Nonprofit group’s goal to help area youth

Crystal Owens understands the need for a youth center all too well.

Owens moved to Spirit Lake when she was 12 and experienced firsthand the lack of youth recreational activities and services.

“When you live in Spirit Lake, you are too far from Priest River and Rathdrum to participate in recreational activities,” Owens says. “A youth center is desperately needed.”

The North Idaho College full-time student is also the program poordinator for Spirit Lake Youth Equipped for Success.

YES is a new nonprofit organization that has been created to offer assistance and support 12- to 17-year-olds in Spirit Lake and the surrounding areas.

Their goal is to provide healthy activities, including recreational programs, continued education, mentoring, tutoring and job skills development. The center will also make referrals for emergency assistance, counseling and other community services.

YES wants to eventually build a youth community center and is currently searching for local sponsorship and donations. Owens met YES Executive Director Shelley Tschida at New Life Missions, where Tschida served as youth group pastor. Owens’ mom had epilepsy and bronchial problems and died three years ago.

“Shelley was always there and became a mentor to me and a lot of other kids,” says Owens. “Everyone calls her mom.”

As a certified nursing assistant for the last five years, Owens worked with children who had autism and thought she wanted to become a nurse. She changed her mind after completing a 180-volunteer-hour community project at Children’s Village, which was required for her Human Services certificate.

“I realized that I wanted to work on the social work side, not the nursing side,” says Owens.

Her future plans include completing a bachelor’s degree in social work at Lewis-Clark College, and eventually a master’s degree.

For now the mother of two young boys wants to put her excess energy toward fundraising and grant writing – hoping to make her vision of a youth drop-in center a reality. So far, various fundraisers and a benefit dinner and auction have raised $11,000 since August.

Owens believes that youth crime happens when there are no recreational opportunities and other programs available.

“It is what happens when you are bored and have nothing worthwhile to do,” she says.

Parent Kay Lindsay says that after her divorce her son withdrew and that Owens and YES helped tremendously.

“I believe that YES can help other kids like it helped mine, but they need a facility,” says Lindsay. “Right now there is nothing for youth to do, and that is when they get in trouble.”

YES has a youth advisory board but is in the process of forming a board of community volunteer advisers that would mentor youth and staff the facility.

“We have had a lot of help already but need more community volunteers with a variety of backgrounds,” Owens says.

YES needs land or an existing building; in-kind services such as construction, electrical and plumbing; building materials; recreation equipment, such as a pool table, air hockey and video equipment; and computers and study materials.

“We want to connect with kids and the community and be a resource for whatever they might need,” says Owens.