During this, our 50th anniversary year, we’ll be sharing 50 reason to celebrate Center for Neighborhoods — one reason each week. The posts will come from different stakeholders in the organization, representing our past, present, and future.

This week’s post is written by Dr. Mellone Long.

Just this week I received an email from a Fall 2021 Neighborhood Institute graduate. Presley Pham was awarded a micro-grant from CFN upon her graduation, and she was reporting back on how her project was going. She sent pictures of her project at Beechmont Community Center, 205 W Wellington Avenue, and spoke of the strength of her community in coming together to build something beautiful.

Presley was an enthusiastic Neighborhood Institute participant (she carries that enthusiasm into all things she puts her mind to), and is so excited about the success of her project. She recruited students and community members, received financial and social support from her church, and worked hard to make a small budget stretch, all in the name of beautifying the community center by building flower beds at the entrance.

It is always so encouraging and inspiring to hear from our Neighborhood Institute graduates who take the knowledge we share with them and put it to good use in their neighborhoods, for the good of all. We have graduated hundreds of Louisvillians from our program over the years, which equates to dozens of community-driven improvements stretched all across our great city. This is the power of education, and the power of Center for Neighborhoods.