PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia’s Juvenile Justice Services Center has weathered some hard times in the last few years, with overcrowding creating hazardous conditions. So the unveiling of a positive and empowering addition to the facility on Wednesday seemed to deserve some special attention and a little Hollywood star power.
City officials and donors cut the ribbon on "Ruth's Room," a new music space for youth whom the courts have ordered to be held at the JJSC. The room was renovated by the nonprofit Rock to the Future, which provides the Center’s music programming, something that Deputy Mayor Vanessa Garrett-Harley says has given residents a helpful outlet for creativity and expression.
“This is like a beacon of what’s possible when we invest in potential and we choose to see resilience instead of limitations and we work to open doors instead of close them,” Garrett-Harley said.
Selena Rivera, with an original composition, showed off what she’s learned in music class at the JJSC to a formidable audience, including Mayor Cherelle Parker, Superintendent Tony Watlington and, perhaps most intimidating, fellow musicians Michael and Kevin Bacon.
The actor's nonprofit, SixDegrees, was among the groups that funded the renovations. And the room itself, named for the Bacon brothers' mom, Ruth.
She was a teacher, a champion for children and an advocate for justice, said Kevin—less well-known than his father, Philadelphia city planner Ed Bacon, but just as big a force.
“Our dad has a street named after him and a mural and a bunch of plaques around the city, so this is our mom’s chance to get a little props,” Kevin said.
“People are going to get to play music in this beautiful room, and music is something that connects us.”
For Rivera, music is a much-needed outlet.
“This is something that takes my mind off a lot of things that are going on. I feel like this is a way that I can express my feelings and zone out and just do my thing,” she said.
Rivera says when music programming first came to her unit, she felt like she was in paradise, so that’s what she named her composition.