The Yates Fund, Yates Illuminates hires executive director
KETV NewsWatch 7
Meet Marie Hélène André, the cultural center's first executive director.
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The Yates Fund, Yates Illuminates hires first executive director
It's a new beginning for The Yates Fund. The organization that stemmed out of neighbors uniting together in 2019 to save an over 100-year-old building near 32nd and Davenport streets. Now operating under Yates Illuminates, the cultural center has hired its first executive director. Marie Hélène André is ready to jump feet first into the development of the Yates building.
"The first goal that I have is to meet each organization separately to understand what they do, what their goals are and why they want to be with us in this building at Yates," André said. Yates Illuminates operates under The Yates Fund. Once construction is complete it will house 14 different organizations inside the former elementary school. "I think it's a need not only in this community but Omaha to have all those services together and you don't have to try to find out where to go and run around town to find the right services, " André said. "You can go from one to the other in the same building."
Adrian Petrescu is part of The Gifford Park Neighborhood Association which helped save the school. He said this building will allow them to continue what the community has already done. "Yates Illuminates formed as an entity that has the goal to actually pass on back the entire building while it will operate back to the community," Petrescu said. André said the center will teach classes through Metropolitan Community College, have a theater and programs for youth all the way up to senior citizens. "That's really the whole point is to give opportunities to people to become better and develop all their possibilities," André said. Construction should be completed by the end of the year.
