Try This Summer Blockbuster: Teen Center Rolls Out Summer Programming For First Time Ever

Friday, May 7, 2010

Inaugural Summer Blitz features daily drop-in times, as well as a gaggle of enrichment trips and special programs.

Coming off a school year in which it served middle-school students for the first time, the Collings Teen Center announced another first this week: a full slate of summer programming, including a regular schedule of drop-in days at the 12,000-square-foot facility on Merkley Avenue.

CTC has offered after-school drop-in programming since its opening in 2004, and this year added a bevy of new programmatic components such as enrichment trips, the incentives-based Second Mile empowerment program, and a student leadership council. But the launching of Summer Blitz - a schedule of regular drop-in days interspersed with trips and special events - expands the center's reach around the calendar.

"Yeah, we're pretty stoked about it," said Don Bosley, CTC's executive director. "Naturally, summer is a time when our kids desperately need some positive places to spend their time. It actually gives our staff more hours than a typical school day in which to embrace and interact with kids."

In addition to the regular drop-in times (see accompanying schedule), the Summer Blitz also includes a number of enrichment trips through the CTC's Xtreme Adventures program. Among the trips are a beach day at Bodega Bay, a rafting day on the American River, a scavenger hunt in San Francisco, a hiking trip on the Bear River, and - for middle-schoolers - an eight day road trip to Campus Life camp in Washington state.

"Kids need positive alternatives, especially during the summer months, when they have more time on their hands," said West Sacramento police chief Dan Drummond. "The teen center provides a safe place where they can find constructive activities and build healthy relationships."

To date this academic year, the teen center has engaged more than 400 individual teens in its daily programming and served more than 12,000 hot, free lunches through its daily Late Lunch program. An average of 50-70 teenagers per day visit the center during the after-school hours of 2pm to 6pm. The center is open to students in grades 7-12.

Regular teen center hours during the summer will be noon-4pm. Download the complete summer schedule here.

The Future of West Sacramento Youth: Wanna Bet on It?

Monday, October 19, 2009

When it comes to the youth of your city, there's really no such thing as gambling. There's only investing.

So goes the thinking at the Collings Teen Center, which on Nov. 13 will host its inaugural Ace of Hearts Monte Carlo Nite and Auction, with all proceeds going to the center that impacts hundreds of West Sacramento teenagers every week.

"We're kind of thinking that this is how you put the 'fun' into fundraiser," said Don Bosley, CTC's executive director. "Put a bunch of people in a rockin' room with a bunch of gaming tables on Friday the 13th and find out if they really feel lucky..."

Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. The ticket price will earn each attendee a stack of chips that can be used at blackjack tables, Texas Hold 'em, craps tables and roulette. Those chips will then be used later on to bid on great auction items such as vacation getaways, golf adventures, and more.

Complimentary hors d'oeuvres, desserts and non-alcoholic beverages will be served throughout the evening by students from the teen center.

"It ain't gamblin' if you can't lose," Bosley said. "And since it all benefits the kids of our city, you can't."

Open since 2004, the Collings Teen Center serves hundreds of teenagers every week in its After-School Drop-In program. The center served more than 14,000 free, hot meals in its Late Lunch program during the 2008-09 academic year, and also offers tutoring, job-skills training, life-skills training, sports and recreation tournaments, free internet access, enrichment trips, and connections to dozens of other youth agencies fighting for the empowerment of youth.

For tickets call (916) 375-0681. For more information go to www.collingsteencenter.org or see the Collings Teen Center Facebook page.

7th and 8th Graders: Y'all Come!

Monday, August 17, 2009

They've been knocking on the door for years, eagerly awaiting the day when they would be eligible to spend their after-school hours at the Collings Teen Center. For West Sacramento's 7th and 8th grade students, that day arrives on Aug. 26 - when the CTC opens up its After-School Drop-In program to middle-schoolers for the first time.

"We won't ever eliminate or diminish our programming for high-school students," said Don Bosley, CTC's executive director. "But with the tremendous facilities and location that we have at CTC, we've all sensed for some time that we needed to open our doors to the middle-schoolers as well."

CTC's After-School Drop-In program has been in place for high-school students since 2004. But in the past two years, the city has seen broad changes within the Washington Unified School District - including the move of River City High School to its new Southport campus and the dissolution of Golden State Middle School in favor of K-8 elementary schools.

Geographically, those changes have pushed much of the high-school population farther away from CTC's Merkley Avenue location, but simultaneously brought many middle-school students within closer proximity.

"The people of this community came together years ago and gave us these 12,000 square feet full of pool tables, basketball courts, classrooms, ping-pong tables, computer labs, video-game decks, and everything else a youth center could possibly want," said Bosley. "In our mind, we've got a great opportunity and responsibility to embrace as many young people as we can with it."

The After-School Drop-In program runs from 2-6 p.m. every school day, and includes a free hot meal through CTC's Late Lunch program.

Bosley also announced that CTC was rolling out new programming for 2009-10, including Second Mile, an incentives-based empowerment strategy. Students earn virtual "wages" by engaging in community service or attending workshops for life skills, job skills, money management, or computer literacy. Those virtual "wages" can then be spent on enrichment opportunities - such as snow trips and sporting events - or used to buy merchandise like laptop computers and video-gaming systems.

Teen Center Returns to its Grass Roots with Hiring of Don Bosley as Executive Director

Monday, August 3, 2009

West Sacramento native Don Bosley, who was part of the first early efforts to bring a teen center to the city more than a dozen years ago, came full circle in that passion this week when he was named the Collings Teen Center's new executive director.

Bosley replaces John Jordan, who stepped down as executive director in June. Bosley had worked as Jordan's director of community relations since last fall.

"Somehow it just seems fitting that Don be the guy who steps into this vacancy," said Gary Fox, executive director of Campus Life Connections, the non-profit that administers the teen center. "Don and his wife Melody were some of the people who first came to us many years ago and asked for help in putting a teen center in West Sacramento. They had a hand in building this ship, and now they'll be steering it."

A sports and feature writer for The Sacramento Bee for 22 years, Bosley has been involved in various facets of youth mentoring, empowerment and ministry since the mid-1990s. Fox also cited the Bosleys' deep connections in the community as a great benefit: Melody's father, Errol Summy, was a longtime educator in West Sacramento and the former principal of both Washington and River City high schools, and Don's father, Donald R. Bosley, is a recognized West Sacramento businessman and property owner.

"Because of the deep passion of people like John Jordan and (former executive director) Dave Dove, the Collings Teen Center is healthier and more relevant in the lives of West Sacramento teenagers than it has ever been," Bosley said. "Day by day, those guys have earned the center a great name in this city. They've set the table for us, and now we're going to invite more and more kids to that table."

The teen center will re-open for after-school drop-in on Aug. 26, the first day of school in the Washington Unified School District.

Teen Center Veteran John Jordan Steps Down as Executive Director

Friday, July 10, 2009

John Jordan, the West Sacramento native who became executive director of the Collings Teen Center last November, has stepped down from that post to pursue other interests. Jordan will continue in the job through July 31.

Jordan previously served as the teen center's Director of Operations for 18 months under former executive director Dave Dove, who held the center's top administrative post since before its opening in 2004. When Dove left the area last fall to work in other non-profit fields, Jordan took over for him.

"I really cherish the time I've had with some of these kids," Jordan said. "I identify with a lot of them, having grown up in tough circumstances myself. The work of the teen center has always been close to my heart, and will continue to be."

Among other accomplishments, Jordan was instrumental in establishing the teen center's Late Lunch on the House program, which provides a free, hot meal to any West Sacramento high-schooler every school-day afternoon. During the 2008-09 school year, Late Lunch served more than 14,000 free meals to hungry teenagers.

"You won't find a harder worker than John anywhere," said Gary Fox, executive director of Campus Life Connection, the non-profit organization that administrates the teen center. "His passion for the kids has always been evident - whether he was piling on another helping of chili cheese fries, or finding a way to finagle a new pair of shoes for one of them. He brought a unique and genuine energy to his work."

Fox said the teen center had commenced a search for a new executive director and would have that person in place well before the start of the 2009-10 school year on Aug. 26.

Sierra Health Foundation Gives Boost to Teen Center Programming

Thursday, June 11, 2009

The Collings Teen Center today announced that Sierra Health Foundation, a private philanthropy focusing on health and quality of life for Northern Californians, has awarded a $25,000 grant to support the teen center's programming for youth in West Sacramento.

The gift was Sierra Health's second significant commitment to the teen center in a matter of months. Earlier in 2009, the innovative regional grant-maker awarded $25,000 specifically to help underwrite CTC's Late Lunch On the House program, which provides a free, hot meal to local high-schoolers every schoolday afternoon. Late Lunch served more than 14,000 free meals during the 2008-09 academic year.

Sierra Health's most recent gift is designed to support the overall programming at the teen center. That programming includes academic, recreational, job-skills, leadership, and other empowerment programs throughout the school year.

"Sierra Health Foundation is proud to partner with the Collings Teen Center in support of the important work it does to improve health and well-being of young people in West Sacramento," said Chet Hewitt, the Foundation's president and CEO.

For John Jordan, the teen center's executive director, the latest Sierra Health grant is a welcome catalyst towards new programming for the 2009-10 school year.

"Times are tough for all nonprofits right now," Jordan said, "but the teen center has survived and thrived primarily because of the passion of genuine partners like Sierra Health. They just keep stepping up for us. And let me tell you: there won't be a dollar of that money wasted. We have a lot of kids to serve."

Low Student Interest Forces Cancellation of Grad Nite Event

Thursday, May 28, 2009

The Collings Teen Center has announced the cancellation of its annual "Grad Nite" event for graduation seniors of River City High School, owing to indications of low student interest. The teen center had staged the event for the five previous years, with help from the city and various corporate sponsors.

John Jordan, the center's executive director, said the difficult decision was reached after only six total tickets had been sold barely two weeks prior to the June 6 event. Tickets were $25 each, and full scholarships had been offered to those exhibiting hardship.

"It was a very difficult decision, because a safe and sober grad-night alternative is something we really believe in," said Jordan. "We had a great party all ready to go â€" food, volunteers, prizes, mechanical bulls, you name it. But it doesn't work without the kids, and we were looking at a very small crowd."

Some students put together a late petition asking to re-instate the event. But Jordan said the interest simply came too late to allow the center to re-engage its previous commitments with vendors.

AT&T Steps Up to Fight Teen Dropout Rate

Thursday, December 18, 2008

The Collings West Sacramento Teen Center today announced it has been awarded a $9,000 contribution from AT&T to support the Computers 4 Kids program at the Teen Center. The funds will be used to support programming to connect underprivileged West Sacramento families to the worldwide web.

The contribution's implications run deeper than just the provision of free computers and internet service. Participating families will also receive training on Home Link, a web-based strategy by the Washington Unified School District to increase the critical information flow between parents and schools. Officials on all sides believe that this increased parent connection can help stem the tide of high school dropouts.

"AT&T is doing its part to help address the issue of nearly one-third of U.S. high school students dropping out," said Tim Ray, Executive Director of External Affairs for AT&T California. "We are dedicated to helping our kids succeed in school, and helping students see the connection between education and their best future. One of the best places to foster this is in after-school programs and centers that have the technology they can use to help strengthen student success and workforce readiness."

Since September 2008, Computers 4 Kids (C4K) has placed more than 120 refurbished computers in the homes of underprivileged families in West Sacramento. WUSD identifies the families in its district that can most benefit from the gift of a refurbished computer, and the district will play a similar role in the new programming being sponsored by AT&T and the Collings Teen Center. The selected families of 8th and 9th graders will receive a fully refurbished computer system, a two-year internet connection, and all the training they need.

"We're doing all we can to try and keep kids in school - to be sure they graduate," said Lewis Bair, director of the C4K program. "With the help of the teen center, the school district, and now AT&T, we're in a great position to change some futures here. It's pretty exciting."

A Download of Empowerment

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

One grade-school girl excitedly showed her grandfather how she could control the cursor on the bright computer screen. Nearby, volunteers took another family on its maiden voyage into Windows XP. In every corner of the Collings Teen Center on December 9, similar scenes were repeated.

For the sixth time since September, the Computers 4 Kids program presented underprivileged West Sacramento families with gleaming, refurbished, fully-loaded personal computers. Some 27 families were the beneficiaries at the evening event, which was attended by local dignitaries and co-hosted by the West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce and the Collings Teen Center.

"This is why we do what we do," said C4K program director Lewis Bair. "To see these families walking out of here feeling excited and empowered â€" it's just tremendous."

As area businesses frequently update their state-of-the-art computer systems, C4K receives donations of the outdated hardware and refurbishes it for use within homes. High-school students are trained in job skills during the refurbishment, and Washington Unified identifies families in its district that could most benefit from the gift of a new computer. CALSTRS, First Northern Bank, and the California State Department of General Services were among the major sponsors on Dec. 9.

"Let me tell you, C4K is the kind of program that we're delighted to partner with," said John Jordan, executive director of the Collings Teen Center, which provides a home for the C4K program. "A lot of kids and families are impacted by what Lewis and his people do, and we're glad to be a part of it."

C4K was founded in 2004 by a collaborative of the West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, the Collings Teen Center, the Washington Unified School District, the Yolo County Office of Education, Sacramento City College, and local businesses.

For more information about C4K, contact the West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce at (916) 371-7042 or go to www.c4kca.org.