A little known center off the beaten path

On Tuesday I visited the Waterman Gardens Community Center in the housing projects of the same name.

The center is open to kids from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. five days per week.

Funds for its operation come from the county housing authority through the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. The department pays contract groups to staff the center.

The center is small and programming leaves something to be desired, which probably shouldn't be surprising given the lean funding (one part-time sfaffer was there Tuesday) is very lean, but the kids there were great.

Below is a shot of one of favorite youngsters, Jermontay Bealton, 12. His friends call him "peanut." Jermontay is a very smart and athletic kid growing up in the projects. He told me his grades were "B's and C's." I made him promise he would bring 'em up a bit. Below, he demonstrates his skateboarding dexterity.

We played basketball, a sport in which they more than held their own. Later, I was able to teach a few things at such rigorous sports as ping pong, Connect Four, and chess.

I'm going to do a story on this center for the weekend. What will be key is just how economically poor children in this community are and how meager the funding for their afterschool program is.

Also, don't forget that the "Gardens" has historically been a rather violent place. My first visit there was after the tragic shooting death of teenager Traveil Williams.

Growing up here is a profound challenge. The lure of gangs. The grind of poverty. The social backdrop of few role-models and under-educated parents.

Spending some time there really helps one empathize with how hard a road these kids have. It's rather heartbreaking to look around and see all this talent, all these kids who have the capacity to excel in school and go to college and do anything, and know at the same time that the statistical odds of that happening are dismal.

Not many kids in the Gardens go to college. And it's not because they aren't smart or driven enough.

Their disadvantages aren't hereditary or personal, they are environmental, economic and social. That assessment isn't ideological either, it's simply true.