"Our mission is to minister to the youths of Manheim," said Janelle Heying, executive director of Teen Central. "We want to provide spiritual development and quality life experiences for teens."

Teen Central, located at 15 S. Wolf St., offers drop-in programming four days a week for middle school and high school students.

"We start with a snack and then have about an hour to 90 minutes of time for the kids to hang out," Heying stated. "They love playing dodgeball or, if the weather is nice, they'll play kickball outside." The facility features basketball courts, air hockey, foosball and more.

"We will also put out craft supplies for kids who want to do that, or we let kids just hang out and talk for the first hour or so," she noted. "Then, we pull everyone together and we do a Bible study." Lessons may range from small group discussions to games or videos, she said.

Each session ends with a free meal for the teens. "Our cook is wonderful," Heying remarked about Brenda Hershey. "We are so blessed to have her. She puts a lot of heart and love into everything she makes."

Along with the basic framework of each session, Teen Central offers teens opportunities to learn new skills.

"One part of our mission is to open kids up to life skills," Heying said. "We have a sewing room, and we teach them basic sewing skills. Before COVID, we would have them help prep food in the kitchen. When we have projects to do or things to install here, we invite the students to get involved and use power tools or see how things are put together." The organization also hosts field trips for teens regularly, including snow tubing, bowling and roller skating.

As a nonprofit, Teen Central relies on donations from churches, businesses and individuals. The organization typically holds a fall fundraising banquet but had to cancel that in 2020.

On average, about 30 students participate in Teen Central activities on a typical night, but upwards of 85 students are registered with the organization.

While some things have changed at Teen Central due to the pandemic, including daily temperature checks, required masks and social distancing, one thing has remained constant: "My goal is always to provide a safe and welcoming space for teens to come in, where they know they are always going to be loved and accepted," Heying said. "I want this to be a safe space for the students to be themselves. No matter what is going on outside these walls, when they come in here, they know they are loved by God. They will be welcomed, and their needs will be met."

For more information on Teen Central, including weekly schedules, readers may visit https://teencentralmanheim.org/.