Staunton middle school students are about to have a place of their own to go after school.
Currently, 20 Shelburne Middle School teens hang out with younger kids at Booker T. Washington Community Center. It's part of the Boys & Girls Club program. But a $600,000 grant spanning three years is allowing the middle school students to move into the Nelson Street Teen Center this December.
We're told giving the teens room showed the need for more space.
"Our Kate Collins group was probably around 13," said Tyrell McElroy with the Boys & Girls Club. "And now we're at 75 because they have their own space. That's a big deal. We start at 6 years old, so when they don't have to be around 6-year-olds, it makes a big difference."
McElroy says fun is a part of the program, but making sure the kids succeed in school - and ultimately in life - is their main objective.
Reported by Tara Todd
