New-look Teen Center welcomes kids back

SANDUSKY — Rayne Rice likes her after-school hangout's new look. But what the ninth-grade Sandusky High School student really loves most is returning inside a building filled with her friends, mentors and resources she needs to succeed. "To me, the most important thing is just being back here," Rayne said. "The look of something can't change how people act. Here, everybody is so loving and welcoming, and I don't want that to change." Welcome back This past week, and for the first time in six months, Rayne and several other adolescents came back to the Boys & Girls Club of Erie County's Teen Center on Cleveland Road (U.S. 6). Everyone inside wore face masks and maintained social distancing. About 30 children visited the Teen Center on Tuesday. Before the pandemic, on an average day, it would normally welcome about 50 students. At maximum, it can house upward of 200 people. The Teen Center — where area teenagers visit on school-day afternoons to play basketball, receive tutoring, eat nutritious meals and more — underwent a complete top-to-bottom renovation throughout 2020. Crews overhauled the space during Ohio's stay-at-home mandate, issued back in March. With both COVID-19 and construction work keeping kids away from their normal safe haven, "It was tough on everyone," said Jerome Johnson, a regional programming director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio, which oversees Erie County's operations. Johnson also directly supervises the Teen Center. "Our staff did keep in contact with the families and the kids through our virtual programming conducted by the staff, but a lot of them did struggle with it all," Johnson said. "But things are better now. We have a very beautiful building and are bringing all the kids back." What's new? A $500,000 state grant mostly covered the project's costs. Donations and fundraisers, including the recent Blue Jeans for Blue Donors event, also contributed dollars for this initiative. Work included crews building new walls; laying down new carpet; installing new furnishings and lights; and debuting several new rooms, including restrooms, a multipurpose room, a technology center with new computers and a kitchen. The kitchen allows staff and volunteers to prepare meals on-site. "Everything does look nice," Johnson said before circling back to Rayne's point. "But what's going to keep this place special is having the right staff in place here, with programming, so the kids can feel safe," Johnson said. "Without the right people in place, it wouldn't mean anything to the kids." Despite a new look, Johnson promised to maintain the space's original mission. "Our ultimate goal here at the Teen Center is to enable that all young people, especially those who need us most, reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens," Johnson said. "It's a safe place for teens to enjoy their peers as well as benefit from many programs."