Central Los Angeles : Homeless Children Get Computer Center

A new computer center for homeless and low-income children will open next week at the Central City Community Outreach, a nonprofit homeless organization in downtown Los Angeles.

The learning center is part of the after-school S.A.Y. Yes! Center that provides educational tutoring, meals and life-skills training for children 5 to 13 living in skid row welfare housing, said the outreach organization’s executive director, Scott Chamberlain.

The six IBM-compatible computers will assist the 24 children enrolled in S.A.Y. Yes! in developing their reading and math skills.

CCCO works closely with 9th Street School and Berendo Junior High School students, Chamberlain said.

“Our specific focus is with the children in the skid row area,” he said.

At the learning center’s weekend opening celebration, a group of children presented Riordan Foundation representative Mary O’Dell, one of 50 people who attended, with a group photo of themselves that read, “Thank you for investing in the lives of children” and a banner painted with their handprints.

The Computer Learning Center will be open from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday beginning Tuesday at the CCCO. . . .

AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPO: The first African American Home Improvement, Job, Business and Housing Expo is scheduled to begin Friday and continue through Jan. 15 in the Crenshaw district of Southwest Los Angeles.

The expo will take place at the African American Business and Convention Center, a former bank at 5700 Crenshaw Blvd. that has been converted into a convention center. About 30 booths will be set up at the center and admission will be free.

The expo is a project of Planners, Architects, Contractors and Engineers Building Industries Group, a coalition of more than 200 African Americans, led by the group’s founder, Richard Atkins.

Atkins said he sees forums such as the exposition as an excellent opportunity for African Americans to develop a strong economic foundation for themselves.

He plans to take the expo to other major cities to build a network of African American architects, contractors, land developers and interior designers throughout the United States.

“These are the scientific forces that can bring empowerment to African Americans,” Atkins said.