The Kingswood Youth Center has helped many teens with their life choices.  The staff and volunteers serve as supportive adult role models to the youth helping them with employment opportunities, college interviews and community services.  Many see the KYC as their extended home and have shared with us all the ways they have benefited by being members.  Listed below are just a few examples of some of the members’ stories.

“I have been attending KYC since the 7th grade….The youth center has been a place of refuge, leisure and recreation for me since then…It has helped me grow a lot….I am now a state officer in the FFA, on the local fire department, and a mentor at KYC.  The Kingswood Youth Center has been a fundamental part of my life!” 

M.S. age 17

M.S. is now graduating high school and will be attending a technical school in the fall.  He has succeeded in high school, volunteered many hours in his community and served as a Mentor at KYC for 4 years.  His family life continues to be challenging, but he has risen above the odds and we know will be a success. 

J.V., age 17, came to KYC when he was 12.  He has had a difficult childhood, moving often and living with different relatives.  His family is financially challenged and applying to colleges was presenting a huge hurdle.  The staff at KYC brought a technical college representative to interview him at the center, paid for the application fee and supported him throughout the process.  He is now accepted to the school and is currently the only member of his family to take education beyond a high school level.

A.C., age 18, came to KYC in her early high school years.  She had been in foster care since the age of 6, unadoptable and living in many different homes.  KYC worked with Casey Family Services to help her transition into a permanent home where she has recently been adopted.  She is substance free, happy and headed for college.

C.S. was one of the first members of KYC when it opened in 1999.  She participated in the Wilderness Within program and learned the art of Reiki.  She is currently attending Naropa College in Colorado, and has recently returned from a semester in India.  KYC was instrumental in helping her with her college and scholarship applications, and giving her the confidence she needed to apply.  She recently stopped by to say “Thanks”. 

T.D., age 19, was a member of KYC for three years.  We have watched her blossom from a very angry teen into a responsible young woman.  She often used drugs and alcohol to escape her life and quickly became a young mother.  She credits KYC as the only stable thing that she had in her life during her school years.  She now resides in Florida and still keeps in touch.  She is pursuing a career as a drug and alcohol counselor and raising her baby girl.