BALTIMORE — The South Baltimore Learning Center has reopened its doors after a two-month closure that threatened to shut down the adult education program permanently.
WATCH: South Baltimore Learning Center reopens after funding crisis
In July, the SBLC lost the majority of its funding sources, including donations and grant funding from city, state, and federal levels, as well as private donors. The loss of crucial funding forced the center to close, leaving adult learners without access to GED programs and other educational services.
"We were at a place where it was looking pretty grim, actually, unfortunately, but nonetheless we were able to turn it around and recover it to bring the services back," said Melissa Smith, executive director of the SBLC.
While the program was shut down for two months, Smith worked nonstop to secure the funding needed to reopen.
"Funds were reinstated right, and then the state actually pushed our funding source through everything was approved. We had a lot of people working with us and advocating on our behalf behind the scenes, which we were so grateful for," Smith said.
Now that the doors have reopened, learners can get back to earning their degrees. For students like Rhonda Lynn, the reopening represents hope and opportunity.
"This place has really shaped me," Lynn said.
Lynn dropped out of school when she became a teenage mother and was never able to finish high school. Years later, she knew she needed to change her life, and finally getting her GED is the first step.
"I need to get my high school diploma for myself, you know, I want to build myself up, my self-confidence, my self-worth. I want to build it up how can I do that if I don't have no foundation to stand on," Lynn said.
When Lynn first heard about SBLC closing back in July, she was devastated. Now, she is overjoyed about the reopening.
"I am so overwhelmed, I am so happy, I can't even describe how I feel about this place being open because when it happened, it felt like the bottom fell out of me," Lynn said.
Lynn has two more exams to take before getting her certificate next July: English Language Arts and Math.
Smith said stories like Lynn's are why it's important to keep the program alive.
"We rely heavily on foundations. We rely on corporations, we rely heavily on individuals to be able to choose us as a preferred charity, and we were grateful for that, but were not in the clear yet," Smith said.
Although the program was able to reopen, Smith said they still need financial support to keep things running for another 35 years.
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