Galt Teen Center touted as a growing success
In the two years since it officially opened its doors to local youth, the Galt Teen Center has exceeded the community’s expectations, as well as those of its founders and board members.
“When it first opened, we were just hoping we’d help a handful of teens,” president Annette Kunze told the Galt City Council at its Jan. 17 meeting.
“But we’ve far-exceeded those numbers, and we now have 20 to 40 teens come in on a daily basis when we’re open,” she said.
The idea to open a teen center began nearly five years ago, when a parent asked the community through social media if the city could use one.
Many members of the community responded to the post, a meeting was held, and in April of 2019, the Galt Teen Center was formed.
But it wasn’t until August of 2021 that the group could celebrate the grand opening of its permanent home, located at 500 C St.
Since its official opening, Kunze said, the center has connected with more than 375 Galt teens.
“Some teens have been with us since we opened our doors,” she said. “And some come and sit outside on a bench and wait for hours for us to open.”
Since its opening, the teen center has become more than just a place to go after school, Kunze said.
The teens created a monthly “After Hours by the Tower” event on Fridays, in which the center is open until 9 p.m., a good three hours past its regular schedule.
During the event, teens are treated to dinner and can participate in a variety of activities. Kunze said the event has attracted more than 40 teens each month, and is now expanding to two Fridays a month.
“It’s become a very nice community, with some very tight bonds being formed,” she said. “Some of the teens have used their ‘out’ privileges to walk another teen home, and some taught another one to play pool so he could participate in an upcoming tournament.”
The center has also helped local civic groups at a variety of special events, such as the Galt Historical Society’s Birthday Celebration and Kite Day.
It has also partnered with
the Galt Community Lions Club, volunteering at the Independence Day celebration pancake breakfast.
Kunze said the center will soon be helping the St. Martin Foundation at one of its upcoming events as well.
The teen center has some its own events planned as well, including a Roaring ‘20s fundraiser at Brewster’s Pub on March 25. The teens have also formed a book club and a musical activity group, she said. Kunze is also hoping the city, or someone in the community at large can help the center expand its services so teens from throughout Galt can utilize the facility.
“We’re due to get a grant for a vehicle, but it’s not quite enough to purchase a vehicle,” she said. “We want to be able to transport teens from the other side of town, who go to Liberty or Estrellita, so they can come to the teen center too.”
Kunze said the center would also like to take the teens on field trips in the future, as well. Council members had nothing but praise for the center, and said they looked forward to seeing what kinds of events and programs might be created in the future.
“It’s easy to come up with a vision and say ‘we have this grandiose idea of what we’re going to do,’” councilman Shaun Farmer said. “But the ability of seeing it through, getting it off the ground... sometimes those dreams can be hard, so thank you for your persistence and commitment to that for the community.”
Mayor Jay Vanderburg said it was great to see the teen center turn into a great success in a short amount of time.
“In this world of digital divide, this is really nice to see something, a bridge if you will, where people can come together,” he said. “As much as (the teens) do appreciate it now, I don’t think they’ll realize how beneficial it is to them and their lives for maybe another 10 or 15 years to come.”
For more information about the teen center, visit www.galtteencenter.org or www. facebook.com/galtteencenter.