PRINCETON, Ill. — Second Story Teen Center in Bureau County, Illinois, needs community donations to finish building its brand new facility in Princeton.
The volunteer-led nonprofit runs a free teen center for students in sixth through 12th grades throughout the county. About 8,000 kids utilize the center's resources and after school programs each year.
The need has grown so large, the center is in the middle of building a new, larger building to house its programs.
"About a fourth of the building will be used for a kitchen, restrooms and upstairs classrooms. The rest of it will have a great hall, and then part of that will be a basketball, four square area where the kids can [play] sports," Second Story building committee chair Julie Grady said.
In total, the project is expected to cost around $600,000. Second Story has relied entirely on community donations to fund the expansion. Since October 2023, the nonprofit has raised $420,000.
To contribute to the project, you can call 815-303-4111 or visit the nonprofit's website. You may also donate online here, or mail checks and contributions to 1033 1/2 N. Main St. in Princeton. Checks should be made payable to Second Story Teen Center.
Second Story was founded in 2009 by Jeff & Dana VanAutreve after they found the local youth suicide rate in Bureau County was "tremendously high."
"We didn't have a place for [teens] that was safe to keep them off the streets and give them alternatives," Grady said.
Now, on any given Friday, you can find upwards of 100 teens at the center.
"Bureau County youth needed a place to come for safety and companionship and education, and so our mission is to provide those youth with a sense of purpose and acceptance by providing them with that inclusive social atmosphere," Grady said.
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