ALL4LOVE Breaks Ground on New Youth Facility

ALL4LOVE executive director Lucas Thorpe (center) is flanked by (from left) co-founder Khalil Johnson, board member William Ryan, finance manager Clint Faldudto, and board president Matthew Thorpe.

At a Tuesday ceremony, the youth-based nonprofit ALL4LOVE broke ground on a new community facility on Lake Street that will serve as its first permanent home. The 6,300-square-foot space, dubbed the Warehouse, will give the organization room to expand its programs for young people in Dorchester County.

At the ceremony hosted by the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, ALL4LOVE Executive Director and co-founder Lucas Thorpe thanked supporters and partners who helped make the project possible. 

“This moment has been years in the making,” he told the assembled local dignitaries and business leaders. “It’s been years of dreaming, praying, planning, and sometimes wondering if this would ever actually happen. And yet here we are, standing on ground that’s about to become something special for our community.”

Thorpe and co-founder Khalil Johnson launched ALL4LOVE in 2022 when they were both in their early twenties. What began with a few mentoring sessions has grown into one of the region’s most active youth organizations, serving more than 330 students each year. 

Programs include Next Gen Mentoring, which has seen every student in its first two graduating classes receive their diplomas on time, the Roses and Sunflowers etiquette program for middle school girls, and a countywide flag football league that now serves 280 children.

“Our vision for the Warehouse is to turn what once was an industrial space into a home for mentorship, athletics, education, and community connection,” Thorpe said. 

The community itself will drive the transformation. Students from the Dorchester Career and Technology Center, local contractors, and volunteers will help bring the project to life.  The new facility will include a gymnasium, a flexible commons area, an office suite, and an outdoor patio. The gym is expected to open by December, with complete renovations to follow over the next two years.

To fund the effort, ALL4LOVE has launched the Built for Kids capital campaign, a $2 million fundraising initiative that Thorpe described as the organization’s most ambitious undertaking yet. The group has already raised $180,000 toward its goal.

“The Built for Kids campaign isn’t just about bricks and drywall,” Thorpe said. “It’s about building belief that Cambridge can invest in its own and that this next generation is worth it.” He added that the project’s success depends on wide community support. “Every dollar we raise moves us closer to giving kids a safe and inspiring place to grow right here at home.”

Johnson told The Spy that the project marks a turning point for both the organization and the city’s youth. “It’s important for us to have a home base where we can build up young people so in the future they can build up others,” he said. “This is an investment for tomorrow and an investment for today.”

Cambridge Mayor Lajan Cephas-Bey said the new center reflects the promise of a generation returning its talents to the community. 

“This is important for the young people of Cambridge so they understand they don’t have to leave,” she said. “ALL4LOVE, with the leadership of Khalil and Lucas, has created a pathway where their gifts are being used here at home.  For Cambridge to move forward, we have to invest in our youth because they have bright minds and new ideas.”

Thorpe said he hopes the new space will not only serve ALL4LOVE’s students but also attract investment to a long-overlooked part of the city. “This gives us space for the kids we work with, a place they can call home,” he said. “It will also help us bring philanthropic investment to this area of Cambridge. We’re overwhelmed with joy and looking forward to the day we get to cut the ribbon.”