By Magen PetitStaff Columnist
SOUTH BERWICK —
One effective way to get youths and teens off the street is by providing them with a place to go when they aren’t in school or at home. In 1998, South Berwick Police Officer Peter Gagnon and a group of high school students started the South Berwick Youth Teen Center, located across from The Lunch Box on Agamenticus Road in South Berwick.
Gagnon approached the Town and asked them if the Center could use the old red barn for a place for youths and teens. The Town agreed and gave the front half of the barn to the Center.
The Center provides a place for the youths and teens to do many activities such as quilting, homework, cake decorating, candy making, scrap booking, and many other crafts. Many games including board games, foosball, pool, and air hockey are also available to the kids.
Other groups also use the barn as a place to meet, such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Cub Scouts. The Center also opens its doors to an autism group, which meets once a month, local sports teams, home school groups, the recreation department, and a summer camp.
Now, Louise Cole-Anderson is the director of the non-profit organization and wants nothing more than to continue keeping youths and teens off the street.
“I’ve always been involved in volunteering, especially with the Center,” said Cole-Anderson. “I saw the kids growing up and volunteers leaving, but I stayed. I wanted a place for the kids, but I realized I needed to get a younger group of kids to start coming.”
Cole-Anderson reached out to kids as young as the junior high level and eventually to the fourth and fifth grade level.
A few years ago, Cole-Anderson wanted to expand the Center for the kids as they were outgrowing the space.
“Jerry Easter of the Knights of Columbus gave me the encouragement to get this done,” remarked Cole-Anderson. “He told me the Knights of Columbus were looking for a project and he chose us and he told me that this could be done.”
The efforts of the volunteers resulted in raising about $5,000 to replace the roof as well as gutting out the back room and re-doing the wallboards.
“The whole process started about two-and-a-half years ago,” explained Cole-Anderson. “We ran into a few delays with Mother Nature coming earlier than expected that year and making sure everything was weather-tight. We were able to finish smaller projects before starting on the bigger renovations.”
Instead of just a front room, there is now a back room, which was divided in half to two rooms. The back rooms will be for quilting and sewing as well as a living room area with a television and the popular game Dance Dance Revolution. The front room will be just for games.
The renovations are still not complete.
“In essence, we have two more projects remaining,” explained Easter. “We will be expanding the kitchen and re-doing the bathroom.”
Easter started the renovations and as he put it, “I’m a jack of all trades, but a master of none.”
Greg Paquette of Maplewood Construction in North Berwick took over the project and Easter noted, “He’s the master.”
“You know that saying, “It takes a village…” well, it really does,” said Cole-Anderson who donates about 20-24 hours of her time a week just toward the Center. “If it weren’t for Jerry or the volunteers or Ann Hussey and Dr. Mike Nazemetz of the South Berwick Rotary or my husband supporting me 100 percent, none of this would have happened.”
Cole-Anderson is hoping to have the rest of the renovations completed this summer. She is very appreciative of all the support and donations people have given to help the Center and keep it open.
For more information on the South Berwick Youth Teen Center, visit the 3 Willow Drive (just off Agamenticus Road) location or call Louise at (207) 384-4731.
Gagnon approached the Town and asked them if the Center could use the old red barn for a place for youths and teens. The Town agreed and gave the front half of the barn to the Center.
The Center provides a place for the youths and teens to do many activities such as quilting, homework, cake decorating, candy making, scrap booking, and many other crafts. Many games including board games, foosball, pool, and air hockey are also available to the kids.
Other groups also use the barn as a place to meet, such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Cub Scouts. The Center also opens its doors to an autism group, which meets once a month, local sports teams, home school groups, the recreation department, and a summer camp.
Now, Louise Cole-Anderson is the director of the non-profit organization and wants nothing more than to continue keeping youths and teens off the street.
“I’ve always been involved in volunteering, especially with the Center,” said Cole-Anderson. “I saw the kids growing up and volunteers leaving, but I stayed. I wanted a place for the kids, but I realized I needed to get a younger group of kids to start coming.”
Cole-Anderson reached out to kids as young as the junior high level and eventually to the fourth and fifth grade level.
A few years ago, Cole-Anderson wanted to expand the Center for the kids as they were outgrowing the space.
“Jerry Easter of the Knights of Columbus gave me the encouragement to get this done,” remarked Cole-Anderson. “He told me the Knights of Columbus were looking for a project and he chose us and he told me that this could be done.”
The efforts of the volunteers resulted in raising about $5,000 to replace the roof as well as gutting out the back room and re-doing the wallboards.
“The whole process started about two-and-a-half years ago,” explained Cole-Anderson. “We ran into a few delays with Mother Nature coming earlier than expected that year and making sure everything was weather-tight. We were able to finish smaller projects before starting on the bigger renovations.”
Instead of just a front room, there is now a back room, which was divided in half to two rooms. The back rooms will be for quilting and sewing as well as a living room area with a television and the popular game Dance Dance Revolution. The front room will be just for games.
The renovations are still not complete.
“In essence, we have two more projects remaining,” explained Easter. “We will be expanding the kitchen and re-doing the bathroom.”
Easter started the renovations and as he put it, “I’m a jack of all trades, but a master of none.”
Greg Paquette of Maplewood Construction in North Berwick took over the project and Easter noted, “He’s the master.”
“You know that saying, “It takes a village…” well, it really does,” said Cole-Anderson who donates about 20-24 hours of her time a week just toward the Center. “If it weren’t for Jerry or the volunteers or Ann Hussey and Dr. Mike Nazemetz of the South Berwick Rotary or my husband supporting me 100 percent, none of this would have happened.”
Cole-Anderson is hoping to have the rest of the renovations completed this summer. She is very appreciative of all the support and donations people have given to help the Center and keep it open.
For more information on the South Berwick Youth Teen Center, visit the 3 Willow Drive (just off Agamenticus Road) location or call Louise at (207) 384-4731.
Photo captions: The backside of the barn after the renovations were completed to the Center... Jerry Easter receives an award from South Berwick Youth Teen Center Director Louise Cole-Anderson for his time and dedication to the youth and the community of South Berwick. (Weekly Sentinel photos)
