Andrelle Steele, 19, is, according to My Place Teen Center Executive Director Donna Dwyer, “why we are zealots about our mission; he is the reason for it all. He is perfection. And that is why we are.”

And, she added, “thank you to this wonderful city for your love and commitment to our kids.”

The center provided this article by Steele about his experience:

Transitioning from Georgia to Maine was the most overwhelming event in my life. It was extremely difficult for me to leave my family, close friends, and everything else that I loved behind, especially during my senior year in high school. Other than graduating, I didn’t know what I was going to do. When I came to Westbrook, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to fit in with any of the crowds or students at Westbrook High School, which would result in me not having any friends. I was bracing myself for a world of loneliness.

One day, a student at WHS informed me about a place, not too far from the school, where teens my age could go to link up and make new friends. He called it the “My Place Teen Center.” It sounded pretty cheesy to me at first but I had to at least give it a try. Once I got there, I thought I was at the wrong place because it looked exactly like a church from the outside. As I walked through the red doors of the building, my mouth instantly dropped. In my head, I couldn’t believe that I was completely oblivious to this wonderful place that I passed by every day. Inside, they had the best video game equipment, pool tables, ping-pong games, a computer lab, and they even served delicious meals twice a day. What surprised me even more was that it was all free. That’s basically the teenage dream.

More importantly, the kids and teens there were awesome and very easy to approach. I knew that I had found a new place of happiness. A place where I could learn, love, laugh, connect, and just be myself. From there, I started to make many great new friends and I even had the opportunity to meet all the incredible staff members. After months of daily visiting the My Place Teen Center, I was offered an internship, 15 hours a week. I was beyond stoked and I didn’t hesitate to accept. That internship has now evolved into a paid staff member at 30-plus hours per week. I was very fortunate to become a part of this magnificent organization. My family was just as excited as I was and they were so proud of me, which really made my life golden.

At this point, everything in Maine is really starting to look up for me. My grades in school are increasing and I have made a nice group of friends, I have found my spark in life, I have a marvelous job, and my overall confidence has shot through the roof. None of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for the heart-warming environment that the My Place Teen Center provided for me. It’s simply amazing to think that just by walking through those big red doors, my life instantly changed for the better.

Andrelle Steele sits in Donna Dwyer’s chair, typing up some paperwork. Courtesy photo