Volunteers Prepare for Dixon Teen Center Grand Opening

As the date for the opening of Dixon’s Teen Center approaches - slated for Saturday, Jan. 22 - more and more volunteers have stepped forward and are being trained at the Methodist Church. The Teen Center has been gathering momentum since an initial meeting in March, 2010.

Last Saturday, in spite of competition from NFL playoff games, 14 volunteers spent most of the day filling out forms required by the city, being briefed by City of Dixon Human Resources Tech Kim Stalie and Dixon United Methodist Church Pastor Cathy Morris, and receiving CPR training.

One reason the forms were needed is that the volunteers will be covered by city insurance. Also, volunteers will be screened by the police department at their own expense, and will need to have current tuberculosis vaccinations.

Stalie and Pastor Morris covered appropriate behavior toward teens by the volunteers; reporting incidents, abuse and accidents; and various city policies as they apply to volunteers.

Morris explained how the Teen Center will be able to use a portion of the old Dixon High School rent-free thanks to the school district. Initially, the center will be considered an after-school program.  

Last year, to get ideas for the center, some early participants in the project visited a teen center in West Sacramento to learn from its experience.

Use of the teen center will be limited to Dixon students attending grades seven through 12, and they will need to display student identification cards.

A number of computers will be obtained this week for use by teens at the center, along with two pool tables, two ping pong tables, a foosball table, and Xbox and other computer games. Also, two big-screen TVs will be available.

Some of the volunteers have children of school age who would potentially use the center. Some expressed relief that there would be a designated place for meeting and activities.

Morris said “Our goal is to have between 60 and 80 volunteers for a fully-staffed Teen Center. (As of Saturday) we’ve trained 23, and we have another 15 filling out applications. They will be trained in February.”

She also said that no staffers would be paid at this time, and that volunteers would probably be divided into teams of between six and eight members each. Also, the need to apply for grant money was emphasized. Currently the Teen Center operates under the non-profit umbrella of Dixon Family Services.

After the briefing and discussion, Saturday’s volunteers received CPR training covering emergency medical situations with adults, children and infants. Dummies were used to simulate chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Pastor Morris said the training "has gone remarkably well. People with little advance notice made a commitment to come to day-long training.”

Asked how ready the Teen Center was for its startup, Morris said “There’s still a lot that we’re pulling together. Our goal initially is to be open Friday and Saturday evenings and we’ll be ready for that.”

Several Teen Center fundraisers have already been held, but perhaps the most popular one to date will inaugurate the center on Saturday, Jan. 22. Between 5-7:30 p.m., a spaghetti dinner at the Teen Center, located at 455 East A St., will be offered with food, deserts and a raffle. The cost will be $8 for adults and five $5 for kids, and tickets can be purchased at the door. Afterwards, a Teen Bash with four bands will be held until 11 p.m. For more information call (707) 678-2191.

To volunteer, contact Pastor Cathy Morris at 678-2191 or the police department at 678-7070.