Saundra Colello“We’re in the prevention business.”
“We’re in the prevention business.”
So says Saundra Colello, executive director of Medard’s House, a New Cumberland youth center that focuses on giving youth productive, supervised things to do during the after-school hours—as opposed to “getting into stuff.”
Kylee Thompson, Cedar Cliff High School senior, is one of those young people.
“I just really love the people,” said Thompson, of the reason she goes to Medard’s House.
She also loves Mexican Wednesday, when chef Andre Young fixes one of his delicious recipes of enchiladas, tacos or quesadillas. A meal is provided each Monday through Thursday when the center is open.
Mealtime is part of the programming at Medard’s, which concentrates on life skills.
“We provide a place for the kids to come that is not only a safe place, but it’s a place where they can learn life skills and learn about who God is in their life,” said Bruce Chambers, program director.
These life skills are on full display in the kitchen.
A young woman carries a tray of garlic bread through the kitchen to the broiler, proclaiming, “Watch out!” Then Young gives her instructions on setting the broiler. “You keep your eye on it,” or it will burn, Young explains. Some youth are washing dishes from the lasagna and chicken broccoli Alfredo that are already in the oven.
These teens also need to clean up after themselves. After dinner, it’s all hands on deck.
“It’s the best job I’ve ever had,” Young said.
With Young’s help, youth are also growing food. This spring, it’ll be herbs, which they’ll then incorporate into a dish for a cook-off. In the summer, they’ll participate in the “Garden-to-Table Program” and grow their own food in a garden on the campus.
Food is just one aspect of the life-skills fun. Participants have learned to change a tire, change the car oil, and do light electrical work.
“They jump right in,” Chambers said. “I think they enjoy the change…because it’s not the same old routine.”
A Real Passion
Medard’s is a safe place to learn, grow and sometimes fail, while staff strives to cultivate leadership skills.
“What we’re trying to do, more and more, is identify who will be leaders and allowing them the opportunity to step into some of those roles,” Chambers said.
Thompson has done just that. Serving as an intern this school year, she participated in most aspects of the center, from the more enjoyable after-school-program to the more mundane paperwork and office duties.
Medard’s has certainly stuck with her.
“I hope to pursue Medard’s House at a different level,” she said. “I hope to come on the staff eventually.”
When Thompson described how she feels at Medard’s, you can understand why she wants to make this her work.
“When you walk through the doors and you meet the staff and the other kids, I just feel like there’s a weight lifted off of everyone’s shoulders,” she said. “Like you can really be yourself.”
She described that, in school, students put on a persona, based on the environment. Not so at Medard’s. Thompson said that the musical kids, the sports kids, the band kids and the academic kids all come to Medard’s. The center has a basketball court, climbing wall, homework tables, board games and the like. It provides homework help for those who desire it.
“We’ve helped quite a few kids through tests they thought they weren’t going to pass,” Colello said.
Twenty to 45 young people gather at Medard’s on any given afternoon. When they arrive, their cell phones go into a pouch on the wall.
Medard’s provides transportation to, and if necessary, from the center. Students from Allen, New Cumberland and Crossroads middle schools attend, as do those from Red Land and Cedar Cliff high schools. During the darker winter months, staff provides rides to kids who live within walkable distance.
“We even take kids that are living right here in the New Cumberland area—safety first,” Chambers said.
The center invites groups or individuals to come and share their particular skill or knowledge, to teach a trade, or to inform them about their organization.
Medard’s House is named after Medard Kowalski, who was part of a group of kids who regularly hung out at Colello’s house.
“He had a real passion for life,” Chambers said.
He tragically lost his life in a canoeing accident on the Susquehanna River in 2014. The following year, the Kowalski family and Colello formed Medard’s House in his honor.
“I think Medard would be really, really pleased about Medard’s House,” Chambers said.
Data can help describe the success—how many young people attend, how many meals are served, how many programs are offered, etc. But some important things are immeasurable.
“It’s very hard to calculate that kids aren’t doing something because you exist,” Colello said.
However, for each hour that youth are at Medard’s, one can gauge what they aren’t doing. They aren’t fighting, on social media, being bullied, scrolling, or “getting into stuff” that young people often stumble into.
For more information on Medard’s House, visit www.medardshouse.org.
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