Celebrating 10 Years of YELLS: A Look Back
2018 marks the 10 year anniversary of YELLS! My name is Ruthie Yow and I’m the secretary of the YELLS Board. My reflection here is one in a series of ten reflections over the ten months between now and YELLS’s October 18 Tenth Anniversary Networking Dinner. Next month’s reflection will offer a different perspective on the path of this amazing organization and the people who make it so incredibly special.
When I visited the Community Action Café earlier this month at 779 Franklin Gateway, I was reminded of my first visit to the CAC—when it was located in Woodlands Park. 
Some of the youth now engaged with YELLS—and some of our current ardent supporters—may not remember or have known that the CAC was founded in Woodlands Park Apartments on Franklin Road just before the apartments were selected to be the first demolition project made possible by the redevelopment bond. That CAC was physically different than the one we know today—it was smaller and associated closely with Woodlands, which it called home. But it was similar in an important respect to our CAC: the positive energy and faith in a bright future that emanated from its kitchen, its comfy nooks, and most importantly, its dynamic teen hosts. I remember my heartbreak at the demolition of Woodlands, and with it, the former CAC which the YELLS team and its youth had worked so hard to make a reality.
Dr. Ruthie Yow hanging out with teens at our Grand Opening of the Community Action Cafe.
The grand opening had been only a few months before the official demolition announcement in 2014. But I also draw on that memory to illustrate how resilient, determined, creative, and powerful the YELLS mission, vision, and youth leaders are! YELLS has, since its founding in 2008, and especially in the last four years, navigated many hurdles. But its impact continues to resonate on and beyond the Franklin Gateway community; my friends, family, and colleagues who only know Franklin Gateway from the media or brief sojourns in that part of Cobb are always deeply impressed at the way that YELLS youth and families have transformed Franklin Road and with it, the lives of so many children and teens. And every time I come to the CAC, I am greeted by the animated and wonderful faces of the teens who run it and who make it a
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- Teens serving customers at our current YELLS Community Action Cafe.
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- A smiling face always greets you at the Cafe.
home away from home—a place where the meaning of community is tangible through the warm hugs, the hot coffee, and the sweet strawberry muffins that are always on offer. Come visit the CAC as a little “spring break” during your hectic week or month, and come join us on October 18 for our anniversary networking dinner, where we will celebrate TEN YEARS of YELLS!
YELLS Community Action Cafe teens hosting an Open Mic Night during one of the last events at our location in Woodlands Park Apartments.
