Teen Center Offers a Home Away from Home on Friday Nights

It’s a place to call their own.

The Washington Township Teen Center on West Mill Road is offering a healthy and safe environment for area teens to socialize, play and listen to music, enjoy games, movies and just hang out.

Launched more than a decade ago, the Teen Center, formerly known as the "Fuzzbox," went through a major renovation sponsored by Long Valley Arts which contributed $75,000 toward the transformation.

The local Girl Scout Troop also helped with painting and decorating, according to Linda Guldner, Co-Chair of the Teen Center.

Guldner said teens who have not seen the center since the renovation are happily surprised by the beautiful new 1,700 square foot space that is comfortable and inviting.

“The teen center has a flat screen television, play station, a pool table, and instruments for a garage band and the teens can enjoy the entire facility,” said Guldner.

Currently the center is open on Friday nights from 7 to 11 p.m. and depending on the weather, time of year, and other events offered by the schools, 8 to 30 teens participate.  

The value of the center is that it provides an enjoyable drug free, alcohol-free and violence-free environment for Washington Township teens, said Guldner.

Other events and workshops include photography classes–two are scheduled for March and May–and a garage band class which the teens really enjoyed, said Guldner.

“We're always looking for parents who can serve as chaperones and we would love for people in the community to run workshops and classes for the teens,” said Guldner.

Guldner joined as Co-Chair six years ago, but she said that Kim Kaiser, Co-Chair, and husband Eric Kaiser, have played a vital role in the teen center since the beginning. 

"Eric Kaiser serves as a chaperone and Kim has been a driving force behind the center,” said Guldner.  

She said, “If it weren’t for the commitment of the Kaisers, the center wouldn’t even exist.”

Guldner said most of the teens coming to the center now are in the and it is required that they are signed in and out by a parent.

She said she is hoping that attendance at the center will grow because it has a lot to offer teens in the area, but in order for it to grow, they will need more volunteers. 

Guldner said, “We hope that more and more teens will take advantage of this incredible center. It’s a place for teens to just be themselves and hang out with their buddies in a safe and positive environment.”

For more information about serving as a chaperone or holding workshops for the teens, contact Linda Guldner at 908-979-1480.