Youth centers look for help

After a robbery in their nonprofit clothing store, the directors of Pa’lante and Youth Creating Change realized they needed some management help.

On Memorial Day $3,000 worth of merchandise was stolen from Identity on 110 W. Main St in Carrboro.

“The robbery highlights the fact that we can’t do it all ourselves,” said Laura Wenzel, director of the Hispanic youth program, Pa’lante.

“We need help with the management of supervising the youth, keeping youth engaged and training the youth in leadership skill for management.”

The two nonprofit groups are seeking a program coordinator, but funding is short by $9,000.

Wenzel said they will most likely hire from AmeriCorps, which will cost $14,000.

Strowd Roses, Inc. Foundation, a local private charity, provided a grant of $5,000, but the rest will have to come from donations and pledges, Wenzel said.

The Americorps’ application is due on June 23, and Wenzel said they would like to be financially set before applying for a program coordinator.

But the days left to raise money in addition to completing regular responsibilities are numbered.

Wenzel said the group is relying on the community to step up to the plate and support their cause.

“The community needs to realize how vital community programs are,” Wenzel said.

“We need to keep things from falling apart for our poor and disadvantaged people.”

Pa’lante, whose teen members publish a Spanish magazine, supports itself through advertising.

The Youth Creating Change’s clothing store produces some financial aid but does not generate enough money to sustain an employee.

The group is focused on teaching entrepreneurial skills to black teenagers.

The two groups, Pa’lante and Youth Creating Change, which is a youth program directed at black teens, combined efforts in January.

To save money on costs such as rent, the two groups moved into one building that they call Club Neon.

If the funding for the program coordinator is not found by June 23, Wenzel said they will have to talk to AmeriCorps to see if it will accept the application without funding, but she hopes that conversation will never have to take place.

For more information on Club Neon call Laura Wenzel at 619-1023.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.