Dear Friends,
With a tremendous sense of pride and humility, I extend my
sincere gratitude to the residents, concerned citizens, and organizations of
the University Area Community. Together, we have come a long way on the path to
realizing our dream of community revitalization. Our progress has required
significant changes and contributions in many areas—resident interaction and
teamwork; agency and business inclusion and cooperation; and city, county and
state participation.
I am grateful and pleased each time I travel on North 22nd
Street and see youngsters on the basketball courts at the Center Complex; the
many streets that have been cleaned up and the new sidewalks that have been
added; students at Muller Elementary and Bowers-Whitley Career High School;
visitors at the Health Clinic seeking relief or illness prevention; and the
Center Complex itself, where people are learning to speak English or earning
their GED and where their children can safely play and learn. The silent sigh
within me is that of the satisfaction of a vision realized. But it is always
followed by the many accomplishments and dreams yet to come.
I invite you to see the UACDC in the same light that I do; it is
a brilliant torch of opportunity, lit by the many faces that are realizing
their own dreams and visions within our buildings. I invite you to meet our
staff, learn their challenges and triumphs, and take a guided tour of the
Complex where you will see the fruits of our collective labor.
Equally important, I invite you to see our future—another decade
that will begin to offer unparalleled live-work areas where affordability and
economic success can go hand in hand. I invite you to see how we are working to
make the dream of home ownership more available throughout our community, and
how we are working to teach area children how to someday run successful
businesses through the upcoming Junior Achievement Enterprise Village.
As I look back on the past 15 years, it is hard to believe how
far we have come. As I look toward the next 15, it is hard to imagine a better
example of how we can all come together to turn dreams and beliefs into the
here and now. Thank you for learning more about the UACDC. I invite you to
become a believer, too.
Sincerely,
Senator Victor D. Crist
Volunteer Board Chairman
|