LUCERNE ? A new youth center planned on Highway 20 and Fifteenth Street in Lucerne is not just about giving children and teens something to do. It”s about giving them a chance at living well, according to organizer Yvonne Cox, aka “the snake lady.”
Cox is planning a grand opening for the youth center May 1. The approximately 1,800 square foot center will offer a study center, computers with supervised Internet access, video games, a pool table, two air hockey tables, television, movies and a dance floor. Cox said she plans to also hold special events for the center”s young patrons, and some perks for adults, as well.
“This is so needed. I want to instill life skills and morals for our kids to use. I want to take care of them before it gets to where they have to be punished. If you give them something they own, they can take pride in it. And I don”t put up with any misbehaving,” Cox said.
Cox said among other plans for the youth center, she hopes to launch a kayak rental venture called “On the Lake Adventures” that would be operated by the children who come to the youth center.
“Having their own business, kids will learn all the ins and outs, and get some life skills and some opportunities that are not normally offered in the county,” Cox said.
The center will be open to children older than six from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays. Occasional weekend activities will also be available, Cox said. Younger children are also welcome with adult supervision, according to Cox.
“I”ve been working on this project for two years,” Cox said. “We have a lot to do in a short amount of time to make our May 1 deadline. We”re dry-walling on the inside, and then we”re going to paint and put in hardwood floors.”
The building that will house the youth center is a construction zone as it undergoes renovations by hired contractors and volunteers. Cox said a volunteer crew from Hilltop Recovery Center is doing much of the work. Lucerne physician Bob Gardner owns the building, and is allowing Cox to use it rent-free for six months.
“After that, we hope to be subsidized, and we”re going to start raising money,” Cox said. Among her plans to raise money for the center are car washes, bake sales and a poker run in July.
“A lot of people want to volunteer to supervise the kids ? teachers, off-duty officers, business people, retired seniors ? all kinds of people are coming forward,” Cox said.
Cox hopes to paint murals on the outside walls of the building facing east and west. “I would want to let the kids be instrumental in that,” Cox said.
“There are a lot of high-risk in the area. Teen centers have the opportunity to help kids make good decisions, and it gives them a place to go, and people they can trust and count on. This gives them a chance to do something good with their lives rather than hanging out in back alleys doing meth. It”s a matter of life and death for some of these kids,” volunteer Ken McIntosh said.
For more information about the youth center, call Cox at 274-8821.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
