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Hinsdale Youth Center gets extension on lease
Anirudh Girish, 6, gets comfortable while reading a book at the Hinsdale Youth Center. | Chuck Fieldman~Sun-Times Media
Maps
Updated: July 30, 2012 1:42AM
While its main facility at 415 W. Eighth St. is home to most of the Hinsdale programming offered by the Community House, the Youth Center operated by the organization continues to have its own separate presence.
And it looks as if the Youth Center will continue use of a former Public Works Department structure at 229 Symonds Drive.
The Hinsdale Village Board has approved a five-year extension of the lease agreement with the Community House for use of that building for use by the Hinsdale Youth Center. The original lease agreement was signed April 17, 2007.
“It’s nice having that separate building, away from everything else at the Community House,” said Chad Griffin, program coordinator for the Community House. “The kids enjoy having their own place to go.”
The youth center offers a variety of activities for children, including camps, field trips when kids are off from school and middle school parties. Another staple of the youth center is the after-school program that is offered for children in grades 1-7 from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“Most of the kids who come after school are on the younger side,” Griffin said. “We have an hour of homework time, and students from Hinsdale Central volunteer to come in and help the kids with their work if they need help.”
Getting homework done is a priority for many participants of the after-school program, but there also is time for fun. The upstairs level of the youth center’s building has games.
Brandt Peters, 8, has been coming to the after-school program at the youth center for about two years.
“I like it here,” he said. “They have a lot of good books, and you get to go upstairs to play games.”
Brothers Justin, 12, and Matthew, 9, Lue also have been participating in the after-school program for about two years. They currently attend on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
“It’s pretty fun,” Justin said. “There are a lot of activities to do, and you’re able to get your homework done.”
Cost of the after-school program is $15 a day for members of the Community House; $25 for nonmembers, Griffin said.
While children continue to take advantage of programs at the youth center, the Community House’s main facility in Hinsdale remains very busy with activities.
Officials from the Community House, which first opened in 1941, said it is one of the few nonprofit organizations offering both recreation and social services that are deeply rooted in the community. In 2011, 64 communities in DuPage and Cook counties benefited from the services and programs at the Community House.
The Community House offers programs in a wide array of areas, including the arts, theater, fitness, athletics and education.
For more information about the Community House, including available programs and activities, check out the organization’s website at www.thecommunityhouse.org or call (630) 323-7500.
