Local government officials, community members and leaders gathered in freezing temperatures Thursday morning for a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Avondale Youth and Family Development Center.
The new center, a $6 million project, will be double the size of the existing 68-year-old facility, located at the corner of Wilcox Boulevard and Dodson Avenue.
Several children attended the event, and some took to the podium to share how the center and its staff have impacted their lives.
“This center is going to save lives,” city Councilman Anthony Byrd said. “There’s a lot of people out here who feel hopeless and feel like no one cares about them and feel like they’re unheard or unseen because an investment like this doesn’t too often happen.”
He said when children dream of things like this and they see them come true, it gives them “hope and passion to know that their dreams can come true.”