Check out what's been going on at the KYC!

Kingswood Youth Center's Winter Recap!

On a wintery walk through Wolfeboro in December!

News From The Staff

Dear Friend of the KYC,

Thanks for checking out our newsletter! If you’ve only got a minute, scroll through and check out the pictures from an awesome winter at the KYC! If you’ve got a few minutes, give yourself a break from all the distractions and craziness of life:

Take a deep breath and concentrate on nothing except the following:

-Take note of five things you can see. Don’t contemplate them, just note that they’re there.

-Now four things you can hear.

-Three things you can feel (physically, not emotionally or mentally).

-Two things you can smell.

-And finally one thing you can taste…now take a deep breath and enjoy our quarterly newsletter!

The exercise above is a mindfulness activity, which was brought to us by our teen director, Mara. Mindfulness is the practice of being completely focused on the present moment; a break from preoccupation, and anticipation. When we introduce this activity, a staff member shakes a jar filled with glitter and water. The specks of glitter spin and swirl wildly; it’s beautiful, but chaotic. The specs of glitter represent our day to day thoughts, our worries, our anticipations, our preoccupations. Then we stop shaking the jar; it takes a few seconds, but soon the glitter settles calmly to the base of the jar. To stop shaking the jar is to be mindful. Even just a little dose of mindfulness goes a long way during these challenging and confusing times. We have offered this activity as well as yoga and other mindfulness activities throughout our in-person programs this year.

It was one year ago that our in-person programs were abruptly put on hold. Since then, we’ve seen a lot of twists, turns, and challenges, and have a lot to show for our team’s hard work and our community’s support. We are offering more hours of in-person programs than ever before. We continue to offer virtual programs. Students receive help with their remote learning responsibilities through our Lunch and Learn program. Several students are receiving individual mentoring services through the Club 121 mentoring program. We have distributed over 40,000 lbs. of food and $10,000 in financial support to families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thank you,

In health,

Zachary and Mara

Board of Directors

President

Kevin Sanzenbacher

Vice President

Matt Lawlor

Treasurer

Gregory Eldridge

Secretary

Gina Jewell

At Large

Barbara Lobdell

David Maher

Don Smith

Jim Savage

Kevin Van Brunt

Maria Found

Martha Krause

Pete Llewellyn

Staff

Executive Director

Zachary Porter

Teen Director

Mara Michno

There are many ways a donation can help the KYC continue meeting the growing needs of our community's youth population. Our mission depends on your support. The KYC is a 501(c) 3 organization and all donations are tax deductible.

Donations may be sent to PO Box 697, Wolfeboro Falls, NH, 03896.

Or donated online here

Do you want to share your stimulus?

There are so many great local causes to contribute to if you are interested in sharing your stimulus payment! Consider contributing to the KYC!

The KYC’s services are needed more than ever before, as local teens have grappled with an entire year of upheaval due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Your support helps the KYC to provide assistance with remote learning, additional structure, enrichment education, peer engagement, and fun during these challenging times. The KYC works hard to ease burdens on families through the distribution of clothing, groceries, household essentials, and more.

To contribute to this great cause please use this link or, send contributions to PO Box 697, Wolfeboro Falls, NH, 03896.

Thank you for your support!

With heartfelt thanks,

Everyone at the Kingswood Youth Center

Science Cafe at the KYC

One of the KYC's long standing volunteers, Shelly McGee, has inspired us over this last year to dive into more science experiments! She created take-home kits for students during the stay-at-home order, and now we are able to do science experiments in person at the KYC! While Shelly hasn't been here in-person to lead these experiments, we are still enjoying exploring science using hands-on experiments with our KYC members. It's been a blast!

Thanks for all the great ideas, Shelly!

Hands-on experiments!

Holiday and School Vacation Care Packages

What a great spread of groceries to send home with families!

With help from friends of the KYC and the New Hampshire Food Bank, the KYC was able to distribute care packages over winter break to over thirty KYC participants.

The packages included a huge spread of fresh, frozen and shelf stable foods. Volunteers baked fresh treats and Wolfetrap Rawbar and Grill cooked fresh bolognese sauce and rolls for a hearty and easy dinner for families. Families were also able to round out their care packages with food from the KYC Kupboard, KYC's own mini food pantry.

In addition to care packages, participants and their families have access to the KYC Kupboard 4 days per week. It's been a great addition to the services we offer here at the KYC!

Thank you to Jim and Will at Wolfetrap Grill and Raw Bar for the weekly meals provided for KYC families!

Climbing Mountains

This winter we have taken full advantage of a great local hike; Moody Mountain, the highest point in Wolfeboro! There is a cabin near the summit with some beautiful views.

Woodworking Projects

Remember the game Battleship? Well... now image it EXPONENTIALLY larger! That's what we created here at the KYC over the winter! A GIANT homemade Battleship game! The "ships" go on either side of our climbing wall, and a volleyball is tossed back and forth by each team in the attempt to hit the ships! Once each hole in a ship is filled with a peg, it's sunk! It's been a fun and creative way to mix woodworking and outdoor recreation all into one!

Holidays and a Special Gift

We had a great time celebrating the holiday season here at the KYC! Cate Poole and Diana Serrano donated a beautiful handcrafter Bil Mitchell guitar to the KYC, which was presented to KYC'ers during our holiday party. Students were thrilled to be the recipients of such a special and thoughtful gift. A teen played "Wagon Wheel" for the group on the guitar and everyone sang along.

And, in true KYC tradition, the group played a game of White Elephant, a fun and silly gift exchange with gifts provided by the KYC.

We watched holiday movies, made gingerbread houses, and drank cocoa. It was a wonderful celebration!

Thank you for the special gift, Cate and Diana!