Keeping the Dream Alive

It has been 40 years since Mary A. McGennis gave 160 acres of land to be used by the youth in this area.

Forty years already? For many of us it does not seem to be that long. That was the beginning of the McGennis Youth Center and since then it has received a great amount of use, which will continue in the future.

The late Miss Mary gave the land during her life as she wanted to see it being used. Thinking back to the early days of the center and contrast that with how it now appears today, there have been a great many changes.

Thoughts are given to the memory of many folks who have served on the board and the impact that they had in the development and maintenance of the center. That dedication has continued and as result the dream that Mary first shared with her brother, Connie, lives on. The board members and friends of the center are "the salt of the earth."

The past year has been a productive year for the center and special plans are being developed for the current year. The published McGennis Youth Center 2006 Annual Report features a picture of the new swimming dock at the center.

A good summary for the year was presented in the annual report by Virginia Habjan, president. The information from the president includes the following: "2006 was a full year of activities. We received two grants that enabled us to replace the deteriorating wooden dock. The new floating dock will be long lasting and maintenance free. Board members and families worked together to remove the old dock and supports from the lake. This was a great undertaking, and another example of the dedication of the community and members of our board. We are also thankful to the Moss Trust and York Children's Foundation for their generous donations to fund this project. Safety for our patrons is a main concern and the new dock should meet this goal. The lake project will continue in 2007 with our spillway pipe replacement and fish restocking in our partner agreement with the Missouri Conservation Department.

"'Theater under the stars' was presented again and much needed raindrops didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the players or audience. We give a big thank you to Rhonda Headley and crew for the summer play, and a chance to laugh and have fun. The barn players' cookbook has been well received and it continues to bring in funds needed for operations of the center. Cookbooks are still available for purchase and they make great gifts.

"The youth center lost a friend and support with Fred Teel's death. The addition of playground equipment, given in his memory, will bring fond memories of a gentleman who enjoyed the youth center grounds and the programs that are available to youth and families. Children will have another opportunity for fun thanks to the Fred Teel Memorial."

Habjan expressed appreciation for the work that the caretakers Scott and Tina Sudkamp did at the center. She contributes much of the success at the center as a result of their efforts. They have now served at the center for two years and found last summer to be a busy time.

They provided a summary of the year for the annual report. Thirty-two groups made reservations for 52 days. This included family and church picnics, swimming, Easter sunrise service, trail rides, meetings, fishing tournaments, cardboard boat race reunions.

Twenty groups used the center for overnight, including Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Royal Rangers, families, church youth groups, a women's retreat and the university extension center. Six groups volunteered at the center, Boy Scouts, 4-H church youth group, Rich Hill Youth Development, Friends of the Youth Center, The projects completed by these volunteers included, a foot bridge, paint, paint, paint, hiking trail and roof repairs.

The snack shack reopened in July. It had a profit in only one month of $150. There were a total of 917 swimmers during the summer months.

The Fourth of July stand at Rich Hill is one of the major fund-raising activities. For this event Tina cooked 110 pounds of hamburger for walking tacos and chili dogs and 20 pounds of pork for sandwiches. Thanks were expressed to everyone who helped cook meat at the last minute.

Scott and Tina listed the repairs made at the center during 2006: painted and stained picnic tables (old and new), repainted the interior of the snack shack, scraped and painted the inspiration point shelter, sign shelter and small west picnic shelter was repainted and received a new roof, screens, screen doors, and corners of cabins were repaired, swim area shelter repaired and repainted, door jambs and shower threshold or bathrooms repaired, old batteries were disposed, swim area sign repainted, new GFIs installed and a new dock was installed.

The annual report covered much more. Some will be added in next week's column. Also, next week look forward to information about the 40/40 program that is to be introduced during 2007.