Vera Court Neighborhood Center expansion continues

MADISON, Wis. (WTMV) – On Thursday, students hosted a tour of the current Vera Court Neighborhood Center and progress on its expansion.

The expansion is set to be done around September. Through the 2.2 million dollar Vera Vision 2020 campaign, the center will be able to accommodate more middle and high school programing with an ultimate goal of helping close the achievement gap of its students. The center sees an average of 120 kids every day. 95 percent of the population the center serves is low-income.

"I’m excited about the expansion because we'll have more space to do more things and we'll have more activities and I’m excited to come here because I can have fun with my friends and I can still learn over the summer," said Student Jorah Gandjui.

Right now, the center is trying to match a 25 thousand dollar challenge grant to help with the expansion. It needs another 2,700 dollars by the end of the month to double the impact of donations.

Students will be giving tours again on July 20 and August 1 at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.