Center for Youth
Our Building Story
September, 2023
Wow, what an incredible journey! We’ve teamed up to create a brand-new Kids’ Center. A big shoutout to all the amazing folks who lent a hand in making this happen!
September 7, 2023
We’re officially on the move! Huge thanks to our fantastic supporters: Golden State Water Company, Evergreen Alliance, the incredible Hilda Sramek, the awesome Sam McCall, the dynamic duo Monica & Donald Wissuchek, and our fantastic YC Staff. You rock!
August 28, 2023
What a fantastic day! We’ve aced all the inspections and got our shiny Certificate of Occupancy.
August 13, 2023
We’ve jazzed up the kitchen with sleek, modern fixtures!
August 12, 2023
The flooring project is officially finished, and boy, does it look awesome!
August 9, 2023
Roll on in with our new amenities.
Adding new final touches to the asphalt.
July 26, 2023
We are giving the parking lot a facelift.
July 25, 2023
The Youth Center sign is officially on the building!
Flooring project began this week.
July 15, 2023
Plumbing work in the bathrooms and kitchen.
July 10, 2023
We removed the planter, did a lot of staco work, and worked on the front area of the building.
Electrical work continues. We now have light in all offices and main area. Working on installing outlets for all kitchen appliances we need.
July 1, 2023
With the help of Seal Beach Lion’s Club, Cal Custom Construction, Habitat for Humanity, Board Members, and Staff, we assembled kitchen cabinets.
June 29, 2023
Thank you Kemp Bros Construction for delivering all the kitchen cabinets today.
Painting on the inside today: 4 offices, 2 bathrooms, kitchen area, learning center, library, music and art stations.
June 26, 2023
What a transformation. We are so happy the way colors come together. A welcoming and modern place will be available for kids pretty soon.
June 25, 2023
It’s beginning to look a lot like… our dream! Thank you to everyone who helps us build this center for kids.
In order to paint the outside, lots of patching is required. We made sure our siding, framing and bricks are ready for the painting work.
June 22, 2023
Drywall is in and all hands are on deck with patching and sanding.
June 20, 2023
From hole to window! Our building is slowly shaping up and the windows look incredible. Thank you Ganahl for helping us with windows and doors!
Every business needs a sign! Our marquee sign was installed today by Sir Speedy. What an incredible company to work with!
June 16, 2023
To make the building functional, we need lots of storage space. Our building is not big enough to have storage space in the main room. We installed the ladder to access attic storage.
June 14, 2023
We love to watch things grow, so our team worked on irrigation system today.
Our drywall work started this week.
June 12, 2023
We have a front door now!
June 7, 2023
Lots of work on the exterior front entrance. Brickwork was completed this week.
- The plumber and framing team finished all their final Building dept corrections and the next inspection is scheduled.
- Mechanical work is done!
- Cal Custom Interiors started shiplap work today!
Josh started his work on the exterior wood siding and the exterior windows. He will work on the exterior doors as soon as they come in. Josh is also installing the interior doors and windows and is helping with the kitchen cabinets!
May 25, 2023
- Insulation work has begun.
- We passed the electrical inspection.
- The entry walkway was demoed.
May 23, 2023
- The outside cover is being installed today. Special thank you to Tonnage Industrial for all the steel they donated to us!
Skylights and Sky tubes are in. Framing for the main door is done as well. Thank you to our construction team. We can’t do it without you.
Thank you so much to the Dunn-Edwards Paints for donating 20 gallons of paint! We appreciate your support and can’t wait to paint our new center!
May 22, 2023 – Thank you to the incredible Lions Club of Seal Beach for their ongoing support with our new center. Not only the Library is sponsored by this club but the members came to the rescue to clean up the center in the midst of construction work!
May 21, 2023
- Electrical work is completed
- Roof is done!
May, 2023
- Plumbing is done
- The HVACwork complete.
May 12, 2023 – 2 Transformer Tables & Benches! We were able to purchase them because of the following supporters: Sam McCall, Arnie Fine, Ashley Luong, Amanda Hernandez, Chris Forehan,Lina Lumme,Tanya Menier Bush,Brian Leibl, Omar Bravo Ruiz,Jo Shade,Nancy Heiner,Natalia Ladovirova, and Marilyn Bates.
May 11, 2023
A lot Going on in the next week:
- The HVAC will start installation Saturday
- Roofing should be done by mid next week
May 8, 2023
- Rough in electrical is moving along well, should be done soon
- Rough in plumbing should be done this week
- The flooring sub has agreed to install carpet in the offices and study room
- Hopefully finishing steel and welding will be done by mid next week and we can install the remainder of brick in the front
May, 2023 – We were able to take photos from the storage attic today. Thank you to everyone who helped us with this project. Our vision becomes a reality. A new center filled with children will be making a difference for many families.
April, 2023 – We framed all the offices, learning center, and the loft. We completed plumbing and framed outside flower planters.
We could use help with many different projects. Times may be unpredictable due to construction, however, in the next 4 months, we can schedule dates for different tasks. Sign up if you are interested in helping us. When we are ready to tackle the job, you will be notified. Show up if you can. Sign up online !
April, 2023 – We purchased the kitchen cabinets, all the appliances, windows, doors, and fixtures.
April, 2023 – Now that the preliminary clean up and removal has been done, the crew was able to work on the inside areas. The offices were framed as well as the kitchen, bathrooms and learning center.
3.09.2023 – Our building is getting a facelift. The façade was removed today and the trenching was done. Foundation was secured.
2023 – What a great way to start the year! Epson & Women Helping Youth lend their support for the new rooms in the future Youth Center.
February, 2023 – As the demo continues, we uncovered unique (historic!) wallcoverings from 1970. Messy job of demo is no fun. Thankful to the hard working construction crew who cleaned up the mess!
January, 2023 – After inspection, asbestos was found. The crew in hazmat suits did their job. After Air Clearance Sampling, Analysis and clear report we were back in construction mode.
10.26.2022 – What a great day! Our permits are pulled for our new Youth Center home and we are so excited to start the building process. If anyone is interested in learning more about our new home or support our project, contact us.
Studio M&A provided Architectural Service. For 6 months in 2022, Michael Song worked with his team to create a functional center that will look and feel open and bright. We were able to maximize the space even more by redesigning the bathrooms, adding one more tutoring space and added a storage in the loft area.
On September 17, over 150 guests gathered at TheWhiteHouse in Anaheim to celebrate this nonprofit’s accomplishments and highlight the best of the best volunteers. A proclamation was presented to The Youth Center by Congresswoman Michelle Steel and Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen. Funds were raised to support the new building.
We thank all the individuals and organizations that stepped up to help us raise funds to build our Center for Kids:
- The Bates Family
- Pat Adams (in memory of Chad Kidder)
- The Frankenberg Family
- Seal Beach Lion’s Club
- Kenny Brandyberry
- Carrie Townsend Foundation
- Timken / Bii Aero Services by Timken
- Run Seal Beach
- Talley Foundation
Additional donations from Nate Epstein, Rotary Club, the Barclay Family, the Christin Family, and the Meseck Family.
We drafted a Center that works with our programs:
- STEAM Learning Lab
- Tutoring Center
- Culinary Kids Lab
- Music Academy Hub
- Library and Literacy Center
- Creative Learning Space
- Recreation Area
- Offices for Staff
- Pantry, Bathrooms & Storage Area
In Early 2022, Cal Custom Construction opened up the room to give us an open space for kids.
When everything was cleaned up, the room looked pretty big.
The Youth Center purchased the property on December 16, 2021. Size: 2,200 Sq. Ft. Shared parking. Layout (office spaces). Walking distance from schools
There were many offices inside the building.
We went through the long escrow process (October – December). We got approved for the loan from Southland Credit Union, closed the escrow and got our keys at the end of 2022! We could not have done it without the support of our broker Eric Daschbach.
Best holiday present ever!
On October 27, 2022 The Youth Center Board voted to submit an offer letter for a property. Represented by Eric Daschbach, our broker, an offer letter was submitted. The amazing seller, Jason Von Arx and his family, accepted an offer at $125,000 less than asking price. We will be forever grateful to Jason!
Let's Build a Center for our Youth Together
The Youth Center is building a facility that will be the home we need to expand our mission for years to come… But we cannot do it alone.
$100 – funds one computer chair for child, $250 – provides security device for the center, $500 – provides a sign for the front of our building, $1,000 helps make facility accessible for all children and ADA compliant. Help us make our dream a reality!
Property History
1949 – A local man donated his land to build The Youth Center.
1972 – The building was sold and the funds were given to the City of Los Alamitos with the agreement that The Youth Center will lease the Oak facility. The lease included free rent, free maintenance and free utilities until 2023.
2022 – The Youth Center purchases property on Los Alamitos Blvd with the goal to build a state-of-the-art facility for kids and move operations before the end of the current lease.
Programs for Kids
1952 – The Youth Center becomes an official 501 (c) 3 nonprofit and starts providing after school activities for local children.
1972 – Relocated to the new facility and started providing more programs and serving more communities.
1996 – Summer camps were opened with the partnership of RCSD.
1998 – The center becomes the only provider of music education at all elementary schools in LAUSD.
2015 – More educational and leadership programs added.
2020 – Free childcare offered to essential workers.
2021 – 514 volunteers helped the center during events and programs. 47 adult professional staff and music instructors on the team. 3,185 clients served in one year. One million service hours provided to children since 1952.
2022 – Our future awaits…