CIRCLEVILLE – “Nothing for kids to do in Circleville” may be a saying of the past with a new center focused on fun and entertainment for kids. Located on the PICCA grounds at 469 East Ohio Street its an ideal location for youth in the city. (Actual address is 457, but the building is just adjacent to PICCA). How will kids get to the youth center if it’s not within walking distance? Transportation will be provided for kids on this route below.
“This past fall, leaders from the Pickaway County Area Recovery Services (PARS), Circleville City Schools and the Circleville Police Department have held discussions on how to create more opportunity to impact the lives of Circleville youth,” said Circleville Chief of Police Shawn Baer.
“Our discussions identified obstacles, a wealth of available resources and positive opportunities unique to our city. At the conclusion of our discussion we determined that our goals were actionable and simple. We needed to find tangible ways that the youth would be motivated to immediately spend time with law enforcement, PARS staff, school staff, and faith based community volunteers so that we could mentor them, provide character building opportunities, and plug them into all the resources available to them in our community.”
Superintendent of Circleville City Schools, Jonathan Davis, said, “The youth are the greatest asset in our community and we greatly appreciate the hard work put in by the Circleville Police Department and Pickaway Area Recovery Services to open a positive center for youth development.”
Barry Bennett, Executive Director of Pickaway Area Recovery Services (PARS), said “We know that there is a need for our community to provide quality activities for children. Our goal is to work with activities and groups already in place and to support them by providing a connection between them and Foundations4Youth. We have seen strong community support since we started working on this last year and it is obvious that the center is needed and will have substantial local support. I also serve as the Chaplain of the Circleville Police Department and through this relationship PARS has provided services that previously were not available to the Police Department. Through partnerships we can accomplish great things and that is a core value that will make Foundations4Youth successful.”
During my tour today I saw 7 mounted flat screen TVs, multiple new gaming systems, and tables used for crafts. Circleville Police Department David McIntyre said,”They plan to have big events for football games, craft item area, and gaming contests just to name a few.” Comfortable lazy boy seating was also donated towards the cause. During my tour I caught Officer McIntyre and Officer Hafey putting a pool table together with some local kids.
Foundations 4 Youth drop-in welcomes all school-aged youth to join us for the grand opening on Tuesday, April 3 from 3p-9p at 457 E. Ohio St. Transportation will be provided at designated pick-up and drop off locations listed below.
Pizza will be provided by Fat Daddy’s.
A naming contest is taking place, and all Pickaway County youth are invited to participate.
The youth center will operate every Tuesday evening.
Mound St & John St @ 3:05
Big Lots @ 3:10
YMCA @ 3:15
Emmanuel United Methodist Church @ 3:20
Pickaway Co. Library @ 3:25
Elsea’s Office @ 3:30
Ted Lewis Park Shelter house @ 3:35
Old Movie Theatre (Pinckney St) @ 3:40
Circleville Police Department @ 3:45
Mill Street Gym @ 3:50
S. Court Street Twin Oaks Entrance @ 3:55
Transportation routes will be every other hour at 3pm, 5pm, 7pm, with one way drop off route beginning at 8p.
“Local collaboration and involvement has led to the creation of the Foundations4Youth Center located at 457 E. Ohio St, and will be open Tuesday’s from 3-9 p.m. As additional funds and volunteers become available, the Center will be open on additional days. It will be staffed by Circleville Police, PARS, Circleville Schools, Faith Based Community, and volunteers who have been trained and had background checks. School age children 5-19 years of age are welcome to attend the center where tutoring, homework assistance, snacks, TV, gaming, Wi-Fi, and phone charging stations will be provided. Our intention is to add job skill development and scheduled crafts in the coming summer months.”
