The Smoketown neighborhood celebrated the grand opening of a new community center on Thursday, but it's more than just a building.The new facility marks the completion of the E. Breckinridge Street building, the continuation of a movement to transform youth, and shows how a community is reclaiming its identity.Smoketown맥스카지노�s deep roots date back to former enslaved blacks settling there shortly after emancipation. The neighborhood has seen change, not always for the better, with crime, drugs, and poverty. But Thursday brought new life as the ribbon was cut on the brand-new community center.맥스카지노�It looks beautiful here, it feels good, and I know the work is going to be done,맥스카지노� said Ruby Hyde, a Smoketown historian.Generations of Smoketown residents like Hyde beamed with pride at the new resource hub. Once a corner liquor store, the $2.5 million center is designed to position young people in Louisville to thrive.There's tutoring, a technology room, mentoring, job training, mental health support and other wraparound services, and a food distribution site. Above all, it's a safe space operated by Blueprint 502, formally known as YouthBuild Louisville.맥스카지노�We lost one of our kids to street violence last year,맥스카지노� said Desiree Carr, the program manager for the new community center. 맥스카지노�I feel like if we had this at that moment, he would have been here instead of where he was. So, we probably still have him around.맥스카지노�The nonprofit has a new name, but its commitment to transforming and empowering lives has not changed. Overseeing the organization for more than 20 years, president and CEO Lynn Rippy says it takes crucial investments like this to foster a bright future for youth and the rebirth of Smoketown.맥스카지노�We have been needing it for a while, and we really tried to follow the blueprint that the community set up for us,맥스카지노� said Rippy.The two-year project, for her, was a labor of love.맥스카지노�All of us said it is time for us to step up and do what we know needs to be done here, and we know how to do it,맥스카지노� she said.The community partners that helped bring the project to light include every level government, other local nonprofits, and private donors.It's also not too late to register for their summer programs. More information can be found here.