- By Robin Rosner
- News
Print 
'Welcome to Finger Lakes Residential,Where dreams matter, And change happens.'
So reads the bright purple and yellow banner, which now hangs above the entrance to the OCFS residential facility formerly known as the The Louis Gossett Center .
On Wednesday, January 13, 2010, Finger Lakes Residential in Lansing, New York hosted a Renaming Ceremony, officially announcing the facility’s name change. The event was coupled with a celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. In attendance were the facilities 103 residents, all staff, facility directors from around the state, along with some members from the Lansing community.
Facility Director Rod White presented the opening salutation, welcoming the many guests. He expressed great pride for Finger Lakes and for the ongoing hard work of his employees, who are embracing the new challenges and constructive changes occurring in the agency.
Greater Ithaca Activities Center Program Administrator Travis Brooks was the event’s community guest speaker. Brooks paid homage to Dr. King and his great accomplishments during the Civil Rights Movement. He reminded attendees of Dr. King’s tremendous compassion for others, his belief in nonviolence, and his hope for a brighter and better future. Brooks talked to residents about emulating Dr. King’s courage, and taking that important first step toward change.
Two students provided a resident presentation where they tied in the facility name change with Dr. Kings’ famous I Have Dream speech. They ended their speech with a predication of good tidings for the New Year: “It seems fitting that as we begin this new year 2010, our facility is taking on a new name. The new year and the new name are both a reflection of how we are all striving for a new beginning. A second chance. Our chance to fulfill Dr. King’s dream of a better world for ourselves, for our families, for our communities. A brighter, more hopeful future.”
Editor's Note: The Finger Lakes Residential Center is one of 28 juvenile detention centers across New York State. The center currently houses over 100 boys. The facility had been named for actor Actor Louis Gossett Jr., who withdrew his name when the center suffered negative publicity.
----
v6i4