Press
Youth Center Reaches Out
By Stacy Wolford
VALLEY INDEPENDENT
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Since opening two years ago, the Monessen-based youth center is spreading its wings by offering more programs, building new partnerships and making its presence known.
"We want people to know we are here for the community -- we're not just a piece of real estate," said Schooner Youth Center Executive Director and Secretary Jennifer Melnick Carota.
Located in the former Epiphany of Our Lord Roman Catholic School, the building has been a downtown staple that Carota is hoping to have listed as a National Historic Landmark.
"There is a lot of history here," she said.
The Schooner Youth Center opened two years ago as a nonprofit, grassroots effort designed to enrich the social, spiritual and cultural values of the youth and families in Monessen and the Mon Valley. The youth center is led by a board of directors, which includes President John Custer of the Orchard Christian Fellowship, and Capt. Michael Jung of The Salvation Army, both based in Monessen.
The youth center got its start thanks to a $150,000, three-year grant, which helps support Carota's part-time salary. Even though she is paid for 15 hours per week, she spends countless hours on her own to launch the youth center forward.
"I truly believe in this place and everything that we are doing," Carota said.
Among the youth center's partners are Monessen Communities That Care, another nonprofit organization affiliated with Westmoreland County Human Opportunities. Before the youth center opened its doors, Teresa Seh operated Monessen Communities That Care from her home.
"I have an office now and we have a home here," Seh said. "We're all working together to promote youth programs and it's wonderful to see what's happening."
Carota said the youth center offers many programs to help youth, families and the community. Some of them include:
= Providing access to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services time-limited family reunification program offered at the center.
= Providing free computer access and technology education through a partnership with the Mon Valley Initiative Adult Computer Literacy program.
= Providing free prom gowns to underprivileged teens through a partnership with the Greensburg-based "Angela's Angels."
= Providing grassroots programs, small nonprofit groups, individuals and the faith community with affordable office space, gymnasium rentals and classroom space for programs and events. Carota said she is especially excited about "Pay it Forward," a youth community service kick-off event set for Oct. 27 as part of National Make a Difference Day. The idea is for youth groups, adult mentors and community leaders to work together to develop youth-led projects to better Monessen and the Mon Valley.
"We want them to choose someone who needs help, but their only obligation is to 'pay it forward' by helping at least three other people who must agree to help three other people," Carota explained. "And we're hoping the list keeps growing."
Small grants between $50 to $100 will be awarded to each youth group to help jumpstart their projects, which will must completed by May.
An awards ceremony will be held to showcase their work.
Carota said their goal is to get 100 local youth to sign up before the pre-registration deadline of Oct. 15.
Carota said the youth center has also become a friend to many Douglas Education Center students. Every Monday from 8-10 a.m., the center opens a cafe called Hot Spot, offering free coffee and pastries to the public. "It's really taken off and become quite popular," she said.
The youth center also collaborates with Monessen High School by sponsoring a youth advisory council. Principal Randall Marino is the chairman, and student board members are Jared Dobsch, Tanesha Anderson and Tyler Chaussinand. She will have some assistance at the office as the national Youth Works program is sending four volunteers to work there this fall.
She said during the summer, 72 Youth Works volunteers logged nearly 7,000 hours of community service. "If we were paying these kids minimum wage, it would have cost $425,000 for their work," Carota said. "That's the value of what these kinds of programs do for the community."
Carota said many more "exciting" programs are planned, but she is also focusing her time on writing grants to keep the center open. The center also plans additional upgrades at the aging building -- one room at a time.
By COLLEEN POLLOCK
For Jubilation
Thursday, February 17, 2005
MONESSEN - A former parochial school on Schoonmaker Avenue that closed its doors nearly three years ago will soon breathe new spiritual life.
Orchard Christian Fellowship Church, which occupies the adjacent building, purchased the former Epiphany of Our Lord School Jan. 27 from the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg. It will be used for a variety of community outreach and spiritual purposes.
"We are very privileged to be able to carry on the Christian heritage here that the Catho-lics started many years ago," said Pastor John Custer of Orchard Christian Fellowship.
Custer said the proposed center for youth and senior citizens is a collaborative effort among area churches.
"We had the ability to buy the school property because of an old right imbedded in our sales agreement when we purchased St. Leonard Church in 1992," said Custer. "The diocese promised to give us the first option to buy the school if it went up to sale. We simply exercised that right."
The church bought the school property for $65,000.
Orchard Christian is a Christ-center nondenominational church that established its house of worship in the former St. Leonard Church building after utilizing temporary quarters for nine years.
Pastor Terry Davis of Newness of Life Ministries in Monessen is among those helping Custer transform the school into an ecumenical multi-purpose center.
"We need to do something youth oriented that will not cost the youth an arm and a leg to be a member," said Davis. "I started praying about some different situations and realized this one is an ideal mix."
Davis said the area YMCA and recreational sports programs are fine examples of positive activities for children, but they require memberships or registration fees that some families cannot afford.
Some programs envisioned for the new center include educational instruction and vocational-technical training, religious services, family movie nights, live theater plays, a supervised recreation center, possibly accommodating the overflow basketball and volleyball teams from the nearby civic center, and use as an operating base for YouthWorks, based in Minneapolis, Minn.
Other proposals include a operating a cafeteria to provide low-cost food to local students, housing an after-school program operated by Monessen Communities That Care, establishing a preschool, offering instruction in martial arts and body building, and more.
"Our vision is that the benefits will freely flow to the needy people in the community, the elderly and youth in particular. Things that won't cost them anything," said Custer. "If we get kids off the streets and into good programs it just might change their lives."
Custer said he hadn't thought much about the vacant school building until the YouthWorks organization, which has operated in the Mon Valley for the past seven summers, decided to expand its programs.
"They want to increase their presence here and now we can offer the place next door to house them, give them a place to shower and feed their volunteer personnel," said Custer. "The want to expand into a program called Greater Works that's not just about painting and simple labor, but involves more complex repairs."
Custer said 50 to 60 volunteers work in the Mon Valley for two months every summer. Under the new program, he said the volunteers will perform more extensive restoration such as plumbing, heating and other light industrial repairs for needy homeowners.
Custer said the volunteers can live in Orchard's Church House, operate their youth programs in the school building and share in the routine maintenance of the facility.
Both churches pastored by Custer and Davis have sponsored YouthWorks programs locally over the years.
"We began to talk about the things that can be accomplished here if we work collectively," said Custer.
"Pastor Davis has been fantastic. We have from the first day been co-developing this. Our church just had the right to purchase the school. That's why were so involved in the mechanics of it."
Custer said redevelopment of the property will take about three years to complete, pending an anticipated $60,000 per year in grant funding through the YouthWorks Foundation. He said anticipated improvements include replacing the roof, resurfacing the parking lot, converting the heating system from steam to forced air and replacing some of the windows.
He said volunteers plan to work into late summer to complete the basic repairs.
According to Custer, a board is being formed to oversee the development and operations of the new center. Davis said Pastor Doug Tunney of The Christian Center in Rostraver Township has agreed to serve on the board.
Tunney and his wife Debi are co-directors of Youths With A Mission-Pittsburgh Team.
"YWAM will bring a spiritual component by teaching young people certain Christian principles and getting them exposed to the arts through dance and music," said Davis. "I really believe this will be a place where young people can come and get educational instruction and spiritual inspiration as well as a place to hang out that is conducive to their well-being."
Pastor Don Anders of Greener Pastures Christian Fellowship of Charleroi plans to teach carpentry and Orchard Christian members Michael Fisher, John Kane and Dan Rattay will share expertise in plumbing and basic automotive.
Custer said his wife, Jethe, will teach drama classes.
Other community members are also expressing interest in sharing their skills with participants at the center.
"This is taking on a life of its own," said Davis. "People want to gravitate to something like this because they know kids and seniors are really going to benefit from it."
"We'll probably rent out space in the school for youth-oriented entities, not just those with a religious aspect, but the main foundation of the center will be on Christ."
The center will also lease parking spaces once the lot is paved.
Custer said he is pleased that the building will be used for charitable service to the community.
"Free help given to the elderly and the youth of the city should increase noticeably, which we hope will lessen the load now borne by the city government," said Custer. "We appreciate the good wishes and encouragement we have received thus far and want to be good stewards of this sacred landmark."
Donations to be used for immediate repairs are greatly appreciated and can be made to Orchard Christian Fellowship or Newness of Life Ministries.