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Planned after-school center Teen Warehouse secures WSFS funding

Delaware Public Media

The Teen Warehouse after-school center coming to Wilmington later this year just secured some new funding.

The Wilmington-based financial institution WSFS is giving $375,000 to Teen Warehouse for operating expenses over the next five years.

The Warehouse is scheduled to open in September at the former site of Prestige Academy charter school on Thatcher Street. It will offer a list of afterschool activities and programs for Wilmington youth emphasizing recreation, education, arts, careers and health.

Teen Warehouse CEO Logan Herring says philanthropic donations and some state funding got this project off the ground, but this latest grant will be crucial in supporting the Warehouse’s approximate $1 million yearly budget.

“I actually intended going in to ask for $10,000 and walked away with them asking us to apply for a much larger grant to support the work that we were doing with the warehouse,” said Herring. “So, we walked in and we walked out pleasantly surprised.”

He also points the center will be opening along with the new Kingswood Academy Alternative School, which is relocating from Claymont to Wilmington.

“Those children or students are in need more than anyone, so why wouldn’t you want to put them in the building where you have tons of programs and services that are at their fingertips if they can take advantage of them,” said Herring. “Make sure they get back on the right foot and ready to take that next step in life.”

Herring says he expects by year three Teen Warehouse will generate about half of its own revenue through commercial rental space for the list of agencies partnering on the project.

WSFS is also giving $25,000 each to youth workforce training programs the Delaware ProStart program and Year Up Wilmington.

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