BATON ROUGE — A dedication ceremony was held Saturday in honor of a lifelong resident of Scotlandville and former long-time director Carl E. Slaughter.

The Jewel J. Newman Community Center gymnasium was dedicated in honor of Slaughter.

Slaughter was the director of the North Baton Rouge Community Center, now Jewel J. Newman Community Center for 34 years.

Slaughter said he's grateful, but the recognition belongs to the people he served. 

“I think that everybody that participated and attended the program they feel a part of this recognition. It’s more about them than it is about me. They made this facility, this community what it was,” said Slaughter.

During his tenure, Slaughter touched several lives in the community. 

“When he first met me, he embraced me with open arms like he was my papa," said Alec Wooders.

Councilwoman Chauna Banks said Slaughter created programs that made the center a vital resource in the community.

“It was under Mr. Slaughter's vision that we have collaborators with Earl K. Long, with the BREC center for afternoon and summer programs. There were no summer camps for the persons in our community other than the one Mr. Slaughter began. So there's just so much history regarding him,” said Banks.

The community center was a safe haven for many children offering children a chance to explore opportunities beyond Baton Rouge.

“We gave the kids an opportunity to take them on field trips, to take them outside of the community, to see what the opportunities were for them and provided them to grow,” said Slaughter.

Now that the gym bears his name, Slaughter said he’s proud to see the kids he mentored over the years are now making a positive impact in their communities.

“To see how they turned out and now they’re in a position to give back it’s just a joy, there’s so much joy in my heart,” said Slaughter.