Posted: 6/6/07
Final Draft - by Cliff Buchan
Don’t let kids down by closing teen center
It’s been well documented that the Forest Lake area has not had an abundance of places for teen to go or things to do.
The situation has improved in recent years. The movie theater in Forest Lake reopened. Stars & Strikes opened in Wyoming with a host of recreational offerings, including bowling. The school district here through Community Education has operated a teen center. The Lakes Area Youth Service Bureau has ways for kids and teens to be involved in positive ways.
All have been positive steps.
But the good news is tempered this week with rumblings that the teen center may be in bad financial times. Once again the teen center is facing a financial crisis that will require another community fund-raising drive to produce some $13,000.
How successful this drive will be hinges on the level of support the community will muster and how hard school leaders work to keep the teen center open. The outcome could be a statement of the level of value we place on all of our teens in the Forest Lake district.
The fund-drive is not a new thing. Community Education has been forced to reach out in the past, and with success. Community leaders like Bo Bogotty have stepped in to lead the fund-raising effort and numerous businesses and community organizations have pitched in to make sure the teen center at the Central Learning Center is available for the youth of the community.
The perception is true that the community is being asked time and time again to step up and help. We see it now with the drive to fund the 2007 Fourth of July celebration. A group that plans to build a Children’s Memorial Healing Garden at Calvary Cemetery is in the midst of a fund drive.
The list is almost endless, and all are good causes worthy of community support. The need certainly exists today. Grace Alliance Church is studying the possibility of a church facility to fill the void its leaders recognize. The city of Forest Lake Community Center plan is heavily focused on youth, but is a year or two away.
Until the community as a whole is able to address the needs of teens, facilities like the existing teen center provide a valuable service to many kids and perhaps kids who don’t wind up in sports or other structured activities that exist today.
It would be easy to walk away and wash our hands of all these tasks. But we don’t because we recognize there are needs that somehow must be met, even if that means individuals, businesses and organizations must dig into their pockets to help.
Of all the causes that need backing, this is not the time to turn our backs on teens. In today’s society, it is even more vital to provide meaningful avenues for young people. Not only does it send a positive message to kids, it provides activities that will keep kids from getting into trouble.
In the case of the teen center, the $13,000 goal is doable. With a very healthy fund balance, the Community Education Department could show a strong commitment to the effort by pledging to fund a portion of the cost while asking the community to help with the balance. And by engaging folks like Bo Bogotty who want to help, the funds will be raised.
Keeping the teen center going should be an easy decision to make. Let’s hope everyone is on the same page with this one.
Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605