Teen Center hopes to raise $45,000 during See-Saw Marathon
The Common Ground Teen Center, located at 92 N. Main Street in Washington, lost over 50% of its funding in September 2020. Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski, SW PA Teen Outreach Director, was determined to continue providing this safe space for young people.
In response to the financial loss, the Teen Outreach C.O.O., Amy Podgurski Gough, and Peer Educator teens created a See-Saw Marathon to benefit SW PA Teen Outreach Common Ground Teen Center.
The 2020-25 marathons were wildly successful and will be repeated this year from 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.
The fundraiser is a product of the work of the Interact Club of Washington Rotary PA and the Teen Outreach Peer Education program.
The handmade see-saw will be outside the Teen Center at 92 N. Main Street in downtown Washington. Participants will pledge money to see-saw and will continually see-saw for a total of 24 hours. Nearly 100 teen volunteers pledge to keep the see-saw moving.
Teen Outreach Peer Educators coined the phrase BYOP (bring your own pillow). This fun, creative way of raising awareness for the Center is intended to help the teens see-saw their way to achieve the $45,000 goal.
The Outreach hires young people to run the teen-driven Center; they are supervised by young adult alumni and students from Washington & Jefferson College. The Center hosts monthly events, like Rock the Vote, Art Night for the community, Peer Education, Parent/Youth Programming, Respect Online workshops, and others. In addition, the Center hosts weekly D&D Night, Arts and Anime club, and the very popular Cooking Club.
Peer Educators developed an African Connection with teens from Congo; they meet regularly by Zoom and explore each other’s cultures. In 2024 the organization also started an important program focusing on teen mental health, and started a Teen Mental Health Advisory Board to work on mental health awareness and enhance suicide prevention. In addition, monthly meetings are held with teens for a grief and loss discussion.
The Center opened in 2008 and has served a staggering number of teens in 18 years: over 3,200 unique teens have attended with over 38,000 visits.
For more information, contact Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski at mpodgurski@teenoutreach.org or 412-877-4906 or Amy Gough at agough@teenoutreach.org or 201-637-2921.