My Place Teen Center launches $6.5M capital campaign for expansion in Biddeford
Photo / Tim Greenway
Donna Dwyer, executive director of My Place Teen Center in Westbrook, is shown in this 2015 photo from the Mainebiz archives. The nonprofit announced Thursday the launch of a $6.5 million capital campaign to open a second location for its program serving at-risk teens in Biddeford.
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My Place Teen Center, a Westbrook nonprofit offering after-school programming and meals year round for at-risk youths aged 10 to 18, announced Thursday its plans to launch a $6.5 million capital campaign to open a second teen center in Biddeford in July 2020.
Details of the campaign were scheduled to be announced by the nonprofit’s board of directors, campaign chairs and the mayors of Westbrook and Biddeford at a special reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 755 Main St. in Westbrook.
The campaign, which has already raised $2.7 million, aims to convert the bottom floor of the former St. Andre’s Church at 75 Bacon St. in Biddeford, into a safe haven for teens and pre-teens. The new center will be modeled directly after My Place Teen Center’s first location in Westbrook, which serves 40 to 70 kids per day, and over 500 each year.
“Expansion has always been part of our strategic plan, so we are thrilled to partner with Biddeford’s mayor and housing authority to bring year-round, no-barrier services to a new city” said MPTC CEO and President Donna Dwyer. “The positive relationship developed with city leaders and a similar demographic and landscape between both cities makes this an easy leap for our organization.”
When completed in 2020, the new Biddeford teen center will encompass 9,800 square feet of space on the bottom floor of the church. This expansion is part of MPTC’s vision to counterbalance the devastating effects of poverty, food insecurity, and the opioid epidemic with protective factors and safe environments.
“We see Biddeford as an area that could benefit from the type of programming we provide at My Place Teen Center,” said Dwyer, who was honored by Mainebiz in 2015 as a Business Leader of the Year for nonprofits. “As the downtown becomes revitalized, it becomes more important than ever to make sure the most vulnerable residents aren’t left behind. My Place Teen Center has the programming in place to provide a safe place where teens can gather after school, learn about themselves and their role in the community, eat a warm meal, and feel safe and loved.”
This evening’s event will outline the details of the capital campaign and also serve as a showcase for the work of students who benefit from MPTC’s services. In addition to speeches from Westbrook and Biddeford’s mayors, the reception will feature in-house catering, with refreshments prepared by MPTC’s students as part of the MPTC’s restaurant job training program run by local chef, Christian Kryger.
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