To the editor:

I am so delighted to announce that BETA (Brown County Enrichment for Teens Association) has moved to a new home and is now located at 175 S. Jefferson St., just across from The Salvation Army church as our close neighbors.

I am also very happy and proud to share with our community that it was our own BETA teens who played such a big role on our moving day on Oct. 30. They pulled up their sleeves, packed their own rooms, moved the boxes and lifted the heavy furniture for three-and-half (almost four) hours straight, and at the end of the day, they were all exhausted! However, it was fun to work with them and watch them taking the full ownership of BETA. What is more rewarding than witnessing this palpable progress made by our young boys and girls to the hearts and minds of adult volunteers like us?

After all the hard work, now BETA teens can enjoy 2,000 square feet of a great space for their “so called” second home in a two-story building. In the upper level we have a long-dreamed music room where teens can play the drum, guitars and make music any time and without worrying about our downstairs neighbors. Soon we will have our own piano donated by Peg and Mark Lindenlaub. We also have a big open room where we can hang the paintings or artwork made by own BETA teens. Downstairs in the basement, we have an art room dedicated to a full scale of various experiments of arts, and also a cafeteria where teens can enjoy free snacks and drinks. We also have a wonderful game room dedicated to fun videos and board games. Outside the building, we have a beautiful courtyard where teens can talk and hang out. One BETA teen showed a great interest in planting flowers in next spring, so we may have some fun in a gardening project, and may want to reach out to our local gardeners to join and guide us.

BETA also has been expanding its programs to Brown County Schools with tutoring at both the junior high and high schools, sponsored by generous donations from private donors the lile Seung Han Foundation, Shari Frank and Gene Elias. BETA has also been providing five sessions of free music classes each week sponsored by the After School Arts Committee and Brown County Community Foundation, and world-class music teachers are giving lessons to our Brown County Students from the fifth through 12th grades. BETA also is reaching out to high school students on every Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m. with free snacks and drinks, and inviting all our local organizations to participate to bridge stronger connections with these young adolescents before their entering full adulthood.

One outstanding accomplishment BETA is proud of is that Kids on Wheels skate and teen park will be built next spring at Deer Run, and BETA has worked hard to support the project. We truly thank Colleen and Isaiah Smith and the Kids on Wheels committee for their relentless pursuit of this gigantic project and finally bringing another great space for our teenagers and children for skateboarding and many healthy activities.

Again, securing and creating these wonderful places for our children comes with many levels of support, and I would like to especially recognize Clifford Russell, John Callahan and Matt Roberts, our young 20s who are still participating in BETA as junior counselors for the BETA teens and provided such a big help in the moving process this time.

I am also deeply thankful to our outstanding BETA board, which is working hard to raise the funds to support our newly increased operation expenses that include $1,000 plus a utility payment monthly that came along with the recent move. Yet, we are confident that BETA’s mission and its service projects will be sustained and continue with this amazing and wonderful community in Brown County who has proved themselves as the powerful and caring force through Kids on Wheels and many other great community projects for the youth. As we put our No. 1 priority on the welfare of our children and our precious teenagers, the rest of the concerns will be taken care of, as the BETA board is ready to reach out to our supporters through an upcoming mail-out campaign and future fundraisers.

BETA will continue to open on Tuesdays from 3 to 6:30 p.m. at our new place, and will be looking for more volunteers, donors, and most of all more teenagers to participate to move BETA to a next level. Please visit BETA’s newly updated Facebook page at facebook/BETA Teen Center and stay tuned for upcoming information and events.

Please send a donation to BETA, P.O. Box 1194, Nashville, IN 47448, and feel free to contact Clara at 312-310-3617 or email [email protected] to find opportunities make a change in the lives of our Brown County teens.

On a final note, I would like to extend our special thanks to the five restaurants and their owners who participated in the Dine’N Donate fundraiser for Kids on Wheels, who were not included in the recent thank-you ad due to the time lapse: Justin Loveless and The Chocolate Moose, Ryan Seward and Brozinni Pizzeria, Michelle Kritzer and Casa Del Sol, Kathleen & David Chilicote and Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls, and John and Ginger Knight and Johnny’s Grub to Go, for their generous giving and passionate support for Kids on Wheels and Brown County youth. I also would like to thank Jennifer Bube for her beautiful design of the event flyers.

Thank you again, BETA teens, many volunteers and supporters, and most of all, our wonderful and amazing Brown County!

Respectfully submitted by,

Clara Stanley, BETA board president

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