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Group Raising Funds To Establish Social Center For Teens

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By JULIA FERRANTE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 12, 2008

DADE CITY - Margarita Romo hasn't given up on her dream of making Tommytown's Lock Street live up to its other name: Calle de Milagros, or Miracle Street.

The executive director of Farmworkers Self-Help has her sights on a new project she thinks will fit in with her vision of keeping teenagers in this largely migrant community off the streets and away from drugs and alcohol while providing them a sense of belonging.
Romo and her organization hope to purchase a longtime pool hall at 37105 Lock St., across from a community park, and convert it to a teen center. She has chosen a name for the center - My Other House - and envisions a place where teens can share a hot meal, tackle homework, watch a movie or dance.

The organization has a plan, a willing seller and two potential donors. It needs another $41,000.

"I want this to be a healthy, safe place where no alcohol and drugs are allowed," Romo said Friday. "There is no place like that here. We have churches, but there's no place in between."

Tommytown, roughly bounded by Long Avenue to the north, Valera Street to the south, and 14th and 21st streets to the west and east, is comprised primarily of Hispanic residents, many of whom are migrant workers. The average yearly earnings for families is $7,500, according to Romo's proposal for the center.
School dropout rates are high, mostly because youngsters think their only option is to work in the fields, Romo said. Drug and alcohol abuse and gangs are common. Many families are undocumented and do not qualify for government services, such as food stamps. Many children have little adult supervision and often go without hot meals.

Dade City has a Boys and Girls Club and other organizations for younger children, but Romo said she thinks having a place for older children, in the heart of Tommytown, will make a difference. County officials have targeted the community, Pasco's most blighted, for revitalization, with a paving and water and sewer service project.

About 25 youngsters now play soccer and other games and share dinner in the public park Mondays and Wednesdays. Romo hopes the teen center will help more children. The building could be used for meals, movies, and table tennis in the late afternoon and evening.

Jose Gomez, the owner of the pool hall, has offered to sell the property to Farmworkers Self-Help for $70,000, Romo said. Gomez paid $80,000 for the business. It is appraised at $60,000 and has been on the market for several months. He could not be reached for comment Friday.

Wachovia Bank has pledged $24,000 to the project, provided Farmworkers Self-Help can get the rest of the money to buy the business.

Lamar Roberts of Dade City-based First National Bank of Pasco pledged an additional $5,000 on behalf of his bank, also contingent on Romo getting the other $41,000.

"We are very impressed with what Margarita Romo has done over the years and is doing now," Roberts said. "Her involvement lends a lot of credibility to the teen center project. Being a community bank, we are always interested in helping the community."
Romo said the pool hall meets her organization's needs because it has an open floor plan.

"We have some other buildings, but they are not appropriate for what we want to do," Romo said. "We want to paint it really pretty on the outside and have the kids do artwork on the outside and inside."

While Gomez, of Naples, is willing to sell, he is eager to make a deal, Romo said. She plans to meet with him next week to update him on her progress in getting donations.

"I was hoping this would be done by now," she said. "I'm doing it in an aggressive way now. I would hope the people of Pasco County would join me in this effort of finding money and making it happen. A lot of times, we get help from the outside, but this is an inside deal."

Anyone interested in donating may call Farmworkers Self-Help at (352) 567-0200 or write to 37240 Calle de Milagros, Dade City, FL 33523.

Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.

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