HOPKINSVILLE, KY – A passionate crowd of Men 2 Be supporters packed Bridge of Hope Fellowship in downtown Hopkinsville for a benefit concert in support of the restoration of Attucks High School, which featured praise and gospel music.
LaDessa Lewis, the non-profit’s founder, revealed their lofty $1 million fundraising goal for transforming Attucks into an inclusive community center and functioning Men 2 Be apartments.
Emotionally overwhelmed by the community’s support as people filled the church seats, Lewis shared that the vision for transforming the long-abandoned school into a hub for its neighboring communities had been passed down for years but had yet to be realized.
“The vision that we have for Attucks is not necessarily something I had, this is something that they came up with 30 years ago,” Lewis shared with the audience. “The same vision, apartments, community center, food and grocery stores. It may not have been time back then, but it is now.
Throughout the night, baskets were passed around amid powerful performances and worship, and people donated electronically. During the concert, community singers performed gospel classics that moved the audience. Men 2 Be’s talented young members also performed for the audience, with the Nashville Community Gospel Choir closing out the show.
Design plans
In 2024, the Attucks Alumni Association donated the building to Men 2 Be for a single dollar. Interior and exterior repairs and renovations will be required to bring this new vision to life, with the intention of opening the building to the public in the summer of 2026.
The new renderings show an updated facility with space for community meetings, gatherings, and classes, as well as 20 apartments. The school will also serve as an emergency shelter and a food pantry.
The outdoor space is centred around a large community garden, which also houses the National African American Educational Museum. The building has one and two-bedroom apartments on both floors, with 7,400 square feet dedicated to a state-of-the-art gym.
Building history and past fundraising
Men 2 Be was founded to help young men in the community reach their full academic, social, and personal goals. Lewis, with the help of her husband, volunteers, and mentors, has built a strong brotherhood among black youth in Hopkinsville, whose mission extends beyond their organization to the restoration of Attucks.
Attucks High School, built in 1916, was Hopkinsville’s first public school for black students. The school closed in 1988, leaving the building to deteriorate. Since the fall, Men 2 Be members have worked together to complete landscaping projects outside the school to improve its curb appeal.
In 2024, LaDessa Lewis announced that they were raising funds to transform the building, launching a $13,000 fundraising campaign to cover the costs of the initial renderings required for the project.
Lewis previously informed Christian County. Now that the fundraising goal has been met, the group will hold community forums to solicit feedback on how the center can best serve the community’s needs. Following these forums, Lewis intends to seek grants to begin phase one of the project, the gym.
“This is just the beginning of what is to come,” Lewis said at the end of the benefit, as he thanked the community. She encouraged the community to support the non-profit in any way they could, including donating snacks and food and assisting with ongoing programming that transforms the lives of youth.
