‘I’ll forgo my salary to keep doors open,’ The Red Barn leader says

Staff and volunteers at The Red Barn Youth Center on the Key Peninsula know how important it is to keep the center’s doors open for middle school and high school students.

“For some of these kids, this may be the only place where they get a meal in the afternoon,” executive director Clint Rosson said. “This may be the only place where they get to do homework or can socialize.”

The mission of The Red Barn is so important that Rosson and other paid staff are considering forgoing their salaries to keep the center open.

The Red Barn lost corporate grants that were earmarked for utilities, food, heating and cooling and more.

Rosson said local entities such as Pierce County and nonprofits have awarded grants that help build The Red Barn’s infrastructure, but those monies cannot be used for general operations.

“The county has been more than generous,” Rosson said recently. “But we only have enough funding to keep the door open for one more month.”

The Red Barn posted on its website and on social media about the need for donations. While recently giving a tour of the center, Rosson was stopped by an older woman who wanted to write a check for the nonprofit.

“We get a lot of donations like that,” Rosson said, locking away the $250 check. “People just walk in and want to help.”

Barn fills ‘a huge need’

The Red Barn started as an idea in the 1990s by the local WayPoint church. It became a nonprofit in 2014.

“It began by the local churches,” Rosson said. “They saw there was a huge need out here for the students to do something after school. They weren’t sure what type of form it was going to take.”

The Red Barn building used to be a hay-storage facility, a film-packing facility and more before the churches purchased it. Volunteers fixed the building up before opening the youth center.

Today The Red Barn is an independent nonprofit.

“We are not affiliated with any church or parent nonprofit,” Rosson said.

Being independent means The Red Barn can control its program and offer a space to all students looking for a place to hang out and work on their studies. It also means there is no large fund to pull from during lean years.

The nonprofit serves just over 100 students annually.

The Red Barn is open 2:30-6 p.m. during the week. Students are dropped off after school for food, study hall, speakers and classes. Recently the nonprofit finished renovating its back room, which will be used for classes, speakers and can be rented as public event hall.

The Red Barn also has funding set aside to build a covered basketball court. Rosson is especially excited for the court.

“I see students out here in the rain at 42 degrees in just T-shirts,” Rosson said. “And I just worry about this little thing called hypothermia.”

Rosson said The Red Barn is a refuge for many students who come from impoverished backgrounds. Some students come from families with substance-abuse problems, and The Red Barn is a safe place to find friends and eat.

“We have some students who show up seven days a week wearing the same clothes,” Rosson said.

Rosson recalled one student, who recently graduated from Key Peninsula High School, who came every day after school.

“Then at 6 p.m., we didn’t know it, but he walked seven miles home,” Rosson said. “He would do that in the wintertime. His dad said, ‘You want to go to The Red Barn, you have to take yourself.’”

Rosson and others started giving the young man rides to and from the center until he graduated.

Kellie Bennett, The Red Barn’s assistant director, said she enjoys working with the students.

Bennett said she loved middle school, so she wants to nurture a great environment for other preteens.

“I think because I had such a rich experience, I am hoping it’s the same case here,” Bennett said. “We believe this program is important and the student’s safety is important.”

Cierra Clapp, 14, is a freshman at Peninsula High School and has been coming to The Red Barn since sixth grade.

“I don’t think I missed a day in sixth grade,” she said. “I come here for snacks, and it’s easier to do my homework here. I made a lot of friends here.

“Without this place I wouldn’t be as close with the people I have as I am.”

Rosson said the board knows the organization is too important to close the doors, even for a day.

Anyone who wishes to donate to the nonprofit can visit http://www.redbarnkp.org/donate-here/.

This story was originally published September 27, 2018 at 12:00 AM.