VISTAs join in Kelley-Brown Career Development Center ribbon cutting

I am sure that you remember our Brenda Freeman. She was the hostess of the event, two year VISTA member (one of the original four) and alum. She worked hard to see this center come to fruition and will be responsible for the operations of the new Kelley-Brown Center.

Honorary 20/20 VISTA Vision Project volunteer Silvia Gedeon brought three year VISTA member and alum, and now Manatee County Neighborhood Services employee, Alan Gedeon, to the event so he that could see the final project that he has worked so hard to see through.

Representatives of the Kelley and Brown families attended the event. Shown here are the daughter of Govan and Mary Kelley and Gwen Brown, former Manatee County commissioner and community activist. The center celebrates the memory of Mary Kelley and activism of Gwen Brown.

Three year VISTA and alum Dave Kaminski prepares for the ribbon cutting.

Manatee County Neighborhood Services employees Bill O'Shea and Cheri Coryea (director) attended the celebration . (Not shown is Suzie Dobbs.)

Getting ready for the festivities to begin are VISTA alum Virginia Sirocky and VISTA Leader Joyce Whitworth. Standing is VISTA Nina Wiley, who serves at the Suncoast Center for Independent Living.

(I think that this writer/photographer was either standing under a fluorescent light or she had the camera on a foreign setting.) But, here are our VISTAs and that's former Palmetto Mayor and current County Commissioner Larry Bustle standing betweem Al and Nina in the back row.

(Ditto above.) I took a second photo to get VISTA alum Dave Kaminski in the mix.

If you remember, thanks to our former VISTA Brenda Freeman, the 20/20 VISTA Vision Project Team members (current and future) participated in last year's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service at the Kelley home/Ann & Reynard Day Care Center. (see January 2010 blog) We were looking for a meaningful project and Brenda had just the one for us.

Manatee County was widening the road where the house set and was willing to sell it to the board of the Anna E. Gayle Center where Brenda had served for two years, so that the organization could expand and serve the older youth and adults of the community.

With grant money from Manatee County Government and financial gifts from the community, the rehabilitation project began, with VISTA Alan Gedeon became the "go-to- guy" for the project.

When guests arrived on Saturday afternoon for the ribbon cutting of the new building, no one could have imagined what the building had become. The resource center has a fully-equipped computer lab, learning spaces and offices. It is ready to meet the needs of the neighborhood.

Joining the festivities were VISTAs and VISTA alums that participated in last year's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service at Kelley-Brown.