Kyle Hyland Teen Center opens to public

(Originally published in the 2/3/16 edition)

   The Hyland Teen Center had its grand opening on Jan. 22, giving area teenagers a place to hang out, have fun, decompress and receive help in more ways than one.

   The center had been in the works for a little over a year by the time it opened its doors. In December 2014, Benicia High School junior Kyle Hyland died by suicide, and shortly thereafter Hyland’s mother, Barbara Gervase established the Kyle Hyland Foundation for Teen Support to promote awareness of teen suicide statistics and provide support for struggling youth. One of the foundation’s goals has been to establish a teen center in Hyland’s name for high schoolers to hang out and receive help from peers and counselors.

   In late 2015, Pastor Jerry Pollard of Gateway Church agreed to lend space for the center in an unused building behind the church. The center had its grand opening Friday, Jan. 22, and Gervase says it attracted a large crowd.

   “We had over 80 kids come to the grand opening,” she said. “It was a great success, and they had a lot of fun.” 

   The center currently has a variety of features for teens, including a TV lounge area where they can watch movies or play video games, a stage with a sound system and various instruments, board games, a foosball table, a pool table, a pingpong table, a snack bar and an area where teens can eat and study. There is also an overhead projector and a big screen set up for movie nights and a board for job postings. 

   Additionally, Gervase says the center will have theme nights on certain Fridays. This Friday is Karaoke Night from 5 to 8 p.m., where teens will be able to sing their favorite songs and enjoy a drink and two slices of pizza for $3. 

   “The kids who come to Karaoke Night will get to choose the next theme night,” Gervase said. 

   The opening day was very successful, according to Gervase, but the following week drew a smaller crowd.

   “We’ve only been open one other day, and we only had about 10 kids here,” she said. “There was a lot of things going on that day, so that might have had something to do with it.”

   Nonetheless, Gervase believes attendance will grow over time especially as word continues to spread about the center.

   Gervase said more than 60 people signed up as volunteers at the center’s open house in January, and many of them are currently going through the background check process. However, Gervase says the center is still looking for more volunteers— especially teen volunteers ages 15 and up— and they can fill out an application online at KyleHyland.com.

   Additionally, the center is also still seeking donations of items like electric guitars, video games, DVDs and a portable that can be used as a private space for counseling. A wishlist is also available online, although Gervase says it needs to be updated as the center has received some of the listed donations.

   “There was a business called Therma-Flite out in the Arsenal, and they are downsizing and had a lot of things they were giving away,” she said. “We got printers from them and bookshelves and all kinds of things.”

   The center is also still accepting financial donations through the crowdfunding site YouCaring.com as well as physical checks that can be mailed to The Kyle Hyland Foundation for Teen Support C/O Barbara Gervase, President, PO Box 1601; Benicia, CA 94510.

   The Hyland Teen Center is located at 1035 Military West. It will be open from 1 to 8 p.m. Friday with Karaoke Night running from 5 to 8. Starting Monday, Feb. 8, it will be open from 3 to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays and Fridays from 1 to 8 p.m. For more information, visit KyleHyland.com or contact the center at (707) 315-3065. 

Kyle Hyland Foundation to host open houses for new teen center

(Originally published in the 1/8/16 edition)

     The Kyle Hyland Foundation for Teen Support will be holding open houses today and tomorrow at the new location of its teen center. Volunteers can sign up and provide input on the amenities they would like to see. 

   The foundation has been working to establish a teen center in town since Benicia High School junior Hyland’s death by suicide in 2014. The center, according to Hyland’s mother Barbara Gervase, would fill two voids in Benicia: giving teenagers a place to hang out and providing support for teens dealing with stress or anxiety.

   In December, the organization found space for the center in a building behind Gateway Church on Military West. The open houses will allow attendees to view the space before its official opening in late January and for volunteers to contribute ideas for what kinds of programs, food and games they would like to see.

   “We’re encouraging adults to come as well as teenagers ages 13 to 19 for any future openings they might have,” board member Deirdre Cruz said.

   There will also be light snacks and different areas for teen volunteers to sign up.

   “The volunteers who work with teenagers will need to do background checks, so we will be taking some information about that,” Cruz said.

   Cruz also noted that the center is not asking people to come with donations.

   “We’ll definitely have a donation jar,” she said. “As far as any kind of furniture or games, we’re going to hold off on that. We have some already, but they could bring a photograph of something they have that maybe they would like to donate.” 

   Cruz said the center will only be able to be open with adult volunteers until the foundation gets funding to hire a permanent counselor to run the center.

   “We definitely need the community support financially as well as time to make this happen,” she said.

   The open houses will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight and 10 to noon tomorrow at the center, located at 1315 Military West. For more information on the center, the Kyle Hyland Foundation or to donate to the organization’s YouCaring campaign, visit KyleHyland.com. 

Kyle Hyland Foundation attains new space for teen center

(Originally published in the 12/16/15 edition)

   After almost a year of searching, the Kyle Hyland Foundation for Teen Support has found space for its new teen center at the Gateway Church on Military West. 

   Hyland was a 16-year-old Benicia High School student who died by suicide in December 2014. After his passing, Hyland’s mother, Barbara Gervase, set up the foundation to promote awareness of teen suicide statistics and provide support to those in need. One of the goals has been to open up a teen center where high schoolers can hang out to perform music, create art, play video games and table tennis and get help from peers and counselors on stress and anxiety issues. 

   One of the main obstacles has been finding a space big enough to provide all these amenities. However, Gervase says that Gateway Pastor Jerry Pollard agreed to lend 1,500 square feet for the center.

   “Police Chief Erik Upson had a conversation with Jerry, and he was looking for ways to reach out into the community and make a difference,” she said. “Upson mentioned the goal of our nonprofit- to open a teen center- and next thing we knew, Jerry had talked to his congregation and the elders and his ward there, and he reached out to us and offered the space.”

   Gervase says the building was actually designed for the church’s youth group.

   “They have a fairly small congregation and small youth group, so it never really worked out for that purpose,” she said. “They’re looking for ways to use that building for the community, so this was a perfect fit.”

   The church is located on 1035 Military West, about a block from Benicia High and within walking distance of Benicia Middle School. 

   “It couldn’t be a better location for us,” Gervase said. 

   The space also has a coffee bar that the foundation will be using as a snack bar and a stage area with a drum set and a sound system. Since Hyland was an avid piano player, Gervase wanted the center to provide teens an opportunity to create music. She also noted that several amenities are lined up to be used.

   “We have furniture that we collected in our yard sale we had a few months ago,” she said. “We have a game table, and we’re looking for someone that has a pool table that we’ll hopefully be moving in soon.”

   Gervase says the foundation is looking at ways to modify the space, including cubicle dividers to create an office space. However, the church does not have room for a private area for counseling. Gervase says the foundation is looking for ways to create additional space, including the possibility of a portable if the city allows it. 

   “We’re hoping we can have a way to somehow have that private space for the counseling,” she said.

   The foundation will be hosting a memorial walk for Hyland on Saturday. Gervase said she wanted to hold the event close to Dec. 22- the anniversary of her son’s suicide- but felt having it on a weekend would allow more people to participate. The walk will begin at 10 a.m. at the First Street gazebo with participants going all the way down to the pier. At 10:30, a short ceremony will be held at the pier with music and poetry as well as friends sharing memories of Hyland.

   Gervase said the original plan was for a canopy to be set up with light refreshments, but with the weather forecast calling for heavy rain on Saturday, the refreshment portion may have to be moved to Gateway Church at around 11:30.

   “It’s a good opportunity for people to see the space before we move in,” she said. 

   Donations will be accepted for the event, and funds for the center are still being accepted through the crowdfunding site YouCaring.com. As of press time, close to $19,000 has been raised of its $30,000 goal. 

   “We are a nonprofit, so all of the donations are tax-deductible,” Gervase said. “We really do need donations to help fund and be able to continue to run the teen center.”

   An open house is scheduled for Jan. 9 to sign up volunteers to help run the center. Gervase hopes to have the center open two weeks afterwards.

   “It feels great to finally have space,” Gervase said. “I’ve been working on it for the past 11 months, so it’s very exciting. We have a lot of plans, and we can’t wait to open.”

   For more information about the center, the memorial walk and suicide prevention or to donate to the YouCaring site, visit the foundation’s website at KyleHyland.com.