COLUMBIA, S.C. — A new community initiative to make improvements in the northeast Richland community. Serve and Connect held an event to present its branding for its new community center.
"Today's movement is so special, near and dear to my heart. It's called the Decker Collective," Kassy Alia Ray, the non-profit's founder and current CEO, said.
It is the theme for Serve and Connect's latest project. The organization focuses on building relationships between the police and the community.
"It is a vision for bridging the boulevard, for bringing neighbors together throughout the neighborhoods around Decker Boulevard with the shared goal of safety and thriving, especially for our young people," she said.
At its brand reveal event, the organization brainstormed ideas for curating a safer neighborhood while hearing community members' concerns.
"Kids walking up and down the road by themselves, we have fear of them being snatched missing and stuff like that," Jacquelyn Haynes, a community member, said.
These are among the concerns Alia Ray said she wants to approach with this new brand.
"We've been seeing a rise, unfortunately, in issues related to safety, especially seeing too many young people get hurt, and we don't want that to happen anymore, and in order for us to make a difference," Alia Ray said.
Community members who attended the event brainstormed new ideas on how to approach each of the concerns and conducted conversations with youth about how to create a welcoming community.
The event also had guest speakers, including Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott and Saleemah Graham Flemming, mother of Sanaa Amenhotep, who was kidnapped and murdered in 2021.