Thanks to The Bridge Teen Center, located at 15555 S. 71st Court in Orland Park, teenagers in the area have a fun and safe place to go after school. While many teens are left unsupervised in the three to four hours proceeding from the final school bell, those aged thirteen to eighteen (7 – 12 grade) are encouraged to participate in the Center’s FREE programs where they can hang out with friends, do homework, work with a tutor, or participate in one of the center’s many free holistic programs.

 Founder and executive director Priscilla Steinmetz explains, “We’ve created programs here in Orland Park that young people really look forward to each week. We have everything from fitness programs to hands-on hobby workshops to culinary classes. We also offer support to parents of teenagers – all at no charge.” The Center first opened in June 2010 and is currently expanding their current space to provide additional space for free music lessons, live music, a recording studio, and weekly fitness classes.

 As part of The Bridge Teen Center’s “Mind and Body” programming, on Thursday, May 12, 2011, Meijer Healthy Living Advisor Maribel Alchin will be visiting the Center to host a free cooking class for the teens. From 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., Maribel and a group of teens will be preparing a healthy stir-fry from scratch. Maribel will provide the teens with the skills necessary in the kitchen, as well as the education of learning how to cook healthier using the NuVal system implemented at Meijer.

“This is the third time Maribel has worked with us at the Bridge Teen Center, and we’re delighted to have her back!” says Priscilla enthusiastically. During the summer of 2010, Maribel took several teens on a field trip to the Orland Park Meijer store, located just down the street from the Center at 15701 71^st Court, and gave them a tour of the store and introduced them to the NuVal system. Maribel also hosted a cooking class where the students learned how to make lasagna in March of 2011.

Teens from the area are encouraged to participate in some of the many programs offered by The Bridge Teen Center. If you would like to sign up for this upcoming cooking class or learn about other programs and classes, please contact The Bridge at (708) 532-0500 or email info@thebridgeteencenter.org. You can also visit their website at http://www.thebridgeteencenter.org for additional information regarding programs, news and upcoming events.