A couple of teen boys played a game of chess to determine who would keep the chess set. Others placed dibs on the aging, worn sofas. He readily admits he was disrespectful of his parents and angry at the world. At The Place, he said he made friends and learned to respect others, despite how they were dressed. He said he resents the community for failing to support the center.
People are so cheap here.
Financial struggles and a lack of volunteer assistance and support from the community forced the closure of The Place, which is nestled in a strip mall near the old Cooper 7 movie theater. That figure dipped to 20. Half of that formed a core group that faithfully served 1,300 teenagers in their first year. LaFrance said they were able to use the space for free, but learned in October that the strip mall had new owners who weren't willing to continue that deal. LaFrance gave away many of the items on Saturday but will keep some, like artwork, in storage, in case someone steps forward with a rent-free location for the kids to start over.