Cultivating character, citizenship, and the life of Christ.
Abbeville county, home of Abbeville Youth Center with a population of 24,000, is nestled in the upstate of South Carolina. While surrounded by the natural beauty of nearby lakes, the Saluda River, and rolling pasture land, resources for kids after school aside from sports are hard to find.
About ten years ago, a group of community members with big dreams met to discuss the possibility of creating a safe place for kids after school. A place where they could find encouragement, help with homework, a warm meal, and most of all, HOPE. They weren’t looking to create a charity, but a place where the whole community could give and receive, a place the whole community could invest in the generation of the future.
Since opening in 2014, hundreds of young people have walked through the doors of Abbeville Youth Center. Formerly the local library, this stately building rises near the center of town on Main Street, welcoming middle schoolers and high schoolers 4 days each week with two days for each age group. Abbeville Youth Center has been a safe place for kids for thousands of hours each year. Many of the staff are volunteers with several members of the community on staff providing coordination and leadership.
Molding the next generation.
Each day at the Abbeville Youth Center, students have the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of activities. Playstation, Xbox, pool, air hockey, foosball, card games, board games, football, basketball, and four square are always available, as well as organized group activities.
Kids who wish to participate in the mentoring program are paired with a mentor they can meet with regularly. Tutoring programs are designed to help the kids thrive in the classroom and beyond as they face life after graduation.
The Post Graduate Readiness Program is designed to walk with each student through high school and help them determine what they would like to do after graduation, helping them take the important steps to get there.
“The Youth Center has taught me that it is ok to stand out and help others as a leader in the community”
Life Skills classes develop needed skills to live as productive citizens once they leave their homes. Kids are taught financial literacy, basic home and car maintenance, cooking, and more. Missions and Outreach– People giving back to the community is what makes small-town life so special and the youth center wants to instill that into the hearts of the students. Throughout the year, they participate in local mission projects providing opportunities to give back to the community they love.
“The Youth Center gave me a home I had never experienced before. It was a place of friends, family, and growth. Everyone and everything I encountered there enhanced my life for the better.”
If you would like to partner with Stoll Cares and the Abbeville Youth Center, enriching the lives of teens in rural South Carolina, check out the Donate Now button below for more information.
Graduates of the youth center have successfully joined the military, enlisted in various colleges, joined the workforce, and become successful partners and parents. Nothing compares to knowing you matter in the community you call home.
Stoll Industries partners with mission organizations across the world to serve those who are underprivileged and disadvantaged. Stoll Cares is our response to Christ’s calling to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Stoll gives. Stoll loves. Stoll cares.