Youth Center to Mark Its 20th Anniversary

A wealth of home-grown talent will be on display Saturday at Hansen Dam Park as the Pacoima Community Youth Culture Center celebrates 20 years of working to improve the lives of the area’s young people.

President Leroy Geter, who helped found the Pacoima center in 1977, said its drill team, karate and chorus programs help young people avoid the pitfalls that claim many of their peers.

“We put so many expectations on these kids to do right, but it’s not easy when we ask them to go at it alone. We’re here to show them they don’t have to do it alone.”

On Saturday, the youth center will hold a “unity and legacy walk” beginning at Hubert Humphrey Park and ending at Hansen Dam with a celebration that will include dancers, singers, speakers and a community resource fair.

Adding poignancy to the gathering, Geter said, is the recent shooting death of 15-year-old Monroe High School student Ricky Evans. Ricky, an aspiring drummer who played with the center’s “Ladies First & II Hype” drill team, was gunned down after a football game at the North Hills school on Nov. 21.

The walk will begin at 10 a.m. at Hubert Humphrey Park, 12560 Filmore St. The anniversary celebration will be held from noon to 3 p.m. at Hansen Dam Park, 11700 Osborne St., Lake View Terrace.