Suresh Memorial Center Opens its Doors
Story by Hope Kelly
Photos by Faith Kelly
On Sunday, Aug. 9, the Chandra Suresh Memorial Center will open its doors for the first time in its grand opening celebration. The three-level facility will offer meetings, classes and seminars on topics involving the Evolved, and contains a small medical facility and psychiatric ward specializing in the unique concerns of treating Evolved patients, including children.
The aim of the facility is to foster discussion and awareness of Evolved and the particular issues they present individuals, society, and the government. Lectures will be held on such issues, and will be open to the public. The Suresh Center is owned and operated by the ReGenesis Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in spring 2008 under the leadership of its chairperson Carla Dove, 43, who has been a Peace Corps volunteer and participated in the Hurricane Katrina recovery projects.
The first level of the three-level center includes auditoriums and conference rooms, which will be available for public use, according to Dove. The second level will be dedicated to the health and psychiatric needs of Evolved patients, while the third floor is office space for those who run the facility. "Any class that enriches the community is eligible to use our facilities — be it meditation, languages, martial arts, or many other things you might find at the nearest YMCA," Dove said. Classes could include such things as ability use, ethics, psychology, and problem solving.
"What we will encourage, however, are classes that relate to current issues, particularly the Evolved. This is something no one else in the world currently does — not in the sense of teaching people how to live with abilities, whether they personally have them or not, and considering the ramifications these abilities present for our government, our society, and our community."
"The goal of the ReGenesis Foundation is to overcome fear of Evolved abilities by eliminating prejudice in the only way possible: through education," Dove said. The goal of the facility, she said, was to foster a rational discussion based on information rather than emotion.
"Already we see the beginnings of Evolved-oriented policies, such as China's unilateral draft or our own Linderman Act… We must make these policies in an educated, informed, forward-looking manner, not simply react shortsightedly out of fear," she said.
The facility was paid for through large-scale fund raising efforts, and the construction of the center was kept quiet due to the controversial nature of its mission statement, which is "to overcome fear, hatred, and the resulting social inequalities; to enable peaceful integration and cohabitation of Evolved and non-Evolved through the most effective and long-term tool, education."
The Center is named for Chandra Suresh, the geneticist who wrote Activating Evolution. "Chandra Suresh was a groundbreaking pioneer in this field, and he unfortunately died before the world was prepared to listen to his discoveries. All of our work continues in his footsteps, with the goal of living up to his vision and completing what he began," Dove said. Suresh is survived by his son Mohinder Suresh, who has continued in his father's footsteps in trying to understand Evolved genetics.
The Center's construction and planning were kept under wraps to avoid problems with oppositional groups. Dove assures that the building comes equipped with several security features to keep anyone using its facilities safe.