By David Cruz

Last week, a crowd assembled at Gates Place wishing a neighborhood staple a happy 25^th birthday. And the celebratory venue for Community Organized with a Visual of Excellence, also served as a tribute to a community center that’s sparked a teen’s interest in the arts.

Mid-afternoon relay races, a bounce house for energetic kids and an appearance by one of the COVE ’s founders, David McKenzie, also peppered the festival, made possible from a contingent of donors from the community. Inside the COVE ’s headquarters, found at a colorful room inside a basement, a screener of a film entitled “Follow My Lead,” produced by teens, was scheduled. In the end, one mother welled with tears after learning what her child had accomplished.

“We were able to connect with parents more,” said Aisha Norris, the COVE ’s program director. “They were impressed by the work they were doing.”

By and large, the celebrations served several functions. On one hand it’s a thank you by organizers of the COVE, which has called the Norwood community home since 1988. The group, an offshoot of the nonprofit Knox-Gates Neighborhood Association, has branched out to feature several programming events that include cosmetic design, martial arts and filmmaking. On the surface, the programs appear to be purely recreational, though an educational component is present for anyone who looks closer.

As the name implies, the COVE functions as a type of retreat. When the center first opened its doors, drug dealing was the norm, though its presence has waned these days.

On the other hand, the COVE sought to gauge the needs of the hodgepodge of ethnicities that make up Norwood and its surrounding communities, which has seen a burgeoning Bangladeshi and Mexican bloc.

“People wanted ESL classes,” said Norris. “I want to see what the possibilities are in how to make that happen and get the resources.”

Anyone wishing to know more about the COVE can log on to www.covebx.org.