CIRCLEVILLE – For years residents have complained about, “nothing for the kids to do in Circleville.” Foundations 4 Youth is located at 457 East Ohio Street in Circleville. Open 3-9 on Tuesdays currently, with plans to open more days. Food is offered free every Tuesday along with games,movies, sports, and art. On March 3, 2018 Foundations 4 Youth was opened for the first time.
CIRCLEVILLE POLICE, PICKAWAY COUNTY RECOVERY SERVICES AND CIRCLEVILLE CITY SCHOOLS OPEN FIRST OF ITS KIND, YOUTH DROP-IN CENTER.
As children of our community look for positive after school activities, Circleville responds with the opening of an after-school youth drop-in center.
Circleville is looking for ways to create spaces where youth can feel safe, meet their basic needs, and have fun. In recent years the community has lost many major recreation outlets, including a fire that destroyed the city’s roller rink and bowling alley which was a popular place for children to hang out.
Thanks to start-up support contributed by Pickaway Area Recovery Services (PARS) and partnerships with the Circleville Police Department, Circleville City Schools and the faith-based community, were able to secure a location for the drop-in center set to open April 3, 2018. The center will boost games, television, activities, food, and hygiene items. The center’s estimated $150,000 annual operating budget will rely on volunteers, food, and monetary donations.
“Resiliency and a sense of community are crucial to the prevention of all adverse behaviors, including substance use. Foundations4youth provides crucial foundations for prevention and resilience, this coupled with Circleville’s strong community and great passion for families will surely secure the drop-in center’s success, ” Tia Moretti, Director of Statewide Substance Use & Social Services, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.”
“We had about 150-200 young people in attendance”, said Mayor Don McIlroy. “We are striving to have young people interface with the community and with the police department. This was a grant that came through the Attorney Generals Office. The Attorney General thinks this is the only program of its kind in the United States. That’s why this was a pretty big deal to get this open today. This is a place for young people to come and relax, they can have sports, they can read, and they have councilors there if they need that also. Having interactions with our police department is a plus also. This center is extremely exciting for this community and its something that is needed in this community for many many years. We have heard what are we doing for our youth, well here is an opportunity for that to happen. So we are very very excited to have this open and serving the community.”
The center is currently holding a naming contest and youth from the entire Pickaway County region are invited to participate.
