About

Living Legacy – the Story 

The Past 

Black children living in Luray were educated in a one-room schoolhouse prior to 1924.  It serves as part of the foundation of the current structure. The black citizens of Luray raised the bulk of the funds in order to construct the present building, a Rosenwald school.  

A Rosenwald school is named for the former Chairman of Sears, Julius Rosenwald, who partnered with Booker T. Washington to provide schoolhouses throughout the South for black children. This building is one of over 5,000 that were built in the early 20th century. 

This school, the Andrew Jackson School, is named for a black businessman and shopkeeper named Andrew Jackson, not to be confused with the more well-known president of the same name.

Until the late 1950s black children living in Luray could not graduate high school at the Andrew Jackson school.  They had to attend one of several boarding schools for black children.  Some students from Luray went to a boarding school in Manassas, Virginia.  Others went to DC, New Jersey, New York and other distant locations.  It took determination and resolve of both students and parents for black children to graduate from high school.

This is a legacy to be memorialized and remembered.

The Present

 

In 2017, Audre Howard Scott King had a vision to restore the old Andrew Jackson School and create a community center.  

When Audre acquired the building it was the home of untold numbers of pigeons, had holes in the roof and virtually nothing else. Through blood, sweat and tears, together with the help of volunteers who gave both time and treasure to the restoration project, the building has slowly transformed into a viable, functioning community center.  

The building now goes by the West Luray Recreation Center, or TheREC, and has become the vibrant part of the West Luray community. 

There is a game room, main meeting room, kitchen, computer lab that also doubles as a small group meeting space, and fitness room. 

Living Legacy, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, was established to oversee fundraising and program support at TheREC. 

TheREC is currently facilitating the following community programs:

  • Mental Health Mondays
  • Youth Outreach and Activities
  • Mentorship
  • Tutoring
  • Men Talk
  • Food Assistance

The center has also held citizen forums, holds weekly community resource meetings and provides an internet study hall for Page County students who might be struggling with online assignments. TheREC currently hosts between 15 and 30 students each week with the help of Page County High School National Honor Society students providing assistance to students with their studies.

There are no paid staff.  All of the work is done by volunteers and through monetary contributions needed to keep the lights, heat and internet on.  

The Future

Over the past several years, TheREC has become a community pillar working to elevate vulnerable youth and area residents by providing opportunities for personal development and fellowship.

Living Legacy is constantly raising funds to continue services and to add more community youth programs, enhance project and facility sustainability at the W Luray Recreation Center, and bring more related projects to the space including recreation and history.

Funding Support is Needed:

  • Hiring of a Full-Time Program Director
  • Youth and Community Programs
  • Andrew Jackson School Memorial Park
  • Memorial Museum
  • Operational Support
  • Upkeep and Building Improvements

Building: The building is approaching 100 years of age.  The roof needs replacing. Central heating and cooling are also on the wishlist. 

Staffing: TheREC is open for specific events only.  A steady stream of income would permit the hiring of permanent staff to open the doors daily for community use and recreation. 

Recreation Area: The West end of Luray never has had an adequate recreation facility or space.  The Andrew Jackson School Memorial Park is planned to locate the space to the rear of the building where basketball courts, a picnic pavilion, a playground,  and other green space recreation fields will be available to the community. 

Mission

The mission of Living Legacy is to encourage youth personal development and healthy lifestyle choices to positively impact the local community and future generations. 

Vision

  • To give youth after school and summer recreation, life skills, and after school mentoring and tutoring
  • To give a community outlet for activities and to promote togetherness

Values

  • The dignity of every human being
  • The opportunity for every human being
  • The development of character and self-value in our youth