DUBLIN, Ga. — The Katherine W. Gray Center used to be a Dublin library, and then it was a vacant building.
Today, it sits on Washington Street as a renovated resource center, spearheaded by Jackie Pittman Curtis from Communities In Schools of Georgia in Laurens and Twiggs Counties.
"Our mission is to make sure that students are surrounded with a community of support and that they stay in school and achieve in life," Curtis said.
Curtis said when families have support, the whole community benefits.
"Parents can come and get job training, do some computer literacy, resume building," Curtis said.
She's teamed up with 12 community partners, like Fathers Among Men, and the Laurens County Library, who will host events at the center, like a pop-up library.
Beverly Brown is the library's regional director. She said the library had pop-up libraries for years.
"We wanted to be able to reach all the families in Laurens County and so a pop-up library is a great way to bring resources to those who can't come to the physical library," Brown said.
Additionally, the center will have a medical clinic with free vaccinations twice a month, and Oconee Fall Line Technical College will hold G.E.D. classes there.
Dorothy Clark lives in Dublin and thinks it will be a blessing.
"Dublin would have great benefits to having this resource," Clark said.
She has two grandchildren she plans to bring by the center, and she knows people who can benefit from the G.E.D. classes.
"Sometimes they don't know where to go; how to start the process," Clark said.
Curtis said all they want is to help strengthen the community.
"When Katherine W. Gray was operating this space, it was a hub for the community and we wanna bring it back to that," Curtis said.
On Saturday, the center will have a ribbon cutting and open house they hope everyone in the community can attend.
They'll have free haircuts, school uniforms to give away, free food, carnival rides and more fun for the whole family.
The ribbon cutting and open house will be from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 404 South Washington Street.
The resource center will be open Monday through Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. While it's geared towards families, it's open to the public and anyone can utilize it.
The city is leasing the building to the nonprofit for $1 a year.