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Proposed Teen Center Gets Fresh Coat Of Hope
Tribune photo by FRED BELLET
Pastor William Roen works on painting one of the door frames on the west side of the old pool room at the corner of Hillsborough and Lock Streets.
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Published: July 24, 2008
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DADE CITY - Church volunteers from Savannah, Ga., are in town this week, painting an old pool hall community leaders in Tommytown hope to turn into a teen center.
What's unusual is that Farmworkers Self-Help doesn't yet own the Lock Street building where teens someday may go after school for a healthy meal, help with homework and safe haven from neighborhood streets beset with blight and crime.
Margarita Romo, the group's executive director, doesn't think a lack of money should derail a good idea.
"We're going to believe that it's ours, and we're not backing off," she said. "As long as God's moving, why should I back off?"
William Roen, the pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Savannah, three other adults and nine youths from the church showed up this week to paint the building, inside and out. They even brought the paint.
Roen is no stranger to Tommytown, a predominantly Hispanic community where many residents are migrant workers and the average annual household income is about $7,500. Last year, a group from his Savannah church painted the Farmworkers Self-Help office and the house next door. Years ago, when Roen was at Nativity Lutheran Church in Weeki Wachee, he and the church started buying shoes for some of the kids Farmworkers Self-Help works with - an effort that continues today.
By the time the volunteers leave, the old pool hall across the street from Resurrection Park will look more like a place for foosball tournaments and mentoring sessions.
Before that can happen, though, community leaders need to raise another $35,000. So far, Farmworkers Self-Help has raised $35,000 - $24,000 from Wachovia Bank, $5,000 from First National Bank of Pasco and smaller contributions from individuals. However, that's just half the selling price.
Larry Starnes from Wachovia Bank has stepped in, sending out letters to local civic and business leaders asking for financial support.
If things break right, the teen center, which is to be called My Other House, will offer table tennis, foosball and billiards, a small library with a computer, nutritious food, mentoring and a place away from the streets.
Romo also would like to buy $10,000 worth of equipment from the pool hall's owner, who also owned a bakery in Naples, and outfit a kitchen where neighborhood kids could learn a skill.
"We're trying to make it in a way that it brings good things to the kids," she said. "This is perfect for the teenagers because it's right on the street. It's not hidden."
That's all down the line, though. This week, there's painting to be done.
Editor Jeff Scullin can be reached at (813) 779-4614 or jscullin@tampatrib.com.
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