KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Emerald Youth Foundation announced Friday plans to buy an East Knoxville property and turn it into a youth center as part of a multi-million dollar project. The plan, which includes a significant contribution from the State of Tennessee, comes just months after a failed attempt by the foundation to purchase a portion of the City of Knoxville-owned Chilhowee Park.
At the foundation’s annual prayer breakfast event, Emerald Youth leaders said the group would be buying the Eternal Life Harvest Center’s Martin Luther King Jr Avenue location. The five-parcel property is located in the Five Points neighborhood, and foundation leadership pointed to its proximity to Austin-East and Vine magnet schools, along with others.
Access to those schools is a key selling point for the foundation, which has worked for decades offering Christian-based youth outreach programs all over the Knoxville area. Foundation leadership said the next phase in their mission to help young people in Knoxville would be building a multi-million dollar youth center at the Eternal Life Harvest Center’s soon-to-be-sold location…