On Wednesday, we officially cut the ribbon on a state-of-the-art NYPD Community Center, in East New York, where The Child Center of NY will be providing youth development and family support services. The center offers East New York’s young people a growthful environment, supported by people from all walks of life—including police officers.
Scholars from nearby Aspirations High School, which currently lacks a gym of its own, participated in the opening of the center by playing basketball on the center’s new court. After the ribbon cutting, they stepped onto the court and an unexpected game of kids vs. cops basketball broke out—with the kids taking the officers in one quarter of play!
“We created a space for kids to play ball and participate in building a new kind of community center where young people and police officers can come together in new ways,” says Amanda Etienne, our Vice President of Youth Development. “Any time a young person and a police officer can do a positive activity together, it makes the community a better, safer place.”
For more information on the center, visit our NYPD Community Center page. We encourage neighborhood youth and families to check out the center for themselves. We are hosting two Open Houses for the community: Saturday, October 26, 12:00-3:00 p.m., and Wednesday, October 30, 4:00-7:00 p.m. We hope to see you there!
