacure Elementary. That’s the kind of connection McConnell hears all the time.“I would say probably 75% of my tenants have some tie to this building; whether they went to school here, taught here, fixed the boiler here, or their kids went to school here,” he said. “I love that about this place.”The Clio Area Human Services Fund also finds a lot to love about Lacure Community Center. In October, the nonprofit organization relocated its Safety Net Store there after four years in downtown Clio.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4AO0PS_18DybvtO00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4AO0PS_18DybvtO00" width="2048" height="642" ><figcaption>Scenes from inside Elysian Esthetics, one of the businesses based at Lacure.</figcaption></figure>“We’d been looking and looking for a new, larger space but couldn’t find the right building at the right time at the right cost,” said Nate Jonker, a volunteer.Now, thanks to the extra room at Lacure, the community- based initiative can offer a more extensive selection of food, clothing, home goods, and personal items to Clio-area families in need. They can also offer “wrap-around services” provided by visiting experts from agencies such as Hamilton Community Health Network, Genesee Health Plan, and Michigan Works.Open the second and fourth Thursdays of every month, the Safety Net Store served an average of 76 people each of the three days it was open in October and November – a significant jump compared to its smaller downtown Clio location.“We know that people in poverty don’t have one problem; they usually have several,” Jonker said. “This combination of food, necessities, and human resources is unique and is a model of collaboration that can provide a hand up as well as meet immediate family needs.”Municipal leaders in Thetford Township are also open to partnering with Lacure on community projects and grant applications where appropriate, Jonker said.“One of the things that’s really intriguing is that the building is on 10 acres, so there’s all kinds of potential for public-private partnerships to provide family recreation services, community gardens, and so forth,” he said.McConnell was thrilled to welcome the Safety Net Store and resource center to the Lacure Community Center.“Helping all these people and having Nate in my corner has been awesome,” he said. “He has the people and the resources to put us on the map, and he wants to make this be successful as well.”It’s one of many Lacure Community Center success stories.Matthew Sawicki, a former Lacure Elementary student, started MJS Tax Service at the community center before the business grew large enough to require his own office space in Clio.“I will be forever grateful to the Lacure Community Center for incubating me in my first year of business and to Jason McConnell for helping me with this new location,” Sawicki announced in August on his Facebook page.McConnell said he’s happy to help Sawicki and other local residents on their entrepreneurial journeys.“I love coming in here and being around these folks,” said McConnell, who’s taken over the principal’s former office. “They’re excited to be here, all trying to make a go of their dreams. No one is dragging their feet. They see this as a chance for independence, and they’re working hard to get there.”And he’s pleased the school that shaped so many lives also got a fresh start.“This is a whole new chapter for it,” he said.</div></body>

New Life for Lacure Elementary

The former Lacure Elementary School in Clio, Michigan, has been transformed into the Lacure Community Center by Jason McConnell, a local real estate agent. Purchased for $155,000 in 2021, the building now houses nearly two dozen startups and serves as a community hub for events and meetings. The center offers affordable monthly leases ranging from $150 to $700, attracting entrepreneurs like Ariel Lessert, who runs a cheerleading coaching business. Additionally, the Clio Area Human Services Fund relocated its Safety Net Store to the center, expanding its services to the community. With its spacious facilities and ample parking, the Lacure Community Center has become a vital part of the community, providing support for small businesses and social services.

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The yellow-brick exterior of the former Lacure Elementary School looks much like it did in 2023 when its last class of students bounded outside for the final time. But inside, it’s a whole new story. Classrooms once home to spelling tests and multiplication tables are now filled with nearly...

A new chapter for Lacure Elementary

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The yellow-brick exterior of the former Lacure Elementary School looks much like it did in 2023 when its last class of students bounded outside for the fin

A new chapter for Lacure Elementary

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