WHEREAS, the West End Center for Youth, a pillar of the Roanoke community, celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019; and

WHEREAS, recognizing a need to provide a safe haven for neighborhood youth, the West End Presbyterian Church, West End Methodist Church, and Mountain View Neighborhood Alliance formed a coalition in 1979 to establish the West End Center; and

WHEREAS, over the past 40 years, the West End Center has flourished, both in terms of the number of children served and the services and programs available; the center currently supports approximately 150 children each year from Roanoke's most disadvantaged neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, the mission of the West End Center is to provide young people with the developmental assets they need to succeed; to achieve this goal, the center employs a comprehensive educational program that sets children on a course to greatness; and

WHEREAS, many children who have passed through the West End Center have gone on to graduate from college, serve in the United States Armed Forces, and enjoy successful and rewarding careers; and

WHEREAS, a powerful testament to the impact of the programs at the West End Center is the number of children who have returned in adulthood to work at the center, passing along the knowledge and positivity that was so influential in their own lives; and

WHEREAS, the West End Center demonstrates the power of community, grassroots organizations to transform societies and lift up those in need; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the West End Center for Youth, an institution dedicated to ensuring the best for all children; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the West End Center for Youth as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for its contributions to Roanoke and the Commonwealth.