KOOK 386, Teen Recreational Center
EDGEWATER – A teen hangout for the city’s at-risk youth nearly had to shut its doors recently when it could no longer afford rent for the roof over its head. But a shoutout by the founder on social media resulted in a financial lifeline — for at least a while longer.
Founder and president of KOOK 386, Michelle Provoncha, said she shut the doors and told the kids who attend they would have to stay home because the nonprofit couldn’t keep the lights on. She said dwindling donations have kept the local hangout from being able to pay its bills. She said she doesn’t charge the teens for membership, gaining the bulk of funding from donations.
Provoncha, who founded the teen center after her daughter’s suicide and runs it with husband Eric Rainbird, said the space serves mostly low-income, at-risk, Edgewater teens, allowing them to gather, talk and play in a bully-free space with adult supervision. And a glance at the most recent census estimates suggests a need for such a place — and that the average Edgewater citizen isn’t exactly rolling in funds to help it survive.
Of the estimated 21,000 people in the city, more than 12 percent of residents live below the poverty level, according to the 2014 American Community Survey. And census estimates for the same year state an average annual per capita income of $24,500.
And while Rainbird said a $12,000 Community Development Block Grant was one option to gain rent money for a year, he said the limited staff and his conscience wouldn’t allow them to accept it.
To agree to the grant, Rainbird said, KOOK 386 would have to prove to the county that the people who use the service lie under an income threshold, requiring Rainbird and Provoncha to ask for proof of income before a child could attend. He thinks that’s wrong.
“We’re not going to ask a parent for that,” Rainbird said.
So instead, they
sent up a social-media flare to ask for help — and they got some.
A little over a week and more than 300 Facebook shares later, the nonprofit has raised almost $1,500 through its GoFundMe site, enough to move into a new location and help wedge open the door for at least another month. And a small gathering of supporters at the warehouse recently — packed wall-to-wall with pool tables, couches, games, a trampoline and children’s artwork — raised a bit of hope for the flailing organization.
Some came with funding, some donated laughter, others found different ways to help.
Lisa Dunn recently moved here from West Virginia.
“Today I’m letting her know I can volunteer my time,” Dunn said, gesturing toward Provoncha.
And at Monday’s City Council meeting, Councilman Dan Blazi said the city needs to work harder to boost the organization’s legitimacy and suggested adding its funding issues to a September agenda.
Calling the founders “unsung heroes of the community,” Blazi said, “Maybe it’s high time we’re had some serious dialogue to maybe having some type of partnership with KOOK.”
KOOK 386 is an acronym the resident children came up with for the teen hangout meaning Kids Of Our Kind. The idea for the space was born out of death — Provoncha’s 15-year-old daughter’s suicide in July 2013 — and reinforced by an accident that killed a local teen just days later.
News of Morgan Tuck’s suicide affected teenagers nearby in a way that Provoncha didn’t expect, she said, adding Morgan’s friends began gathering at her house, talking about Morgan and talking about their own lives. And she discovered her teenager “had many demons” and was oftentimes bullied and depressed.
Much like impromptu group therapy, Provoncha said, kids found it easier to vent their thoughts to her — almost a complete stranger — then to their own parents.
After nearly 400 people attended her daughter’s funeral, Provoncha said, a small group made the recreational center reality.
But “people forget,” said Provoncha. And the kids who hang out here now, she added, are a bit rougher.
“The kids here, they come from houses with domestic violence, parents with DUIs. These kids are a product of that,” she said. “But at least when they’re here, they’re not getting into trouble out there.”
The group is expected to soon move into a different building, farther south within the city, and Provoncha and Rainbird are thrilled, but remain concerned about sustainability. They estimate a monthly need of about $1,500, but the two are determined to press on.
“This is something I had to do,” said the mom. “I don’t want to go to another kid’s funeral.”
