More than 100 supporters packed the new Great Falls Youth Center for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, March 16th. The Center—Paterson's former American Legion Hall originally constructed in 1954—has been transformed into a facility designed to provide a safe place for hundreds of neighborhood teens each year.

NJCDC purchased the property in 2016 and spent the better part of the last year rehabilitating it. The Center has a "Great Room" which will serve a number of functions, ranging from study hall to dance studio to teen coffee house. The top floor also has a kitchen to teach culinary skills.

The lower level features a computer lab, where instruction will include basic computer skills, computer coding, and video editing. It also contains a sound studio, designed to allow participants to make music, learn sound engineering, and other musical and music production related skills. It will also have space that can be used to host a youth radio program.

The need for a youth center in Paterson is overwhelming. There are many places and great organizations that serve youth at present—such as the Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA—but there remains a need for a Center that will stay open on weeknights and weekends to offer a variety of programming for older teens.

In his remarks, NJCDC CEO Bob Guarasci stated "My instincts tell me that brilliance will emerge from these quarters. It will become a home to hundreds of young people pining for a place to go and a place to belong. And we will work tirelessly, I pledge, to provide support and encouragement—and to impart skills and knowledge—to each teen that walks through these doors."

During the ceremony, Shariff Hassan, who serves as President of the Paterson Youth Council, offered his views on the importance of the Center for young people. Ayanna Guzman, who is currently enrolled in NJCDC's Great Falls YouthBuild Program, amplified the need for a safe place to keep kids busy when school is closed.

Additional greetings were offered by Paterson Mayor Jane Williams-Warren, Senator Nellie Pou, and Councilmen Ken Morris, Michael Jackson, and Andre Sayegh. Bradley Harrington, who runs the state's Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) Program, spoke about the impact of the NRTC program on neighborhoods like the one where the Center is located—and the program's ability to make meaningful change in both a neighborhood's appearance and in the lives of its residents.

The Center, which cost over $2 million to purchase and renovate, was made possible by a number of corporations who contributed through the NRTC Program. These included Valley National Bank, PNC Bank, M&T Bank, Horizon Blue Cross, Atlantic Stewardship Bank, Sealy, Railroad Construction, Sterling National Bank, Thomson Reuters, Amerigroup, and Lakeland Bank. Financing to acquire the property was through TD Bank, and equipment for the Center was made possible through grants from the Henry & Marilyn Taub Foundation and the State of New Jersey.

Reflecting upon the journey that led to the ribbon-cutting, Bob Guarasci observed "This project is a shining example of what can happen through the partnership of a non-profit, corporations, government, and a lot of people who care about the welfare of young people in Paterson. I'm confident that this facility will have a positive impact on thousands of young people through the years, and we invite anyone who wishes to be part of it to contact us."

Additional information can be obtained through emailing info@njcdc.org.