H15 Needs

We are frequently asked what our needs are.
There are many ways people can help

Everyday Items

These are the items we use all the time.
Feel free to pick up anything on these three lists
anytime you like because we will always need these!

Food service & prep

  • Paper dinner plates
  • Paper desert plates
  • Paper bowls
  • Napkins
  • Plastic utensils
  • Cups (plastic and foam)
  • Roll paper towels
  • Parchment paper
  • Ziplock baggies (all sizes)

Janitorial

  • Facial tissues
  • Bathroom tissue
  • Tri-fold paper towels
  • Hand soap
  • 30 gallon trash bags
  • 13 gallon trash bags
  • Clorox wipes
  • The Works toilet bowl cleaner

Drinks & Snacks

  • Bottled water
  • Bottled water flavorings
  • Other drinks
  • Fruit
  • Veggies & dip
  • Baked goods
  • Chips
  • Pretty much any sort of snack item

Meals

Teens love to eat, we all know that. However, we have also seen that some of the teens we serve don’t always have decent meals available to them so our goal is to provide meals whenever we are able.

If you or your group would like to provide a meal for us it would be wonderful!

Here are the days we are open and details on what we would need:

Tuesday

This includes teens from 13-19 years old.

Attendance varies but typically we will have somewhere around 10 – 20 people.

We have three Tuesdays a month covered with meal committments.

 

Saturday

This evening is also open to teens 13-19 but is not as busy as Tuesdays. We typically see between 8 and 12 people.

We currently don’t have any commitments for Saturdays.

Thursday

This is for ages 16-19 only. We normally see 12-18 people.

We currently don’t have any commitments for Thursdays.

Games, Equipment, Program Supplies (The Fun Stuff!)

Over this past year since we opened the doors for the first time we have learned a lot about what the teens enjoy. We have slowly been trying to add more activities and supplies to allow us even more ways to connect and interact with the teens.

Here are some of those activities and how you can help:

The Game Room

At this point, the Teen Center is pretty much all “game room” until we are able to move ahead with the next Phase. Virtually all of our activity is focused in that one space.

However, the game room equipment specifically is a pretty important part of how we interact with the teens. We have all the normal big games and they all need various supplies to keep them usable. Inspite of a surprising desire in the teens to respect the equipment, things do get broken or lost.

Here are some of the things we need:

 

  • Cue sticks
  • Cue chalk
  • Billiards hand chalk
  • 3.25″ Air hockey pucks
  • Ping pong paddles
  • Sound system for background music and PA
  • 6′ Lifetime folding tables
  • Acoustic treatment panels (sound absorbers)

Miscellaneous Items

There are various events and programs that we do from time to time that we need supplies for. The teens also express an interest in other random things.

Here are some of those areas and what we need or would love to have:

Equipment for events and programs

We have been very blessed to have received a very nice sound system that we can use at the Center as well as for other events we might do!
We still need a couple more speakers for it and some wireless mics, especially lapel or jawbone style.

Other items the teens enjoy

  • Nerf guns and darts for Nerf war nights! (we get lots of exercise those nights!)
  • Legos
  • Music items (We don’t have room for a lot yet but we do have an electric piano and some very talented teens who would enjoy more.)
Board & Card Games

One area we have seen a surprising level of interest is with the traditional “sit around the table” games. We have found that a lot of the teens love to join in with a group and learn a new board game or play an old favorite!

We are always looking for more games to stock the shelves with so if you have some you would like to donate, just check with us to see if we have them already. Don’t worry about how old they are, some of the really old ones are the best!

Here are a few specific games that we would love to have that are more expensive or hard to find used. Some of them sound pretty crazy but are a blast to play!

 

  • Settlers of Catan
  • Ticket to Ride
  • Stone Age
  • Dutch Blitz (We wear them out!)
  • Magic: The Gathering (Cards & supplies)
  • Redemption (Cards & supplies)
  • Hi Jack (fairly old card game)
  • Raise The Roof (another old card game)
  • Uno Flip
Video Games

Of course our teens like video games! We have several systems at the moment and we are always looking for games, controllers, and extra pieces parts for them.

We would also love to have the older systems as well. “Retro Gaming” is very popular and teens love to experience the systems of the past so if you have some “outdated” video games lying around, feel free to send them our way. Even if they are broken, we will teach the teens to repair them.

One other dream is to have a couple pinball machines and classic arcade style games. Again, even if they don’t work, we will gladly take them!

Here are the systems we currently have:
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox 360
  • Wii
  • Original Nintendo
Here is a sample of what we look for all the time:
  • Games (of course)
  • Controllers
  • Cables & power supplies
  • Rechargeable batteries
Arts & Crafts

If you have been to H15 you were probably impressed by the design wall where the teens can paint a spot of their own. That has opened the door for a whole slew of artistic and creative talents to come out!

We try to keep a good stock of painting supplies around for anyone wanting to release their inner artist. We have also been blessed with some scrap-booking supplies and have seen some interest developing there as well.

We love to encourage the teens to be creative and are always looking for supplies to teach them something new. If you have anything you think we might be able to make use of, just check with us and we’ll see if we can. We always love new ideas!

Here are some specific items we are looking for:

 

  • Basic craft paint of all colors
  • Brushes (higher qulity is better)
  • Canvases (any shape or size)
  • Scrapbook stickers & Die cuts
  • Scrapbook tools
  • Double sided tape
  • Mod Podge and other adhesives
  • Empty scrapbooks
  • Scrapbook pages / protectors
  • Colored pencils/pens/markers
Model trains and slot cars

This has been a fun area to explore with the teens! Before we opened we had a batch of N scale model train stuff and a couple slot car sets donated! We decided to see how much interest the teens had and were surprised by how much they enjoyed them.

Now, if you know anything about model trains you know that a good layout is never done so we are always looking for supplies to continue working on it. We are working with N scale at the moment but are planning a room in a future Phase for a permenant HO scale layout!

The slot cars have been a blast but unfortuanately, they aren’t the most durable of toys. The cars wear out and need repaired quite often.

If you have any of this sort of thing collecting dust somewhere, feel free to send it out way! Here are some specific items we cn use:

 

Trains:
  • Remote switch tracks
  • Engines
  • Landscape supplies
  • Buildings
Slot Cars: (we have HO scale)
  • Cars!
  • Repair parts
  • Track (we have Tyco and Life-Like)
Electronics, Robotics, & Remote Control

A more recent addition to our activities is geared more towards the older more responsible teens. It started with remote control cars and that has continued to be a lot of fun. However, we would like to start working in robotics and learning how to build things like that from scratch. Learning basic electronics goes hand in hand with this and so we have collected a lot of pretty random pieces parts to start experimenting with.

There are a ton of items that we might be able to make use of as we get more and more creative. There is a lot of storage space here in this building so we can label and store boxes to pull out as we need them!

This is exciting stuff for some of these guys and we want to keep those creative juices flowing! Pretty much anything would be of interest but here are some specifics:

 

 

  • RC vehicles of all sorts (even broken ones we can use for parts)
  • RC radios, servos, repair parts
  • Robotic kits or loose parts
  • Electronic tools & equipment
  • Electronic components (capacitors, transistors, etc.)
  • Electronic project enclosures
  • Books, Plans, Schematics, etc.

Ongoing Renovation

If you have had a tour of our building you already know that there is a ton of space to expand into but it all needs extensive renovation to make it usable. We are eager to see more areas open up for the teens and they are excited about the plans we have shared with them!

There are several areas we are needing to work on:

Phase One

While we have completed the bulk of the renovations for Phase One and passed our final inspections there are a few things we would still like to do. These are the projects that weren’t required to get open but need to be done eventually.

Brick re-pointing and repair in the courtyard

Over the summer of 2019 we were blessed with our beautiful courtyard in the back by the alley. It has been a wonderful place for the teens to hang out and play more active games.

The only thing remaining to have that area taken care of is to repair the exterior of the buildings that surround it. This will require re-pointing all of the mortar joints and replacing a few damaged areas of brick. We don’t have a definite estimate on the project but it will very likely be several thousand dollars.

Phase Two

We are very anxious to get going on the renovation of Phase Two. This Phase will include more activity space but will also have a Home Economics Kitchen, a Cafe, and upstairs will be what we hope to make into a short term emergency shelter for the juvenile court.

Below you will find specific information but if you would like a printable flyer you can Click Here

Plans and permits

We need a complete set of approved prints for Phase Two and will then need to take those to the building department and purchase the permits to allow us to start the work. We are estimating about $5,000 for all of that

New roof

Before any other sort of renovation can be started the entire building needs a new roof. This will include tearing of and re-framing the entire second story section of the roof and doing fairly extensive repairs to the one story section. The estimate to complete that part of the project is about $40,000

The interior

From that point we will be able to start working inside. This Phase will require us to replace the elctric service for all of our buildings as well as updating everything. There is currently no plumbing or heating in that building and due to the leaks in the roof there will need to be extensive repair done to sub-floors and framing. basically, God has provided us with a blank slate that we will be able to turn into whatever we like!

The Workshop

We have been very blessed over the past several years to have been able to borrow tools and equipment to use as we renovate. However, we would really like to be equipping our own shop so that as we move forward the tools are there all the time ready to be used.

We are also intending to have a woodshop to use with the teens and since we already have need of the tools we would like to be able to start letting the more responsible teens use the shop. (with supervision of course!)

There have been a few things donated already and a few we have purchased. Here is what we currently have:

  • Table saw
  • Basic router and table
  • Drill press
  • Shop vac
  • Drills (corded & cordless)
  • Very old air compressor
  • Circular saw
  • A few extension cords
  • Small assortment of basic hand tools

Eventually we would like to have a well equipped shop so any sort of tool, no matter how specialized, would be welcome!

Financial

As you can see from the other sections, there are a lot of specific items that can be donated. However, financial support is crucial for our continued operation.

Here is information on the strictly financial needs we have. If you feel God leading you to help us in these areas, please contact us!

Committed Monthly Support

We have all the normal monthly bills to pay that any other business has. We have utilities, insurance, staffing, and a lease to pay. At the moment we don’t have enough monthly commitments to cover all of those bills. God has been providing other gifts that take care of the difference but having enough faithful monthly support would allow us to use the other gifts to move forward more quickly with renovations or to fund more programs.

Our director works full time in the ministry but we are only able to pay him a small amount. Our desire would be to get to the place where we can pay him a living wage and in time be able to have other staff allowing us to serve the teens even more consistently.

Purchase of our buildings

As you saw up above, we have a lease payment to make. Our ultimate goal is to purchase our buildings outright. With that in mind, we negotiated the price way back before we ever started working and have a purchase contract with the owners that is locked in as long as we keep the lease paid up to date.

That purchase price is for $180,000.

According to the terms of our lease and purchase agreement, we can do any renovations we like at our own expense and the purchase price can not be increased. The owners are very supportive of the ministry and have patiently allowed us as much time as we need to be able to complete the purchase. However, their desire when we first looked at the buildings was to sell them and not have to be landlords so we are eager to be able to do that for them as well as for ourselves!

Besides the obvious benefit of owning the buildings outright, we would also be able to get the property taxes exempted, saving even more money.