Neglecting Our Youth And Neighborhoods Is Costly:
A community center is fighting for its life in the Lake Edwards area of Virginia Beach, and support from the city is minimal. I've heard nothing from our mayor on this issue. Instead of popping her head up to write 600-word essays defending Virginia Beach's volunteer gusto, she should be applying herself to important issues like this one, which affects us all.
If the mayor were to support the Newtown Cultural Life Center with the enthusiasm that she supports her favorite developers, the center would continue to thrive and provide its valuable after-school and summer programs, music academy, basketball, step and dance teams, and more. Instead, it looks like the center will soon close leaving children in this crime-riddled section of our city with no place to go.
When we help our neighbors, we all win. When crime goes down, the budget for a large police force decreases. When crime goes down, we become a safer community. We all win when youngsters can turn their energies into positive instead of negative endeavors.
As mayor, I would work closely with this community center to ensure it stayed open and continued to provide the kind of guidance and safe environment these children and teens need to flourish. If our current mayor continues to focus on building more buildings at the cost of rebuilding our communities, you better grab your wallet!
