Future plans by Director LuAnn Wilcox include a Saturday evening coffeehouse for teens, a Friday night alternative for adults and an event she calls Family Football Fun, which opens the center to anyone who wants to catch the game.
"If I'm going to watch the Vikings game and I'm going to live here, I might as well do that," said Wilcox, who currently lives in Moorhead, Minn.
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"There's so much potential in this building, we really want to see things happen," she said. "I've got a lot of ideas."
As the facility operates on a shoestring budget and Wilcox will be busy fundraising, a strong volunteer base is needed to staff the center in her absence. On average, the center draws in 15 kids per day and more during the winter months, when the sledding hill and warming house are in full operation. Some participants of a recent survey asked why the center isn't open more often.
"Attendance drops way down when the weather gets nice, so tight operating funds have to be concentrated to provide services from October through March," she said.
At least 253 kids passed through the center's doors between November 2008 and April 2009.
As the year progresses, Wilcox said she plans to contact foundations and other civic organizations for help. Although the list of plans is long, she is not deterred.
"I'm an eternal optimist," she said. "I think this has a lot of potential."
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