Tuesday, April 7, 2009 — A new youth center is on its way to Stanly County as Paul Jenkins, founder of That Youth Thing, Inc. is preparing to make his dream a reality.
Jenkins began That Youth Thing, Inc., an organization providing local events for teens, in 2001, but he had a vision to expand the organization to include a youth center where students from across the county could hang out in a safe environment.
“Twenty-five percent of the county population are children age 18 and under with 12,000 students in grades kindergarten through 12th. I wanted to do something for this 25 percent,” Jenkins said during a recent presentation to the Greater Oakboro Business Association (GOBA).
The center, which will be called the 704 Student Center, will be available for all students across the county though it will be housed in Albemarle due to the city’s central location as compared to the county.
Plans are for the center to include basketball courts, a rock climbing wall, a ramp park for BMX bikers, skateboarders and inline skaters, with the possibility of things such as a weight room and batting cages in the future.
Technological services like an internet cafe with wireless Internet, as well as video games will also be offered. Food and drinks will be offered as snacks, and there will also be a coffee shop available, as well as merchandise.
For those students looking for a place to study, educational services will also be offered in the form of quiet rooms and lounge areas, and tutoring will be available through qualified educators.
Jenkins said the inspiration for some of these services came after a visit to a similar center in Joplin, Mo. known as The Bridge, but he said the center will not be competing with services offered through the Stanly County YMCA.
“We’ve already spoken with John Lowder at the YMCA and we have their full support,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins hopes to open the center by March 5, 2010, but he is asking for support from anyone wishing to give. He said he believes the center would be able to open its doors with $250,000 in funding, though he is hoping for $500,000.
“We currently have $110,000 from individual donations and we haven’t even begun asking the public for support,” Jenkins said.
For more information about the center, including the center’s business plan, visit www.the704.org.
Contact Tiffany Thompson at (704) 982-2121 ext. 24 or snaponline24@carolina.rr.com.
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