Wednesday, June 20, 2001

In January 2000 the director of the YMCA, Pam Young, attended a follow-up forum sponsored by Georgia Public Television concerning the "Lost Kids of Rockdale County." She mentioned programs and efforts to help youth in Fayette County as some of the positive activities going on in our area.

As the owner of Jitterbugs teen club, I also appeared and spoke about providing alternative entertainment such as concerts and dance events to keep kids out of trouble and keep them involved in positive activities. In May, June, July and August 2000, the teen club sponsored concerts at the YMCA. We had total attendance of 1,000. Twenty bands performed at these four concerts and the August Back to School Battle of Bands was the biggest concert event attended in the last 10 years.

We were honored in 2000 as a recipient of the United Way Metro Wide Grant for bringing communities closer together. The United Way is the umbrella agency that many of our corporate donations go to fund such groups as the YMCA and to help small start-up companies such as mine provide services that cities and counties can not or will not provide.

Several of the young bands that played in 1999 and 2000 have gone on to start their own CD productions, get a record label to promote them and have undertaken tours, including Slow Children at Play, Crisis of Assimilation, Parkside View, and Shrek. Most recently Dead/Alive, a band that played four times at the teen club and the YMCA, inked a contract, cut a new CD and will be on tour throughout the Southeast this summer.

I have been contacting the YMCA since November 2000 and have been brushed off with "we already have dates booked, we have equipment in storage at the Pavilion."

I pointed out to them they have lost over $500 in potential rental dates during March, April and May for 2001 but the personnel were unconcerned. On May 30, after not being called back from the previous week's request, I reached an employee who said they will not allow concerts there as they have plans for this summer and that it was an undesirable element.

As a publicly-funded entity, I pointed out, it is blatant discrimination to disallow groups when rules were followed in compliance from previous activities held there. The YMCA facility is isolated, has a natural sound barrier from other areas and has a great area for playing soccer or volleyball in between band performances. To refuse to allow concerts at this facility is a disgrace and a mockery of what the United Way stands for and should uphold. I have been a recipient of the benefits of the United Way and major donor through my employer in Rockdale County.

I am currently involved in a national grant for teen entertainment, alcohol awareness and rehabilitation and am working with the city of Peachtree City on the steering committee to support the community center bond issue in fall 2001 vote to include an area for teens and concerts. The news we generated nationwide has not gone unnoticed as a television show based on a divorced dad running a community center will premier in the fall of 2001 on one of the major networks.

I plan on holding a concert in June 2001 to headline some of the bands from 2000 and some new emerging ones out of Starr's Mill and Rising Starr Middle School. If you feel strongly that we should provide entertainment for kids locally as a site funded by your contributions, please call the YMCA, 770-719-9622, and express your opinion to Pam Young.

Richard Thompson

Peachtree City

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