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.”

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, OH – EDGE Teen Center recently received a $15,000 grant from The Spaulding Foundation to fund the continuation of an initiative with Focus on Youth that addresses the increasing mental health and emotional needs of local teens.

Approximately 115 teens spend time at EDGE each day after school. A Focus on Youth clinician comes on site every week to offer support and mentoring and provide individualized counseling with parental consent.

“This is helping many teens to improve coping and resiliency skills they need in everyday life,” said Annie Droege, Teen Center Director. “It also connects teens who need ongoing individual treatment services with someone who can help them and allows them to get that support here at our center.”

The pilot for this program began in January 2018 with funding from the Community Grants Fund at the Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty. The Spaulding Foundation grant ensures the continuation of a licensed clinician on site at EDGE each week.

Facilitated small groups focus on coping skills as well as the factors that contribute to mental health, such as stress management, trauma and relationships. “We also explore topics such as depression, bullying, self-injurious behaviors and complex emotions,” said Amy Shull with Focus on Youth. “The teens give input on real-world issues they struggle with that they would like to explore.”

Studies show that 20% of teens have a mental illness – defined as a condition that affects a young person’s thinking, emotions and mood to the extent that it interferes with daily functioning at home and school. “The end goal is to help teens feel better equipped and confident to handle the problems they face on a daily basis,” said Droege.

About EDGE Teen Center

EDGE Teen Center’s mission is to empower teens to impact the world.  It does this by providing high school students with a diverse, youth-driven center dedicated to fostering mentoring relationships among teens and caring adults.  Serving nearly 750 teens annually, EDGE challenges students to realize their full potential and become the best version of themselves through facilitated programs in these focus areas: Community Service, Academic Success, Life Skills, and Healthy Living.  

About Focus on Youth

Located in West Chester, Ohio, Focus on Youth, Inc.’s mission is to improve the lives of children by providing strengths-based foster care, adoption, and mental health services that promote the permanency, safety, and well-being of youth. Focus on Youth’s Behavioral Health Services are open to children ages 3 and up and their families, with specialization in trauma treatment and play therapy.

About The Spaulding Foundation

The Spaulding Foundation is a private foundation funded from the estate of a longtime Northside resident, Ruth Spaulding.  Funded in 1998, The Spaulding Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the community, focusing in the areas of mental health, physical and mental disabilities, substance abuse/chemical addiction, and domestic violence, rape and abuse. The Spaulding Foundation is also a longtime supporter of Mrs. Spaulding’s favorite local organization, The Cincinnati Zoo.

The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty recently announced a $30,000 grant to EDGE Teen Center in Liberty Township to purchase a van for the EDGE Community Service Program. The grant is part of the Foundation’s focus on identifying micro-solutions to transportation barriers throughout the community, as identified in their 2017 Community Needs Assessment.

“We are excited to partner with EDGE to help improve access to community service opportunities for local teens,” said Erin Clemons, Community Foundation president and CEO. “This will be an asset to both the students and the local organizations they are serving.”

The EDGE Community Service Program provides service opportunities to 400 teens at 15 area organizations such as Chesterwood Village Nursing Home, Matthew 25 Ministries, Reach Out Lakota, and PAWS. In 2017 they provided 1500 round-trips that allowed students to perform more than 4,000 hours of service. Transportation to and from service sites is provided free of charge for students, many of whom do not yet drive or do not have access to a car to drive themselves.

“Having a reliable van is critical to our ability to sustain and continue to growing this popular program,” said Brenda Yablonsky, executive director of EDGE. “This new van means we can continue to expose local teens to service opportunities that help them build confidence, sense of purpose, leadership and decision-making skills – all while benefiting many nearby social service agencies and their clients.”

The $30,000 grant will cover the purchase of a new, reliable 15-passenger van to replace EDGE’s existing 20-year-old vehicle. Additional grants and fundraising efforts will cover maintenance, fuel costs and other program expenses over the projected 10-year life of the new vehicle. EDGE plans to purchase and have the new van in operation during the 2018-2019 school year.

For more information about the EDGE Community Service Program and other opportunities for teens at EDGE, and to learn how you can help their mission of empowering teens to impact the world, visit www.edgeteencenter.com.