II - Boston's Latino Community History - Northeastern University

Landmark cultLlral
center gets facelift
BY JEFF SKRUCI<
STAFF WRITER
Jen Gray showed off a much
cleaner and newly painted Jorge
Hernandez Cultural Center like a
real-estate agent showing a new
home.
But Gray, a project mailc;ger for
City Year, isn't looking to sell allYthing.
She, along with her South
End crew of City Year Corps members,
are jllst filII of local pride.
"It feels good to make a differ~
. cnce in the Villa," said Gray, who
was born ~.IIld raised in the housing
development and has worked for
City Year for several yeCll's .
Nancy Reyes, also a South End
resident and City Year Corps mem~
bel', is prolld to help in the massive
week-long renovation effort as hoth
a mother and an older sister.
"} have a son and a little sister and
brother," she said. "I want them to
be raised. in a hetter commui1ity
mid a)so to not lose their culture."
Inqnilinos BoricnJs en Accion,
_.-
t he socia I-service agency t hat serves
Villa Victoria, in partnership with
City Year spent all last week working
on t he Hernandez cultural center,
a South End historic landmark
in serious need of a faceliff".
Their hard prep work paid offlast
Thllfsday as more than a hundred
\'olllnteers from the marketing firm
a f 13 r 0 nil er , S los her gall d
Humphrey came to-the center to
paillt, clean, lay tile