ICAN breaks ground with help of Justice O’Connor

Sandra Day O'Connor.

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will be the guest speaker at a groundbreaking ceremony for a project that will allow the ICAN Community Center to expand its services to at-risk youth by 55 percent.

The ceremony will take place at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 18 at Folley Memorial Park in Chandler.

For more than 20 years, the ICAN Community Center has offered preventative programming to at-risk youth, providing free academic and recreational programming and empowering kids to avoid drug use, gang activity and crime and become active contributors to the community. About 150 youth per day are currently being served.

O’Connor’s “commitment to youth and children’s rights, and her continued recognition of social equity for kids” makes her alignment with the project particularly significant, says ICAN Community Center CEO Christy McClendon.

Also present at the ceremony will be Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny, members of the City Council, ICAN’s board of directors and contributors to the project.

ICAN’s current facility, located in the Chandler Redevelopment Area, has 6,000 square feet of space. The 5.6 million dollar new facility will grow that area by 15,000 square feet, sitting on 2.5 acres in its new location at Folley Memorial Park.

It will include six classrooms, a half gym, a learning center, offices and conference rooms. Construction is scheduled to wrap up in the summer of 2012.

The groundbreaking ceremony will include a virtual tour of the new facility, which will be outlined on the ground at the site, as well as the interment of a 20-year time capsule.

Light refreshments and food will be served during the groundbreaking event, which is free and open to the public.

For more information about the event, or about ICAN, call 480-821-4207 or visit icanaz.org. — Sadie Smeck

Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor talks about the Our Courts project, a website designed to boost interest among middle schoolers about civics education. With interactive games for students and curriculum builders for teachers, O’Connor’s vision is to inspire students of the 21st century to remain active participants in our democracy. RAK Podcasts.

ICAN turns a young man’s “wishful thinking” into reality

Jonathan Davis.

When Jonathan Davis was 6, he was living in a three-bedroom apartment with seven other family members. His father was dead. His single mom was struggling to provide for her family.

“The neighborhood I grew up in (had) a lot of gangs running the streets…doing drugs and (participating in) graffiti,” Jonathan recalls. There were a lot of negative influences that could have led Jonathan into gang activity and substance abuse, but Chandler-based ICAN helped keep him focused on school and making the right decisions for his future.

Earlier this year, Jonathan, now 20, got to share his story with NPR’s StoryCorps. His interview will be archived in the Library of Congress.

“Without ICAN, I don’t know where I’d be today,” he says. Three of his siblings never completed high school.

Jonathan had dreams of attending college but worried that “it was wishful thinking.” Little did he know that the skill sets and relationships he built at ICAN would help him reach his goal. While in high school, Jonathan met ICAN supporters John and Patty Breeding at an event where Jonathan was presenting. The Breedings were so inspired by Jonathan’s story of overcoming the challenges he faced in his life that they offered to sponsor him through college.

John Breeding says Jonathan is “a fine young man” who will create a long-term, positive impact on our community simply by being educated. “Patty and I feel like you have the qualities of someone who…will bring change and will improve and motivate everybody around you,” he tells Jonathan. “You’re the kind of person who’s going to make the world a better place. Patty and I are very proud of you.”

Jonathan is currently completing his first year of college at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, where he earned As and Bs his first semester. He has set his sights on music production when he completes his studies. He’s still involved in ICAN, where he works as a youth trainer.

“Going through hard times can make a man out of you,” says Breeding, who describes himself as Jonathan’s “sponsor, sometimes mentor and biggest fan.”

ICAN provides free, comprehensive out-of-school time programs that empower youth to be productive, self-confident, and responsible members of the community. Learn more.