Tucked away behind trees and between old houses just off Fayetteville square is a place that is often overlooked.
The Yvonne Richardson Community Center is 16 years old, and for Tenisha Gist, it’s time to put the center back on the map.
“I want to bring some more life back to this place,” said Gist, the center’s new director.
The community center is named for Nolan Richardson’s daughter who died of leukemia at 15, and showing the members of the center who Yvonne was is a priority in Gist’s goal of revitalization.
“I think it’s important when the kids come here to know her story and know that she was their age when she died, and that we want to take advantage of the opportunities we have,” Gist said.
For those reasons, in the next few weeks, Gist will hang a portrait of Yvonne just outside the gym doors. It may be a small gesture, but it serves a great purpose.
“It’s almost like she can live vicariously and spiritually through the kids because she wasn’t afforded those opportunities,” Gist said.
And the opportunities available at the Yvonne are endless. From educational and athletic programs for the youth to the flocks of teens who play basketball during open gym time to pickle ball for the elderly, there’s something for every person.
“We are a community center,” Gist said. “We want everyone, whether you are young, old, black, white, Hispanic.”
While everyone is welcome at the center, the target age for a majority of the programs is 6-12. Odie Williams, who has been the recreation assistant for two and a half years, said this is so the center can be a positive influence on kids while they are still developing.
“After 12 and 13, you’ve already decided how you’re going to go, and we try to instill in kids from the get go what the right path is so they know,” Williams said. “So even if they start to venture off on the wrong path, they still know what’s right and they can find their way back.”
To help make the center a place where kids want to go, Gist is not only looking to revitalize the center with new programs, but also with a bit of a physical makeover. Something as simple as a fresh coat of paint can go a long way, she said.
“We want to make those steps as far as people really seeing the changes and the growth we’re making,” Gist said. “I want people to say, ‘Hey this is a nice place. I feel comfortable with my kids coming here.’”
While there are a number of changes and improvements to be made to the Yvonne Richardson Community Center, Gist said there is one sweet sound she wants ringing in her ears all day long.
“I want to hear the gym doors from 9-7 to just be opening and closing, opening and closing,” she said.