Mentoring Center For At-Risk Teens Opens In Aurora

AURORA, IL — Aurora is home to a new mentoring center for at-risk youth.

The At-Risk Mentoring Community Center's grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday came at the heels of National Mentoring Month. Located in the Hometown subdivision on Aurora's east side, the center is home to after-school programs, weekend activities, mentoring initiatives and a safe gathering space for visitors.

The three-level building, at 1002 Four Seasons Boulevard, was damaged by a fire in 2018, leaving it vacant for five years. Last year, Hometown's developer, Perry Bigelow, gifted the center to David Smith, founder of the mentoring program, known as ARM for short.

The only condition? Smith had to raise $200,000 to renovate the building and bring it up to code, according to city officials. He secured the funds in six months and opened the center in time to celebrate the end of National Mentoring Month, in January.

"The energy that this room will create and change lives of our young people," Smith said at the ribbon cutting. "I just want you to take a second and feel the energy and think about the kids' lives that are gonna change and the young people's lives that are going to change and even the families' lives."

At-Risk Mentoring Community Center is part of the Aurora Mentoring Alliance, which is a city-wide collaborative of about two dozen organizations serving youth in Aurora.