Kenny Holdsman, a 1985 graduate of Cheltenham High School, was recently featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer on behalf of The Philadelphia Youth Basketball’s (PYB) Alan Horwitz ‘Sixth Man’ Center’s grand opening on Tuesday, July 9.
Holdsman, PYB’s co-founder and CEO since 2015, helped finance and build the $36 million facility at 4250 Wissahickon Avenue in North Philly.
The 100,000 sf center’s Phase One will offer seven basketball courts among other amenities and is accessible only by traveling up a driveway that is known as the “Pathway to Success”, the Inquirer said.
“What you are seeing is a fraction of what this center is offering,” Holdsman said. “When you go upstairs, I’m looking at a youth multimedia lab. I’m looking at a youth leadership hub.”
The facility will also house mentorship pods, multimedia labs, a cafe, an entrepreneurship center, a civic engagement arena, a gym, and a mental health oasis, the Inquirer said.
Once the doors open, Holdsman’s project will enter Phase Two: a $20 million workforce development and economic opportunity generator via a second building to focus on teenagers transitioning into adulthood.
The building will include a skill building training academy, a community health center, and an entrepreneurship accelerator program.
“After a decade of hard work by literally hundreds of caring Philadelphians, we could not be more grateful and inspired to be opening our center,” Holdsman said. “We believe this amazing space, with a comprehensive array of programs, will help thousands of young people and families to self-determine in positive and powerful ways.”
PYB serves roughly 1,200 youths per year. In 2021, the organization caught the eye of Sixers superfan Alan Horwitz, who gifted the club $5 million to start fundraising.
The full story is here. You can also check out 76ers forward Tobias Harris’ thoughts on the new facility:
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Photo: Lehigh University | Rendering: PYB