KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Jan. 14, the annual Race Against Racism kicks off for the 27th year at the Phyllis Wheatley Center. It's to benefit the YWCA in Knoxville.
The organization pours into the community 365 days a year. The nonprofit's youth programs make a lasting impact. The Phyllis Wheatley Center is where those youth programs happen, but to Gabby Mathis, it isn't an average building. She said it built her.
"I always tell people, even before I started working here, that the Phyllis Wheatley Center changed my life," Mathis said.
She started going to the center's after-school program in sixth grade.
"I remember my summers, and all the field trips and gaining new friends," Mathis said. "Even now I still communicate with a lot of the people that I met, being a part of this program."
Now, at 21 years old, she's giving back to the space that inspired her at a young age. She's the lead youth counselor at the YWCA.
"It's cool to see the administrative side and what all goes into running a program that serves really over 80 children a day," Mathis said.
It's something she says the kids in this community need.
"I see how much our kids are hurting and how much they just need somewhere to be themselves and to be free," Mathis said.
Now, Mathis gets to be that guide.
"I'm hoping I can be just an inkling of some kind of happiness or some kind of relief or some sort of safe space for them," Mathis said.
Through cooking classes, art lessons and fitness activities — the staff pours into the students every day after school.
"It's just important for kids to have a space outside of school where they can just have friends and just have community," Mathis said.
That's why events at the center, like Diversity Day and Race Against Racism, help give the community an eye into the nonprofit's impact, especially in East Knoxville.
The work the center and nonprofit do is worth supporting, according to Director of Communications Ally Slavick.
"This is just a great opportunity to bring the community together, have important conversations, and also get out there and get active," Slavick said.
Serving the next generation is a job that would make 12-year-old Gabby grin.
"I think she would just be really proud to see to see what she's working toward," Mathis said.
She's reminded every time she steps into the building where her story started.
Diversity Day starts at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14. There will be speakers, performances and activities. The 5K, 1-mile walk and Kids Fun Run will follow that event starting around 1 p.m.
The events are free for families. Find out more info here.