I like Westbrook. I grew up in Portland but until I actually worked there, I don’t think I spent more than three minutes in the city of Westbrook. I remember back in the 1970s and ’80s when the Sappi paper mill belonged to S.D. Warren. That smokestack would funkify the entire Portland area on an overcast day. I am sure that a good number of people would gladly welcome that “bacon meets dirty socks” smell back if it meant jobs.

When I became a probation officer for children 18 and under, back in 2000, Westbrook was not looked upon as a choice spot to have a caseload. There had been a couple of summers when things got kind of rangy on Brown Street, near-riots from what I had heard.

The depressed local economy, combined with oppressive summer heat and an over-consumption of alcohol, sparked some confrontations between groups. Westbrook police had their hands full when they arrived to break up some rowdy block parties. There were a lot of under 18-year-olds running around unsupervised, wreaking havoc.

A lot of families in Westbrook have been there for generations. There are a lot of single mothers and fathers trying to make enough money to keep the heat on and the children fed. There are families where both parents work alternating shifts to make ends meet. Many times this means the kids are left to their own devices until an adult gets home.

There are 10-year-old boys and girls taking care of baby brothers and sisters, grabbing whatever food is at hand for dinner. I don’t want to make Westbrook sound like Darfur. It really is a nice city. It has beautiful Riverside Park directly across from apartment houses, where a number of kids fend for themselves from the end of school until whenever mom or dad can get home.

Back in 1997, officials with the city of Westbrook realized that there were a lot of needy children in the center of town, and they founded the Mission Possible Teen Center at the Dana Warp Mill, a three-minute walk from any house on Brown Street. Since that time, with the help of local businesses and the United Way, middle school-aged children have been able to get help with their homework, play some ping pong or just hang out with the Mission Possible staff.

They can stay after 5 p.m. and help cook up some spaghetti and meatballs or bake a cake. On weekends and vacations, there are field trips to the bowling alley or the movies or, in the summer, camping or whitewater rafting trips. Mission Possible sponsors local battles of the bands and holiday dances, all chaperoned by parents and staff.

In 2004, Mission Possible moved to the old United Methodist Church at 755 Main St. The church is beautiful, but difficult to heat, and Mission Possible is looking at some of the same funding problems that many children’s programs are facing. This past December it raised money by sending the new police chief and most of the City Council over the falls of the Presumpscot River. That helped pay the heating bills for through Christmas.

Mission Possible is throwing the annual Benefit Gala Dinner and Dance on Friday, April 5, from 6:30-11 p.m. at Verrillo’s in Portland. The Bob Charest Band is playing, and tickets are $40 a piece or $70 per couple. I’ve heard the food is excellent and it is a great excuse to have a parents’ night out, so I am going. And it is for a very good cause – children.

If you are interested in making a difference while you are having a good time, you can check out Mission Possible on the Web at mptcteens.org, or call for tickets at 854-2800.

Mike Mack is a probation officer who lives in Windham.