In the last couple of years, we have seen several school districts close schools due to low enrollment. In 2022, the Aurora Public School Board voted to close Sable and Paris Elementary Schools. Sable Elementary was transformed into a preschool and is now Sable Child Development Center. Plans are in place for the former Paris Elementary School to become a three-story community hub.
“We’re bring life to an area that was full of joy and excitement,” said Daniel Sampson, owner and founder of Driven by Our Ambitions. Sampson’s company provides mental health and therapy services to the youth.
With the school vacant, it was decided that it would be repurposed. Dr. Janiece Mackey, who is the Cofounder and CEO of Young Aspiring Americans for Social Political Activism approached Sampson, as well as D.L Pos Ryan and Andre Carbonell, with Peace Youth Organization to form the ABC Collective. The three Black-owned businesses combined their efforts to make Paris Elementary into a place that will offer health and wellness programming, civic engagement, educational and workforce development.