EDGE Teen Center to Open Satellite Location to Serve Freshman from Lakota West
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, OH – EDGE Teen Center plans to open a satellite location to serve teens after school who attend Lakota West Freshman Campus beginning this August.
EDGE will operate its after-school, teen-focused program in space donated by Cornerstone Church, located within minutes of the freshman campus. The wing of the church’s building to be used is already built out with all of the fun factors needed for an effective teen center, including gaming tables, a café and music/AV systems. It also has plenty of private small group space that will be used for the daily programming that is part of the EDGE model that includes bringing in outside experts and speakers to address its four focus areas: Academic Success, Healthy Living, Life Skills and Community Service.
While the EDGE satellite teen center will be located within walking distance of the Lakota West Freshman Campus, free daily transportation will be offered. The group expects to serve 30-80 teens daily in its first year and to grow from there.
“To their credit, Cornerstone has this wonderful asset that they want to make available to serve the needs of the community,” said EDGE executive director Brenda Yablonsky. “People from this community have been asking us for years to bring a teen program to the west side of Lakota but the cost to build another facility was a barrier. This collaboration with Cornerstone is a game-changer.”
EDGE Teen Center has been serving teens on the east side of this community for 10 years at their center located on Wyandot Lane near Lakota East freshman and high school campuses. They serve about 700+ teens a year through their various programs. About 100-115 teens attend daily after school at that location.
The uniqueness of the EDGE model is that it is 100% tailored to the unique needs of teens. The model of programming this new site will utilize is the same as EDGE’s current practice, so this will not be a faith-based program despite its location being housed in a church building. “Our shared goal is to meet the increasing need for teen-focused after-school programming in the Lakota West community, and this space has been made available and is conveniently located to serve many Lakota West families,” said Jamie Jordan, chair of EDGE’s board of directors.
“Cornerstone is very excited about this opportunity to serve our community,” said Aaron King, chair of Cornerstone’s board of Servant Leaders. “We see our partnership with EDGE Teen Center as a way to serve an often under-served segment of our community – our teens – by meeting them at this critical point of their development and providing support and encouragement. Our mission and location make us natural partners with EDGE.”