Abstract:
The Committee to Save the Lakewood Y in Durham is the winner of a 2007 Indy Citizen Award. When plans were announced that the branch of the YMCA would be closed due to financial problems, the neighborhood residents took action. The branch is an inclusive place where socio-economic status and race never mattered and has been a staple of the local community. The committee is concerned that losing the YMCA and its programs will have a negative effect of the neighborhood and could lead to a decline in this inner-city neighborhood.