CHILDERSBURG, Ala. (WIAT) — It’s called the ALICE Community Center — a space NBA All-Star and Childersburg native Gerald Wallace is founding to create more opportunities in the place that raised him.
Partnering with the Talladega Clay Randolph Child Care Corporation (TCR), Wallace is leading the effort to build a multi-million-dollar facility focused on education, innovation and economic growth.
“Beginning in the community, it starts with our youth and our childcare, getting them involved and getting them started here,” Wallace said.
The first phase of the project includes a new head start program to support early childhood education, along with a tech center offering access to technology, workforce training and youth development programs.
Wallace’s philanthropic advisor, Ella Altidor, says the vision goes far beyond the groundbreaking.
“It’s an incredible initiative to really create educational opportunity, expand economic opportunities for the entire community,” Altidor said. “We’re breaking it up into several phases.”
The second and third phases are expected to roll out over the next five years — part of Wallace’s long-term plan to strengthen local partnerships and inspire lasting change.
Wallace says returning home after his 15-year NBA career gave him a renewed purpose.
“We’ve lost a lot of businesses here. A lot of people have left,” Wallace said. “So, I think it gave me a great opportunity to come back and fulfill some of the needs that I struggled with growing up to be able to provide for my community.”
CBS 42 spoke with Wallace at Nevermore, a downtown Childersburg business that’s become a symbol of the city’s ongoing revival. For Wallace, it’s places like Nevermore and projects like ALICE that reflect the spirit of rebuilding and investing in the town’s future.
The ALICE Community Center’s groundbreaking marks the start of that vision, one focused on education, opportunity and community growth for generations to come. A ceremony will be held Monday, Oct. 13. The ceremony begins at 3:30 p.m. on the corner of Ninth Ave. and Southern Street in Childersburg.
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