The Oasis - Grayslake Youth Center

As the last of our children approached graduation from Grayslake Central High School and enlisted in the Navy in 2003, my husband and I wondered where all the kids still in middle school and high school went to "hang out" with their friends. We had just finished watching an episode of Smallville on TV and Jeff said to me "This town needs a Talon, or something like that". We got into the car and went for a ride around town and figured out that we need a teen center in the downtown location to take advantage of all the amentities the downtown has to offer. There are always kids hanging around Tastee Freez, Dog N Suds, Grinders, the Skate Park and the Library. What they didn't have was a place to be inside when it was cold, and where they could be noisy and interact with their peers in a safe and stimulating enviroment.

I began to talk to the leaders of our town, the Mayor, Police Chief, Fire Chief, Park District Executive Director, School Superintendent, and Principal of the high school (back then, there was only one high school). All agreed that this was an unaddressed necessity and that the students as well as the community deserve a great place for our teenagers.

Thanks to the volunteer help of John Richtman of Churchill, Richtman, Hamilton and Quinn, we applied for non-profit 501(c) 3 status and we were awarded a non-profit status by the Internal Revenue Service. One of the people I talked to, Robert E Frank, knew about a business plan written by a student proposing a teen center and he brought it to me. The plan was a very complete plan written by Ruthie Rubietta and a group of students in the Public Service Practicum class of 2003 at GCHS. I called Ruthie and she became our first board director. Many others volunteered their time over the past 5 years as we worked hard to raise the seed money to make this project work. Nearly every civic organization in Grayslake has made a major financial contribution, as well as donating time and sweat to help us make this happen. The biggest break was when the Village of Grayslake allowed us to lease the 151 Hawley St building after the Park District moved into their new "digs". They granted us use of the building for 15 years in return for building maintanance. The students of Grayslake voted on a new name for the building and they chose the name The Oasis. First runner up was Club 151, second runner up was Nowhere.

About The Oasis

We have created a homework area (not a quiet study area, not a library - we have a GREAT library in Grayslake) but its an area to do some homework as well as socialize. The plan is to have homework help Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 to 8:30 pm during the school year. Help will be provided by volunteer teachers and NHS students. The goal is to assist the student over the "homework hump". We will also have a school supply closet, 5 computers and a printer for the students to use. The center will be wired for WiFi so students can also use their own laptops for projects.

The snack area consists of a soda bar with 4 flat screen TVs which will be playing age-appropriate programing. Snacks available will range from soda and flavored waters to nachos and cheese or salsa, warm pretzels, fruit items, candy, fresh popcorn and on special occasions, we will bring in vendors for pizza , sub sandwiches, burgers etc. Of course, Tastee Freez is right next door as well.

Moving toward the rear, you encouter the media room. The media room will be filled with state-of-the art video games such as PS3, xBox 360, and Nintendo Wii. We have Guitar Hero and Rock Band and look forward to some serious competitions on the brand new 65 inch HiDef TV! We will also be showing movies on the big screen a couple of times a week.

The band room is set up for live music. The sound system is a huge system, and will be the best system most of the bands will have ever played on. We are looking at a system to make a cd of the bands' sets for them to take home with them. Bands will have the opportunity to sell their merchandise as well. Bands MUST agree that there will be no foul language from the stage in order to play at The Oasis.

In addition, you will find air hockey, foosball and billiard tables at The Oasis, but all the game systems and game tables will be put away on special event or band nights to prevent accidental misplacement of accessories.

There will be paid staff at all times, as well as adult volunteers during open hours. In addition, there will be 11 security cameras covering the inside and the outside of The Oasis. Illegal activity will not be tolerated. The police will be called if anyone is suspected of anything illegal. That includes alcohol consumption or possession, drug consumption or possession, tobacco consumption, weapons, or vandalism.

Students can attend by paying a drop in fee of $5 per visit, or they can purchase a monthly membership for $30 or an annual membership for $240. There are discounts available for families with more than one member. Also, those purchasing the annual membership will receive a Merchant Card good for discounts at local downtown businesses. Students who purchase memberships, can bring guests from outside of Grayslake for the same $5 per visit fee.

Here's what a typical week will look like:

Mondays – Video Game Night
Tuesdays – Movie Night/Homework Help
Wednesdays – Video Game Night
Thursdays – Movie Night/Homework Help
Fridays – Concerts
Saturdays – Karaoke

Admission

General – $2.00 Monday – Thursday, $5.00 Friday and Saturday
Monthly – $30.00 *
Annual – $240.00 *

* Monthly and Annual Memberships require a signed permission form. Please print one out here and bring it with on your next visit.

Hours

Mon-Thurs – 3-9pm
Fri-Sat – 3-11pm
Sun – Closed

About the Site Directors

Caitlyn - Site Director

Education:
    - Graduated from GCHS in 2007 and my favorite class was PSP... I wouldn't be able to do the things I'm doing now without this class
    - Current School: College of Lake County
    - Major focus of study: Ummmmmmmm.... Education or Music Business

Goals: My current goals for life consist of finishing college with good grades and minimum debt, working as hard as I can for whatever career choice I make, and being a successful student/employee in my years to come.

Vision for the Oasis: The Oasis is going to be a big hit because I know we can make it that way. You can do anything you put your mind to and the Oasis is a perfect example of that. Kids in Grayslake are going to have somewhere cool, but safe, to go. In my nineteen years of living in Grayslake I never once had this kind of opportunity and wish I did. I can already see the amount of kids coming whether it's for tutoring help, video games, to hang out with friends, and of course, concerts. What could be better in a town like Grayslake than the Oasis?

E-mail Caitlyn

Dan - Site Director

Education: I graduated from Grayslake Central High School class of 2006. I played for the sectional champion baseball team my senior year as well as the years prior. My favorite class was Public Service Practicum (PSP) because it was a class to socialize as well as better our community. I am currently going to College of Lake County and am transferring to Western Illinois University in the Fall of '08. I am currently studying mathematics and education.

Goals: My goals for life I think are simple. I plan to graduate from Western Illinois University with a degree in mathematics minor in psychology as well as a teachers certificate for both. After that I plan on teaching high school math with hopes to become a varsity baseball coach as well.

Vision for the Oasis: My vision for The Oasis is a great feel for teens within Grayslake. It is nice that a student can stay at one place and have the availability and possibility to study, socialize, and just relax all in one place. Because of The Oasis is open to all things, it makes it a great place to help teens stay away from temptations that can be encouraged by not having a safe environment and to welcome their creativity and individuality. The future of The Oasis is in the hands of the teens that come through the center, we need the teens to keep it up to date and continue the positive message that we, as a community, hope to accomplish. I hope that there will always be ideas from all people of the community, no matter age, to help it to succeed. With all this, the future of is a no doubter, The Oasis will be a prime place for teens to be.

E-mail Dan

About the Volunteers

Building The Oasis/Grayslake Youth Center has truly been a grass roots volunteer effort. The original board formed in 2003 and numerous people have served over the years. Huge thanks go out to the following who served in some capacity: Joyce Campbell, Karen Wojciechowski, Robert Wegge, Judy Haga, Ruthie Rubietta, Chuck Carlino, Gerry Carlino, Dan Dalziel, Sherri Dalziel, Terri Hanson, Sharon Wheeler, Stephany Harrington, Ryan Curtis, Greg Henkin, Eric Campbell, Angela Mulcahy, Diana Gwilt, Wendy Petera, Vicki Field, Nikki Rhomberg, Jack Richtman, Jeff Baer, Sam Loeffler, Bryan Gutraj, Dustin Chierico, and lots of students who attended board meetings and contributed ideas.

Once the Village of Grayslake provided a building for our use, we kicked into a new level of volunteer needs. We now needed people who would come and work with their hands and share their expertise, as well as donate or deeply discount the things we needed to equip the center. Phil Kubritz, Architect was the first one to show us guidance, involving Brandon Hatcher, architecture student at UIC, followed by Chuck Loeffler who showed us how to put Phil's ideas to work. The Grayslake Fire Department came in with sledge hammers and full gear and began to tear the walls down. A group of US Navy Corpsman from Great Lakes Naval Base came over and took down some walls as well. Dozens of local residents came in and enjoyed tearing down cinder block on warm summer days. We were then faced with a building that was thigh deep in broken cinder block. Dave Peregrin to the rescue! We cut a hole in the side of the building large enough to drive a bobcat in and Dave and his son Josh arranged to have all the cinder block loaded up and hauled away.

John Styx was the man who came forward to build and create and shore up the building and make it safe. Al Santi from Santi Construction did all the drawings for us. Montori Electric did all the electrical demolition and rebuilding of the entire electrical system. Warren Electric donated nearly all the light fixtures. Some were donated by Cheryl Hudson-Jackson as well. The drywall and some of the ceiling tiles were donated by USG in Libertyville, more were donated by Kelly Grainger, and the balance were donated by Gypsum Supply in Round Lake. Curt Palicki from North Suburban Drywall took care of the drywall taping. Gil Plumbing donated all the plumbing labor and provided fixtures at cost. Miller's Area Heating provided all the supplies and labor for the heating and air conditioning systems. Stanley Steemer sent people in to work. Grayslake Youth Baseball Association sent lots of willing hands to help. Becky Derango, Girl Scout, spent hours recovering chairs for the center. Mary Ann Garcia donated booths for our use. Jim Brew donated paper towel and toilet paper dispensers from Georgia Pacific. Multi-maintenance cleaned our old couches and chairs for us. The Grayslake Kiwanis Club gave us a whole morning of "whatever you need". Best Buy gave us all the electronic equipment we needed at cost. Home Depot of Round Lake Beach gave us massive discounts and gift cards to obtain whatever we needed. Eyes on You Surveillance has donated the security cameras and the installation of the system. GFX International has donated numerous banners for us over the years. Heritage Signs has deeply discounted the exterior sign. The roofing was done by Midwest Roofing and the labor was donated. The skylights were installed by Santi Construction and Midwest Roofing, and Santi Construction also did the trim around the new windows in the band room. Derreck Johnson was kind enough to donate tons of time running around with his huge trailer picking things up for us, as well as building walls and cutting pieces of cinder block out. Amy Edwards was our runner/shopper for a night, allowing the contractors to continue working while she picked up supplies for us. Terry Santi came in at night and cleaned and buffed our new floors until they gleamed! Brian from Home Sweet Home Theater made sure our surround sound and TVs all worked properly as well.

The website and logo were designed by Justin Essenpreis and Ben Hatfield. The sound system was designed by Greg Henkin and Pete Hansen. Hours of labor went into both of these tasks. Fundraising projects were run by four years of Public Service Practicum students at Grayslake Central High School, raising over $25,000. ATC Wegge is handling the payroll for the paid employees at the center.

Meals were sent in for the volunteers by Tastee Freez, Sweet Susies, Mitch's and Sammie's of Grayslake. There is no way to list all of the people who have truly helped, but this is a snapshot - there are truly dozens more who have left their sweat within our walls to make this dream a reality.

The copier/fax/printer have been donated by Kevin at Hansen Associates in Grayslake, and a lot of the printing has been donated by Grand Printing of Mundelein. A brand new couch and chairs were donated by Rudolphs of Grayslake and the sound panels were donated by SPI of Libertyville. The floral arrangements were donated by Barb's Florists, soon to be relocating right behind The Oasis in downtown Grayslake.