Need a Workout? Volunteer at Arriba Teen Center

Workout equipment at Arriba Teen Center has been sitting mostly idle for a year, due to lack of volunteers. Responsible residents are needed to supervise kids in the gym, and at the same time, adults can get a workout themselves.

"We can't keep this open every day if we don't have the volunteers," Kim Lasley told Patch on Tuesday night, as she kept local teens company after hours with snacks and videos.

The teen center is usually open from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday but on Tuesday night, Lasley was there after 7 p.m., with a group of teens huddled around her playing card games, cracking jokes, eating snacks and telling stories. A young man played on a computer in another room, while two more lounged on sofas and watched a video. Another boy arrived with his skateboard.

"We were going to close in January and then again in June," Lasley said, "but the kids wanted to keep it open."

The center operates entirely on donations and it leases the complex on Montecito Road from , she said. Lasley is a district board member. She volunteers at the center and also runs her own Ramona business, Kritter Kamp, a boarding kennel.

Up to 35 teens show up each day. Some practice with their bands at the center; some gather in groups to talk about astrophysics—"I call them the Big Bang Theory group," Lasley quipped.

The center sometimes hosts concerts and there are occasional movie nights.

About six volunteers currently help out. But Lasley said so many people have other commitments, so there tends to be a revolving door of people donating time.

She hopes others will offer to help her on a once-a-week basis.

Arriba Teen Center is at 1710 Montecito Road.