A Brief History Of the Essex Youth Centre

The Essex Youth Centre opened its doors to community youth in 1981 as a crime prevention initiative to appease the community concerns of idle young persons. The early days experienced many setbacks because the Essex Youth Centre committee had insufficient funds to purchase/lease long-term accommodations. Without permanent accommodations they could not access funds on a regular basis to support the program.

The Board of Directors started programming in a soon to be demolished condemned house, then were allowed to operate out of an old garage thanks to Earl Burstyn, then the municipal offices for administration purposes and using schools and the Field House. They became incorporated in 1884 and received status as a Charitable organization. In 1988 the Essex Youth Centre was able to lease an old house on Fairview Avenue from the Town of Essex. This house would be the Youth Centre until 1996. Unfortunately, location was not good for teen programming, and the clientele became younger preteens.

When the Town of Essex partnered with the Greater Essex County District School Board in 1996 to build an eight million dollar Community Arts, Aquatics and Recreational Complex, the Board of Directors of the Essex Youth Centre approached the Town of Essex to purchase space in the basement to develop a Teen Youth Centre. At that time, there were no plans to put a basement in the facility. A thirty-year lease/ownership agreement between the Town of Essex, The Greater Essex County District School Board and the Essex Youth Centre was signed in December of 1998. This lease of $100,000.00 payable in the first three years of operation would ensure sustainability of this organization for many years. Another $80,000.00 was put into the building to complete the interior and furnish the Centre. These start-up capital costs were raised in full by dedicated volunteers who worked many, many bingos to secure a building.

Mary Antonuzzo was the spearhead of this wonderful group (Essex Youth Centre Booster Club). Her dedication to “the dream” paid off when the Essex Youth Centre opened its doors in May of 1999 in our new facility.

A full time Executive Director, Sandy Larivee, was hired to design the building, secure funding for staffing, develop a volunteer base and prepare the space for occupancy. On May 20th, 1999 Josh Vermast was the first student to enter the new Essex Youth Centre. In June of 1999 we received a substantial grant from the Ontario Trillium foundation to provide monies for staffing of this new endeavour. The final payment of the lease agreement was presented to the town of Essex on November 27th, 2002 and now the Essex Youth Centre will belong to the youth of Essex until 2028, a complete new generation from current clientele.