15 Years in the Making
African Community Education (ACE) Executive Director, Kaska Yawo, and Board of Directors Chairperson, Biodun Akande, announce the acquisition of 51 Gage St. to serve as the future home of ACE
African Community Education (ACE) is thrilled to announce the acquisition of a new 65,000 square foot property at 51 Gage St. to serve as the future home of our organization. Plans are underway to renovate the property and move the entirety of our programs and services to this new space during the 2022–2023 academic year.
Worcester is one of the largest hubs in the country for African-born immigrants, with a growing population near 20,000. Many of the communities’ members, which include refugees, face significant barriers to finding success upon moving to the United States.
Since 2006, we have helped thousands of African refugees and immigrants of all ages in the Worcester community find educational and socio-economic success while graduating over 280 students from Worcester Public Schools with a 95% graduation rate.
This success has come despite the challenges presented from frequent moves to various school buildings and offices across the city and having our programs and services split across several different locations since 2017.
The purchase of 51 Gage St. brings stability to our organization, a home to the families ACE serves, and allows for the drastic increase and expansion of our programs and services to meet the needs of Worcester’s growing African refugee and immigrant communities.
This building will serve as far more than just a home to ACE. The size of 51 Gage St. has inspired the ACE team to dream big. We envision the property as a future resource center and cultural hub that exists to meet the needs of Central Massachusetts’ African communities. In the coming months, we will continue to work with community leaders to identify areas of need and invite partners, who, like ACE, provide essential services for local immigrants and refugees, to share this space.
This dream has become a reality through the generosity of our supporters over the past 15 years and the efforts of ACE staff, volunteers, and community partners. We especially want to thank Dan Ivascyn, whose belief in our mission and leadership gift made this acquisition and a new future for ACE possible.
We also want to extend our gratitude to NAI Glickman Kovago & Jacobs who led our real estate search, SederLaw whose expertise was invaluable throughout this process, and the City of Worcester who has served as a trusted partner in this effort.
Although this acquisition marks a huge step for our organization, the work is far from finished. We are conducting an in-depth effort to gain feedback and input from the Greater Worcester community to coordinate a funding campaign to facilitate the renovation of 51 Gage St. and the expansion of our operations, programs, and services.
We hope that all parties in Worcester and across Massachusetts will wrap their arms around this campaign to help us create the community and cultural center that our African communities deserve.
With gratitude,
Kaska Yawo, Executive Director & Co-Founder
Biodun “Mr. B.” Akande, Chairperson, ACE Board of Directors
If you would like to learn more about our efforts or partner with us on this project, please contact ACE’s Marketing & Fundraising Manager, Tim O’Neil at toneil@acechildren.org or 508–459–2284.
Learn more about African Community Education by visiting our website and watching the video below:
