The Benicia Teen Center, seen here in late 2015, had its grand opening last year in a building behind Gateway Church. At the end of the 2016-2017 school year, the center will have to find a new space to operate out of. (Jerry Pollard/File photo)

For the Benicia Teen Center, 2017 has already been a year of tremendous growth. The center opened its doors last year, after the tragic loss of 16-year-old Kyle Hyland in 2014, with one mission in mind: creating a safe environment for kids to hang out, express themselves and thrive. In a small suburbia like Benicia, where a lack of local recreation can drive kids to seek out more dangerous forms of entertainment, the importance of a youth center cannot be understated. The Teen Center filled a hole in the community, and both teens and parents were quick to notice.
The Teen Center is run by the Kyle Hyland Foundation (KHF), and what the new nonprofit lacks in experience, it makes up for with the devotion of its members and volunteers. It is their commitment to the Center, and the positive message it promotes, that has allowed the Teen Center to succeed where previous projects have failed. The Center has only just celebrated its one year anniversary, but what is has accomplished in such a short span of time is undeniably impressive.
While numbers alone don’t fully capture the success of the Teen Center, they certainly provide convincing evidence of its growth. According to program director Lynn Hoyle, the Center sees an average of 30 to 50 teens a week. This is a huge increase compared to the amount of visits in its first few months, and the climb in numbers shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. Several teens have even become regulars, coming to the Center every day to grab a snack, do homework, play games, and catch up with their friends.
The Teen Center’s growth is due in part to its increased efforts to partner with other clubs, organizations, and programs in the community. Benicia’s small population means that word of mouth reigns supreme, and the Center has adjusted its strategy accordingly. The Teen Center is actively working with various school clubs to host teen forums, a recent addition to the services it provides. It has collaborated with the suicide prevention program, Sources of Strength, and has plans to expand its partnerships to city organizations, like the Benicia Youth Commission.
While the Center continues to make notable progress, like any organization, the Kyle Hyland Foundation does have to overcome certain obstacles. At the start of the new year, the Foundation was hit with the hard news that it would be losing its space. The Teen Center had been sharing a facility with the Gateway Church, an ideal location due its proximity to both the middle school and the high school, but the church has decided to go in a different direction. This means that the Center will be losing its space at the end of the school year.
Losing the location of the Teen Center is a definite blow, but if anyone knows how to make the most from a tough situation, its KHF president Barbara Gervase. Gervase, who created the Foundation and Teen Center from scratch, is not one to give up so easily. She recognizes that, with all its growth, the Center was quickly outgrowing its space. Losing the facility allows the Foundation to actively look for a bigger and better space, one that will provide the opportunity for the Center to further expand its services to Benicia’s youth.
For many of the teens that visit the Center, it has truly fulfilled the prophecy of its slogan as their “home away from home.” It is a constant in the turbulence of the adolescent life. The Center provides a unique sense of comfort and support, a privilege for many kids whose alternatives are going home to an empty house or to an unsafe environment. Losing the Teen Center would be a devastating blow, not just to the Foundation, but to the teens that have found a home there, to the parents that have found a safe place for their children, and to the community as a whole.
The Teen Center will provide its services throughout the end of the school year, while concurrently continuing its search for an alternative space. The Foundation has already scouted out some possibilities, but it is keeping its options open. The Kyle Hyland Foundation hopes to secure a new location as soon as possible to minimize its potential impact to the youth of Benicia. If you or anyone you know has any information regarding a possible location, feel free to contact the Foundation at kylehylandfoundation@gmail.com.

Jasmine Weis is a senior at Benicia High School.

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