Nov 3, 2015 3 min read

I am writing as a plea to the community and specifically to the board of the Mt. Lebanon Teen Center to reconsider their decision to abandon the mission of the nonprofit organization by cancelling the program entirely. A notice put out through the Middle School PTA newsletter indicated that the reasons behind this decision were lack of chaperones and insurance liability.

No message, flyer or PTA announcement has gone out as a call for volunteer chaperones. The community has stepped forward, from the municipality to the schools, to remedy the chaperone issue. The website indicates the need for 25 volunteers per Teen Center. If, after the first Teen Center, it was identified that lack of chaperones was a pressing issue, a call to action was indicated. Notifying parents, via the highly cooperative PTA, with details of how many volunteers were needed, how many there were, and the critical importance of signing up prior to October’s scheduled event would have notified the community as to the import of volunteering. New parents to middle school have no idea about the volunteer opportunities. Our community would have responded positively.

Teen Center is a nonprofit. In that, there is accountability to donors. The municipality, through the annual budget, funds the coordinator position. That funding has already been accepted by the Teen Center. It is questionable stewardship of resources to abruptly cease operations without prior conversation and consent. This holds true for individual donors as well who have made contributions to the Teen Center in full expectation that the monies be used for the perpetuity of the mission. What is to become of the funding that exists for the program?

I suspect that there is more at play in the decision to close four days prior to a scheduled event. If that is the case, please be transparent with the community. The talents and dedication of the community can only be accessed if help is requested. Help has been abundantly offered at this point in time. It is not too late to reconsider the drastic action of ceasing operations.

As the closure notice that was sent heavily stressed, Teen Center is 27 years old and considered a community asset. The value to the kids of our community is evident with a regular showing of over 200 kids. The history and meaning of the program is substantial. Please find another alternative to closure. New board members and a new coordinator can relieve the burden that must be felt by the current leadership.

Michelle Pagano Heck

Mt. Lebanon