Second Story Teen Center has been serving youth in Bureau County since 2009. The organization was founded by Jeff and Dana VanAutreve after the community began seeing a rise in the number of teen suicides. The VanAutreves saw a need for the community to have a safe space for teens to gather outside of school and turned the second story of their flooring shop into a space where teens could hang out. They named it Second Story, not only for the location, but also on the idea that everyone has a second story and chance to rewrite the narrative to their own future. The results were significant, and they began to see a positive impact in their community and in the lives of the hundreds of teens they began to serve from all across Bureau County.
In 2014, Second Story Teen Center became an incorporated 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and now offers free after-school programs four times per week, serving 50-100 teens each night, reaching an estimated 8000 teens annually. Teens participate in structured skill-based classes, including cooking, sewing, guitar lessons, woodworking, art, and more. Second Story also offers a food pantry to alleviate the costs of basic-needs items and help improve teens’ physical health, mental health, and academic achievement. They also offer a post-secondary scholarship fund for teens to further their education.
In 2020, Second Story expanded to provide students with transportation to and from the facility, providing a safe way for teens to attend the programming and get home after dark. In 2026, Second Story received a $9500 community grant from Starved Rock Country Community Foundation to expand their bus program to serve the rural areas of Bureau County. As Second Story has expanded throughout Bureau County, the need for adequate and safe transportation has grown significantly. Many teens do not have access to transportation, particularly after 8:30, when public transportation such as BPART, is not available. In addition, the added transportation opportunities make it possible for teens to now have access to the food pantry at Second Story as well.
To learn more about Second Story Teen Center, visit https://www.secondstoryteencenter.org . To learn more about Starved Rock Country Community Foundation’s community grants, visit https://srccf.org/community-grants/.
