Green River Lights on at Pirates Den

By PATSY STODDARD Editor

The Green River Pirates Den kicks off their year with a Lights On event. The teen and community center participants met together to play basketball, video games, foosball, pool and much more. Refreshments were also brought by local residents. One of the highlights of the events was the lighting of the Chinese lanterns. Windy conditions made this event a little tricky. The fire department was on hand to keep everything safe for the event.
The Pirates Den is a teen center which offers much for the Green River community.
The Pirates Den has come a long way since it first opened in August of 2013.
They were able to purchase a van to transport participants to and from programs, activities and events facilitated by the Green River CHEER Coalition/Pirate’s Den Teen Center, including out of town sports events that some are otherwise unable to attend.
The center has hosted a Life Skills Class.
The Teen Center is a safe and fun place to hang out, get help with homework, plan your future and enjoy all kinds of other fun and educational activities.
The center was made possible with many generous donations and volunteer labor.
Kathy Brady is the organizer for the teen center. They have an afterschool program Monday through Thursdays from 3-5 p.m.
They offer a TnT program which is teens and teachers. Teachers will volunteer their time to help youth with their homework from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday. This is held later in the day to accommodate anyone with practice after school for sports.
The Teen Center features computers for homework and research and a ping pong table, foosball table, air hockey, darts and a Playstation for video games which are appropriate for all ages.
Brady invites junior high and high school age children to come to the center. “The afterschool program is great. We have civic projects, educational and homework programs. The kids learn how to cook and we also have physical exercise and activities. We will let the kids have a lot of say in the activities we do. That way it will be things they want to do.
“We are here for the youth. We are creating a safe place without alcohol and drugs. We hope kids will take advantage of it. We are open Monday-Thursday from 3-5 p.m. and stay open until 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday. Arrangements can also be made for parties and to be open for activities on the weekends. We have great volunteers. There will be two adults here at all time and adequate supervision. The kids can play games, watch movies, do homework, do research and just relax.
The teen center is a work in progress and new things are being added all the time. The basketball court outside the center has become a great spot for a pick-up game of basketball with friends.
The teen center has been involved in several projects where they have made inflatable architecture, a newspaper, archery instruction, ultimate frisbee, weight training, bochee ball and duck calls. and other projects. They have made woodworking projects and shared them with others. They also participate in community projects where they have helped to clean-up the community.