Letter: BETA thankful for ongoing teen support

0

To the editor:

BETA (Brown County Enrichment for Teens Association Inc.) would like to share the progress report for the school year 2017-18.

BETA has grown, with more teens accessing our programs during 2017-18, counting 1,326 total visits — an increase of 213 from last school year. An average of 37.9 teens visit the BETA center each week for 35 weeks.

This school year, BETA has especially focused on bringing more healthy and fresh produce and homemade food to our teens, providing free music and art sessions, and inviting our local leaders from various organizations to engage our teens with their unique resources.

BETA also has started its tutoring programs at both the junior high and high school this January, bringing the benefit to more of our Brown County students through grants from the Brown County Drug Free Coalition. BETA also started visiting high school this April with snacks and drinks to reach out to our high school teens on Thursdays from 3 to 4 p.m.

BETA has also been recently approved as the official site of National Able, opening paid job opportunities at BETA to our senior residents who are 55 or older.

Recently, Country Gospel Music Church has donated $10,000 to BETA’s great causes, which has sustained another year’s operating expenses after last year’s $10,000 donation from the Fabulous 50 Women. BETA also would like to thank many other donors who supported us with their financial resources, which have helped BETA open the door throughout the year.

We are very happy to share to recognize following individuals and organizations who have contributed to the growth in last two quarters from February through May 2018: Guy Knaus for free weekly drum sessions; Nathan Dillon, director of Everybody Rocks, for free weekly guitar lessons; Pam Boer for her Valentine cupcakes decoration project; Emmy Blackwell Champion from the Brown County Public Library for bringing Cublets Robot Blocks and Banana Piano games; Abby Smith for Polymer Clay Bake Arts; Pam Boer and Connie Casey for Easter basket activities; Dr. Hyeseung Kang, associate director of East Asia Studies at IU, for providing the free bus ride to Korea Night and providing wonderful programs and food to Brown County students; Lisa Bowman and Hope for Hearts for Horse Farm for inviting BETA teens to their excellent equine programs; M.K. Watkins, an award-winning artist from Art Alliance Brown County, for vising BETA two times for her mural painting sessions; Fen Smith, BETA teen, for providing a flintknapping session; Pam Boer for providing the embroidery session and Mother’s Day project; Kim Robinson and the Brown County YMCA for generously inviting BETA teens two times to their Y facility; Jaden Odom for providing a free rock-climbing session at Y; Camon and Jacob Landry for helping BETA teens for Y trips; Vicki Shaffer for providing many board games; and Julie Davis for writing many grants for BETA.

BETA also would like to recognize the following individuals who brought BETA teens fresh, homemade food: Bobbie Knaus, Abby Smith, Pam Boer, Connie Casey, Julie Davis, Rita Simon for bringing mac and cheese, Denny Denison for bringing many boxes of drinks.

We also would like to recognize the following volunteers who have given their time to be around our teens: Pam Boer, Connie Casey, Paul Landry, Abby Smith, Michale Dywer, Marty Dwyer, Luke Tilton and Pastor Kenneth Alip.

We also would like to sincerely thank Dr. Laura Hammack and the Brown County school board for their ongoing and active support for BETA, the Brown County Community Foundation, Brown County Drug Free Coalition, Art Alliance Brown County, Brown County Playhouse, PNC Bank, Nashville Town Council, Brown County Commissioners, Hoosier Hillls Food Bank, Brown County Art Guild, Brown County Rotary Club, Brown County Literacy Coalition and Seung Han Foundation.

BETA is also especially thankful to Brian Garman, Kelly Morse and Christy Pruitt at the junior high, and Shane Killinger, Pam Bond and Jenny Bowden at the high school for their diligent support for permission slips, announcements and recruiting students participants for BETA’s many events.

Also, BETA would like to thank Sharon Snodgress at the junior high, Dustin Robinson, Roscoe Baugh, Brandi Ireland and high school National Honor Society students at the high school for helping make BETA’s tutoring programs possible.

BETA has grown with many wonderful leaders in Brown County who believed in the power of providing caring support for our growing teens who are in a critical stage of development. BETA is forever thankful to our proud founder, Cindy Steele, who has planted the seed of this new movement in Brown County, and to our all past board members and volunteers who have worked hard along to make BETA possible. BETA and our teens are very blessed and thankful to have all these individuals and organizations around them, and will continue to grow with your loving care and support.

BETA will be ready to open in coming school year on Tuesdays from 3 to 6:30 p.m. at the BETA center, 45 S. Jefferson St., with more exciting programs and events awaiting them. BETA is always looking for volunteers. Please contact Clara Stanley at 312-310-3617 or [email protected] to offer your help volunteering, or look for the paid job opportunities through National Able if you are 55 or older.

Also, please send your donations to BETA, P.O. Box 1194, to help BETA open for the next and coming years. You can also contact Larry Pejeau, CEO of the Brown County Community Foundation (BCCF), at 812-988-4882 if you are considering a bigger range of donation to BETA’s endowment fund available at the BCCF.

Our children, and especially our teens, are so much worth our giving above and beyond for their future. Everything we do will have an impact on their lives. Thank you so much, again, to our wonderful Brown County community!

Clara Stanley, BETA board president

Send letters to [email protected] by noon Thursday before the date of intended publication (noon Wednesday on holiday weeks). Letters are the opinions of the writer. Letters must be signed by the author and include the writer’s town of residence and a contact number in case of questions. Only one letter every two weeks, per writer, to allow for diversity of voices in the opinions section. Please be considerate of sharing space with other letter-writers and keep your comments concise and to the point. Avoid name-calling, accusations of criminal activity and second- and third-hand statements of “fact.”

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Mystery letter” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

A letter to the editor signed “just one of many” appeared in the front-door mail slot at the Brown County Democrat office sometime over the weekend of June 8 to 10. We no longer print anonymous letters. If the writer wishes for this letter to be published, please resubmit it with your real name attached and a contact number or email in case of questions.

[sc:pullout-text-end]

No posts to display