{"id":51291,"date":"2026-04-28T08:44:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T12:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/?p=51291"},"modified":"2026-04-28T08:44:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T12:44:40","slug":"planned-community-center-hopes-to-bring-a-third-space-to-lansdale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.knightcrier.org\/news\/2026\/04\/28\/planned-community-center-hopes-to-bring-a-third-space-to-lansdale\/","title":{"rendered":"Planned community center hopes to bring a \u201cThird Space\u201d to Lansdale"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI\u2019m not trying to save the world\u2026 if [the community center] helps one kid have a better outcome than they would\u2019ve had without it, I\u2019m good,\u201d Gianluca Vera LoPiccolo said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the founder of the Gabriella Rose Community Center (GRCC), LoPiccolo has great plans, and even greater ambitions, for ways he can help his community. Through the community center, he would offer a \u201cThird Place\u201d for the people in Lansdale who want somewhere else to go, somewhere safe and not school, home, or work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe importance of a third place is to give people a place to mentally decompress and take a break from their life for a second,\u201d LoPiccolo stated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey can come here. They can relax. They can forget about their worries for however long they\u2019re here. It\u2019s much better than having them fight day by day and have to push through it, even though they don\u2019t want to be somewhere,\u201d founding member Eshan Jahan added.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The GRCC would be a resource available for everyone, free of cost. LoPiccolo and Jahan prioritize accessibility above all else to give opportunities to those who wouldn\u2019t typically have them. They plan on including 3-D printers, a gym, and even networking to help the local homeless population.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy idea for the fitness center was a self-defense class,\u201d Jahan said. \u201cIt was to teach people how to defend themselves […] Kids, adults, elderly\u2026 people learning and actively staying off the streets and doing something that would benefit them\u2026 that would be great.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While they don\u2019t have a physical location yet, LoPiccolo has a distinct vision for what he imagines the GRCC to be. For those who watched The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as a kid, he described his ideal environment to be similar to the Angel Grove Youth Center, full of laughs, casual hang outs, and comfort. He wants to give the people in Lansdale a safe haven he didn\u2019t have when he was younger.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Growing up as a child of Latino immigrants, LoPiccolo has special experiences that he believes he can use to help others like him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know a lot of people in the Latino community, especially, who don\u2019t have access to any [mental health resources]. It\u2019s like [mental health] doesn\u2019t exist,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to be able to have a place where that\u2019s comfortable to talk about […] I just want the GRCC to be like a 3rd home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

LoPiccolo\u2019s life in of itself is a symbol of the unlimited things a person can do with their life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was a good student, but I was self-destructive […] I started wrestling, and wrestling gave me the mental discipline to pull myself out of the situations I was in,\u201d he stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

But not all people had the resources to improve their lives like he did.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy really good friend […] he always used to say to me that [using drugs] was the only thing he could do. I was like \u2018No, bro. You\u2019re so smart. If you can handle all this, you can put your brain to other things,\u2019 but he was like, \u2018No. I can\u2019t,\u201d LoPiccolo explained. \u201cAnd that honestly resonated with me a lot. Why should he feel like this is the only thing he can do? I feel like all these kids just need one adult they can talk to to be like, \u2018No, no, no, come on. Let\u2019s get it together.\u2019 I always wished I had a mentor or someone like that when I was younger.\u201d