NAPERVILLE, IL – The Alive Center in Naperville is bringing its free teen Drop-in hours for 6th – 12th graders back to Aurora in a new location; Community Christian Church in Aurora. Effective January 6, 2021, Alive @ Community celebrated this new satellite location with a soft opening where families can get a tour and pre-register their teen(s).
A virtual ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on Friday, January 15, 2021 at 3:00 pm with Alive Staff, Mayor Irvin, City of Aurora, and representatives from the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Quad County African American Chamber of Commerce. The ribbon cutting ceremony can be viewed on Facebook Live at: https://www.facebook.com/AuroraRegionalChamber.
Once COVID restrictions are lifted, the Alive @ Community free Drop-in hours will support teens in the community with teen initiated art, games, STEM programs, life skills, health and wellness and more. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, teens are welcome to #JustShowUp during the 2:45-6:00pm Drop-in hours.
Aurora native, Ady Rubio is a bi-lingual licensed social worker who will be leading the Alive @ Community satellite location. “I was first introduced to the Alive Center in 2016 when I was in my first year of the MSW program at Aurora University. As soon as I stepped into the Alive Center for my internship interview, it was an immediate connection. I loved everything about it and especially their dedication to the mission of empowering young people to step into leadership roles and find a sense of belonging. Alive became imprinted in my heart and mind, and I started to envision what an Alive Center would look like in Aurora. I am Aurora born and raised, and imagining the impact the Alive center could have on my community excited me! I remember driving through my hometown and scoping out empty spaces, and I would daydream. The impact the Alive Center had on me never left, and in 2019 I was honored to join the team, and now my dream I had so long ago for my Aurora community is coming true!”
Alive has impacted thousands of teens in the surrounding communities and will continue to do so more deeply in Aurora. Edward Bugg, Aurora Ward 9 Alderman said, “on behalf of the Aurora City Council, we are thrilled with the new collaboration between ALIVE and Community Christian Church. Given the Alive Center’s excellent record of impacting teens in a positive manner, we look forward to working with them as they help the teens of Aurora come ALIVE!”
In the east side of downtown Aurora, Community Christian Church is located at 78 S. Lasalle St. and is within walking distance to KD Waldo Middle School and a short drive from East Aurora High School and Cowherd Middle School. The 5700sq. ft. facility offers multiple classrooms as well as a large gathering space and state of the art performance venue. Community Pastor Rodrigo Cano says, “For quite some time I had been dreaming about a way to serve the students in our community; I know the need is here. Last year during our Breakthrough campaign, I asked God for an afterschool program. Never did I think God was already working to bring the Alive Center to Aurora. I know this is an awesome opportunity to serve and engage our community. Together we are investing in the next generation of leaders in Aurora!”
If you would like to learn more about Alive@Community, please contact Ady Rubio at Ady@alivecenter.org. To sign up for a free tour, visit https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090d44ada72ea5ff2-alive10
Donations to support the Alive non-profit organization can be made by going to https://www.alivecenter.org/donate-now/.