Former Ambassador Andrew Young Visits DeKalb Children's Center
May 20,2004

Just in case the teen residents in WestCare’s DeKalb County Children’s Center ever need to summon an emissary, they sure know where to find one. Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young visited the center recently in what was expected to be a quick in- and-out photo op. Instead, the ambassador – whose accomplishments stretch from confidant to Martin Luther King Jr., to congressman to mayor of Atlanta – ended up bringing his wife along and lingering for two hours to talk to the teens.

“We sang, we laughed, we prayed,” said Michael Langford. “I think he enjoyed their company as much as they delighted in his. And they learned a lot about life, about success and about leadership.”

The visit had been arranged by Langford, vice president of WestCare Georgia, who has known the former ambassador through a lifelong family connection. “I asked him if he would come and speak to the kids, just to give them an opportunity to meet and rub shoulders with a living legend. And we were very happy that he obliged.”

Ambassador Young asked the teens if they were aware how important it is that they exercise the rights he and Dr. King fought so hard to achieve. “I think he left them with a greater sense of personal and civic responsibility,” said Langford.

WestCare took over operation of the DeKalb Children’s Center in 2003. The center, which had been the target of criticism in the community and media, now sports a brand new facility for 40 teens with behavorial challenges. Neighbors who once opposed the center are now among its biggest supporters. “They’ve really turned the place around,” said Stone Mountain Mayor Gary Peet said of WestCare.