Genesis and Light Center, Inc. | Beginning to Enlighten Our Communities

G&L

History

The Genesis & Light Center ("G&L") was founded by Mr. Albert Wilson, May 6, 1992 in Aurora, IL., and became incorporated as a 501© 3 nonprofit agency August 17, 1992. On March 2, 1994, Mr. Wilson brought his project back to the Georgetown community where he grew up. Genesis & Light Center was the development of a complete center geared toward rebuilding the family unit and combating the social and economic problems being faced in our communities. Jeff Donelson, Terry Nabors, Glory Wilson, Robert Doss, Dorothy Lewis, and Cindy Waller also contributed in organizing and developing the mission, the purpose, the goals, and the objectives of the Genesis & Light Community Development Project.

Mr. Wilson long dreamed of such an organization since growing up in a poverty-stricken community. His personal commitment to break the cycle of poverty, violence and helplessness, marks every aspect of this project. Genesis & Light and other concerned citizens have joined Mr. Wilson in reclaiming and rebuilding our communities in order to give our youths a sense of hope and security, and an ability to dream.

G&L’s primary purpose is to provide an alternative to drugs, violence, and teen pregnancy. G&L targets those youths in the Virden Addition, Georgetown and Shady Oaks areas, whose families’ income is at or below the federally established poverty level or in crisis situations. G&L offers self-help projects that focus on strengthening students, families, and communities emotionally, socially, financially, physically, intellectually and spiritually. The self-help projects also promote education, values, positive attitudes and high levels of self-esteem in such a way to avoid a life of crime or a life on welfare. The ultimate goal is to make each youth self-sufficient by providing him/her skills needed to succeed in the workplace and/or college. To accomplish its goals, G&L has organized a youth program for those at high risk. G&L creates services and link individuals to agencies that are normally non-assessable, unaffordable, or simply do not exist. As a community-based agency, we stress a partnership with the church, the community, the school and the state government with the management and overall purpose of this project.

Many families in the Virden Addition, Georgetown, and Broadmoor communities feel a sense of hopelessness in changing their situation, especially in light of many anticipated governmental changes. G&L provide youths with tools that will not only enrich their lives, but will allow them to make transgenerational changes. The youths that G&L impact will be able to make positive decisions and changes in their lives. G&L believes that by providing this support it will help end the rampant use of drugs, decrease the number of teenage pregnancies, and teach alternatives to a life of crime. Thus youth will become a positive societal influence, rather than a negative societal statistic.