50th Anniversary Heart of the Community Celebration!

Thursday, October 15th, 2026

Madison Event Center, Covington, KY

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The Center for Great Neighborhoods Celebrates 50 years of Community Development Work in Covington, KY; Announces the 50^th Anniversary Heart of the Community Celebration

The Center for Great Neighborhoods of Covington is excited to celebrate 50 years of community development work in the city of Covington this year!

For 50 years, The Center for Great Neighborhoods has worked with residents, organizations, and stakeholders in Covington, KY to create positive change and the civic space that allows everyone in the community to work collaboratively on the future they want.

At The Center, we build capacity and train community leaders to be able to accomplish everything from arts and creative placemaking projects to public space improvements. We also develop affordable housing, create programs to improve property conditions, serve Covington youth by creating safe spaces for kids to play and learn, and support healthy lifestyles and small businesses, in part by managing the Covington Farmers Market.

To celebrate 50 years of accomplishments, The Center will host our 50^th Anniversary Heart of the Community Celebration on October 15^th, 2026, at the Madison Event Center. The event will showcase the many important projects and work of The Center over the years and highlight our future work! The charity event will also include our resident and business awards.

The Center began in 1976 as the Covington Community Center, and served the emergency needs of low-income residents, provided recreation activities for youth, and helped residents address community issues. In the mid­1990s, our programs started to focus more heavily on community development efforts and building a stronger network of resident ­led neighborhood groups. By the 2000s, we began addressing more systemic issues like blight and lack of affordable housing- since that time, The Center has improved more than 65 vacant and blighted properties, including residential and commercial properties, homes for sale to moderate income homebuyers, affordable rental units, and façade improvements for local homeowners.

Our founding principles of respect for the dignity and value of each person and the importance of their full participation in the life of the community are based on a belief that every member of the community has gifts and talents, and our community is strongest when all of us are sharing our gifts towards its well-being.

The Center for Great Neighborhoods’ mission calls us to engage residents and work to bring them into the creation of the future version of our community. We know that a truly vibrant and dynamic community happens when it is inclusive and harnesses the contributions of everyone.