At the event, the singer, who was wearing an Atlanta Braves cap and thick, wavy black hair, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I was a little girl who didn’t have much.” However, it is a blessing to go from having nothing to being able to give as much as I can because the power of belief is genuine.
The center is the result of the nonprofit organization Why Not You Foundation, which was established in 2014 by Ciara and her husband, NFL player Russell Wilson. Why Not You fights poverty by giving underprivileged kids access to resources for their education and personal growth. The foundation’s first location was established at a Pittsburgh Boys & Girls Club last year, and the Atlanta location is its second.
Before the year ends, Why Not You intends to build five more centers.
There was a lot of dancing and laughter during Monday’s event, which was held in the club’s gym. City officials grinned proudly as children in black Ciara Day T-shirts mixed together.
City, state, and county recognition of Ciara’s career and her efforts with the foundation kicked off the event.
At the start of her career, Ciara was managed by Phillana Williams, who was the director of the Mayor’s Office of Film and Entertainment. She talked about Ciara’s hustle and unshakable faith even as a youngster.
Williams stated at the ceremony that Ciara had always spoken of (creating a) dance center in Atlanta when she was younger. That demonstrates your identity. It demonstrates your heart, your passion for the city, and your wish to support Atlanta’s young and others.
Representative Inga Willis (D-Atlanta) and Marci Collier Overstreet, a member of the City Council, were among the other speakers. Additionally, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners proclaimed July 28 to be the county’s “Why Not You Appreciation Day.”
According to Libby Saylor Wright, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, the John H. Harland Boys & Girls Club was founded in 1965 as a result of a need.
With an image of Ciara adjacent to the quote and an outline of the city skyline, the restoration features an eye-catching style. Our goal is to make a difference in people’s lives and the globe.
According to Saylor Wright, this is a community endeavor. Our actions are not just for today’s Boys & Girls Club children; they are also for the community at large and for tomorrow. All I want people to know is that they are loved and that we are here. Safe areas are being created.
Ciara, who attended Boys & Girls Clubs as a child, said that the clubs always gave her a sense of belonging, especially as an only child. It took over a year to establish the current collaboration, she said.
Ciara stated, “Russ and I felt it was important to give back to our hometown.” I arrived in Atlanta first. Since he is from Virginia, we must eventually travel there. But watching it all come to life is absolutely amazing.
Ciara Day concluded with the Purple Rain Dance Team and the Atlanta Collegiate Sounds of Royalty Band’s KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program). Ciara’s five-time platinum single, “1,2 Step,” served as the background music for their performance. Ciara participated in the viral I’m So ATL dancing challenge and hit the dance floor herself.
Her eighth studio album, appropriately named CiCi, will be released next month. To the fans who have supported her for twenty years, she called the effort a labor of love.
She has a number of other accomplishments to commemorate in the meanwhile.She and Atlanta’s Latto and hitmaker Jazze Pha released the tune “This Right Here” on Monday. According to Ciara, the song signifies a long-overdue reunion with Pha, who was executive producer on the album Goodies.
Jazze always pushed me to be myself and had faith in me. We have likely been working together for eighteen years. That record has a lot of affection for Atlanta. Additionally, Latto has been forging her own path and going on this amazing journey. She brought her impact and energy as an ATL girl to the record.
Additionally, the actress became one of the first celebrities to obtain Beninese citizenship over the weekend. On Monday, she mentioned the recent trip and expressed her gratitude.
In the same way that the city continues to inspire her, Ciara hopes her new center may serve as an inspiration to young people in Atlanta.
I sincerely hope they would make use of this area as a place to produce as well as an outlet if necessary. Because in my opinion, it’s one of the greatest things you can do to offer a child the freedom to be themselves.
