, Clark County announces the opening of its newest location in the A.D. Guy Knowledge Center, located at 817 N St. in the city's Westside. The newly refurbished Center will offer free and low-cost educational programs tailored to meet the needs of the neighboring housing authority residents and community members of all ages, from toddlers to senior citizens.
Programs will include 4-H youth development activities that use robots, rockets and drones to promote STEM education, creativity and innovation. Additional programs are designed to enhance school-readiness and pre-school literacy; prepare teens for the workforce; help families improve health, nutrition and fitness; and assist small-business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
"This Center will bring a variety of educational programs to an ethnically diverse and often underserved area where many residents have limited resources, and getting to other parts of the city can be a challenge," said Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly, who was a driving force behind the project.
Cooperative Extension already provides more than 100 programs through its 18 locations in other areas of the city, county and state.
"We offer many hands-on educational programs for adults and youth at our Lifelong Learning Center on Paradise Road and at four other locations across the county," Cooperative Extension Director Dr. Ivory W. Lyles said. "We are delighted to have this opportunity to better serve the residents of this part of the city by bringing programs to their doorstep. We are very grateful to the County and Commissioner Weekly for helping us to put this together."
Lyles stressed that there are many organizations collaborating on the project.
"Extension is taking the lead and working with Commissioner Weekly, but there are many partners involved in providing these educational programs," he said. "The county, the housing authority, the school district, UNLV, the library and so many other organizations are important partners in this Center. We couldn't possibly do all this without working together."
Representatives from many of these partners, as well as other city, county and state officials, will be attending a Grand Opening Celebration at the Center on Thursday, May 9 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., which is open to the public. There will be a brief presentation, ribbon-cutting and light refreshments. Clark County Commissioner Weekly, Cooperative Extension Director Lyles and members of the Addelair Dell (A.D.) Guy family will be on hand to make a few remarks.
A.D. Guy joined the Clark County District Attorney's office in the 60s, becoming the first black man to practice law in the state. He went on to become the Chief Deputy District Attorney, and in 1975 became the state's first black judge, when Governor Mike O'Callaghan appointed him to the newly created Department 11 of the Eighth Judicial District Court. Guy was passionate about Clark County communities and young people, and his legacy will continue to be served at the A.D. Guy Knowledge Center.
