LOUISVILLE, Ky. — We first introduced you to Rose Smith in 2015, a year after her youngest son was shot and killed.
Over the years, we’ve shared the story of how Smith took a tragedy and tried to make some good come of it. With a grant from our parent company, TEGNA, and the help from the Building Association of Greater Louisville, Smith was able to turn an abandoned house turned into a community center.
Nearly five years after her son’s death, Rose wants to continue to honor her son.
Cory Crowe was shot to death on the corner of 25th and Standard in the Park Hill neighborhood Oct. 25, 2014.
“He was such a giving and loving person," Smith said. "He was so handsome, but not only with the outer appearance and the beauty on the outside, seriously, Cory had beauty on the inside. He was so compassionate, giving."
Five years later, Smith said she is still adjusting to a new normal without her youngest son.
“On that day, he was fatally injured and I was critically wounded,” Smith said. “He got a death sentence, but I kind of got a life one."
Smith started the ACE Project in Cory’s honor. ACE, which stands for Acting Compassionately Everyday, is something Rose said her son did every day he was alive.
The ACE Project is a nonprofit that connects children with mentors, provides tutoring, cooking classes, and sewing lessons. The nonprofit also encourages children to give back to their community, providing an outlet and a safe place.
Three years after her son's death, she purchased an abandoned house at the corner where Cory was killed. On May 25, 2019, that house was opened again as the ACE Place, serving as a community center for youth in the Park Hill neighborhood.
RELATED: ACE Place opens to community
A place that held so much sorrow and pain now has a new purpose: it gives love.
“If it’s just one child that I feel like we’re making a difference (for), that’s what brings me joy in the whole project,” Smith said. “The joy of seeing a child happy and thriving and, hopefully, we’re meeting that need socially and emotionally.”
On October 25, a vigil and balloon release is scheduled in Cory’s honor at 6 p.m. outside The ACE Place on 2336 Standard Avenue in Louisville, KY 40210.
If you're interested in volunteering at the ACE Project, you can visit their Facebook page.
Cory’s killer has not been caught. If you have any information about what happened, call 502-574-5673.
If you want to share What’s Right in your neighborhood, send Kristin Pierce a message on Facebook or Twitter.
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