‘We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for a hand up’ East Albany church wants community center
ALBANY, Ga. – Church members in East Albany say their cries for help are going unanswered. The group is asking for assistance building a youth development center to help curb the excessive violence in the area.
“We’re concerned about our children, we’re concerned about our neighborhood, we’re concerned about what’s going on. We see that our children are dying, they’re being killed, they’re being slaughtered and nobody seems to care,” says Bishop James Morris, “The only time we hear anything about this side of town is when there’s a homicide or when there’s a drive-by shooting. Let’s change that.”
Bishop Morris and church members at Harvest Temple Faith Ministries are pleading with city officials to invest in a community center for their side of town to give children a chance at a better life.
“We have done everything in our power to solicit help from the city, from the county, nobody seems to want to do anything about what’s going on in this neighborhood. So we’re trying to build a youth development center, something that will give our children a safe haven.”
Morris says he’s been trying to have a community center built on the plot of land adjacent to the church for two years now. His fight for a center reignited when a 14-year-old in his community was recently murdered. He says that the east side of Albany has been all but abandoned by the city but that an investment in a center would light up the dark community.
This plot of land has been donated to the cause but Morris says he needs more. Additional funding and partnerships will bring this project to life.
“We’re not asking for a hand-out,” says Morris, “We’re asking for a hand-up. We got to do something, we can’t just live life as usual there’s got to be a change and that change starts with us, we need that change, we deserve that change. So why not do something? We have the funds, let’s do something to bring some light to the east side.”
Morris says donations for the development of a community center can be sent by CashApp: $SafeHavenOut
