ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - The Elk Grove Teen Center USA has been a safe place for 13- to 18-year-olds to hang out after school. 

Located within walking distance of Joseph Kerr Middle School and Elk Grove High School, the space has become a hive for young Elk Grove students to hang out, relax and meet other likeminded youngsters. On a good day, there may be upwards of 75 teenagers checked in at the front desk by one of the three employees.

The center has plenty to do for local teenagers.

In “The Cave” there are video games, computers, and televisions, while in another room, a craft table is set up for kids to get a little creative. A pool table and a foosball machine are available, and a small room holds musical instruments to play. There’s room around the building to play football or basketball.

At the “Snack Shack,” each student can pick two snacks for free. Any additional treats are available at a nominal cost. In clear weather, students can eat outside on the picnic table. On Wednesdays, from 7 to 9 a.m., when the schools start late, teenagers can swing by for a donut and hot chocolate or pancakes. They also hold pizza parties, dubbed Kickback Fridays, where students can grab a few slices from 7 to 9 p.m. 

All are welcome so long as the rules that are posted around the center are followed. The staff members and volunteers keep an eye on students and activities so parents can be assured that their children are secure. 

“Though we try to have a variety of fun activities, one of the best benefits of kids coming here is someone to pay attention to them and listen to their concerns,” Amy Souza, the new executive director of the Teen Center, said. “Some are foster children, living in one-parent families, or are latchkey kids.”

Isaiah Gary, who attended the center from 2013 as a freshman until 2017, when he graduated from high school, agreed.

“Now that I work here at the center, I try to find out how the kids are feeling emotionally,” Gary said. “Often, they will say they are fine when I can see they aren’t. I asked one girl to draw how she felt by using emojis. She drew an angry face and a sad one. When I asked why she felt that way, she said she hadn’t made the basketball team because of her grades. I offered to help her with her schoolwork and told her next year I would come to one of her games.”

Gary also shared his own experience in getting help from Dennis, a man who worked there previously. 

“Dennis just talked to me while we played pool,” Gary said. “He inspired me to do better. Now, I want to be a role model for my six-year-old son and the kids who come here.” 

One wall in the center is decorated with handprints of the graduating seniors who passed through the center.  

A nonprofit organization, the center’s activities are funded by grants or fundraisers. Each year they sell fireworks at a TNT booth for Independence Day at a booth near Safeway at Elk Grove-Florin Road and Calvine Road. Other fundraising projects are in the works.

Anyone can help support the center by donating from the Teen Center’s Amazon wish list or make donations. Links to donate or send gifts can be found at teencenterusa.com.