EXETER - The New Outlook Teen Center has received a $50,000 grant from Exeter Hospital in acknowledgment and support of the center’s contributions to the health and well-being of local teenagers.

The unrestricted grant is the most substantial contribution to date provided by the hospital.

Ray Goodman, director of New Outlook, said that about half of the money will be used for capital improvements to plumbing and electrical systems in the center’s Front Street building, for lighting and ceilings in the main programming area and to complete a kitchen renovation project.

"The unrestricted nature of the hospital grant really allows us to leverage other sources of support, expanding the possibilities of what we can consider doing with other monies," Goodman said. "It gives us a more stable picture, and lends credibility as other funding sources consider our needs, by demonstrating local community support."

Other funding sources award grants for specific purposes that have enabled the center to expand its programming. The hospital’s grant supports the administrative underpinnings of the center.

Exeter Hospital has provided annual financial awards to New Outlook since the center opened its doors in 1993. According to Dr. Bert Dibble of Exeter, founding president of the teen center, community leaders turned to Exeter Hospital for financial support in starting the center after a rash of teen deaths from suicide and accidents prompted a quest for alternative support systems to troubled teens.

Exeter Hospital president Kevin Callahan, right, shakes hands with New Outlook Teen Center director Ray Goodman after the hospital donated $50,000 in grant money to the center. Courtesy photo

Dibble said the number one objective at the center’s inception was to create a drop-in center. "The afternoon is a dangerous time for adolescents," said Dibble. "It takes two parents to afford a mortgage now, and unless kids are involved in sports or clubs at school, they don’t have anything to do after school."

"The hospital has remained a key contributor to the teen center," he said.

The hospital’s involvement extends far beyond its financial contributions. It provides training such as first-aid and CPR and offers nutrition education programs to center staff and youth. The hospital also makes meeting space available to the center and other area agencies that serve local youth.

In networking around the state, Goodman has concluded that Exeter Hospital is unique in its investment in and generosity to the community.

"We are fortunate to have this level of connectedness to the hospital," Goodman added.

In addition to its after-school program, the teen center offers middle- and high-school youths a summer adventure program as well as ongoing recreational, educational and prevention programming. Some of the regularly scheduled activities include camping, hiking and ropes courses, and cooking and nutrition classes.

Hospital spokesperson Ron Goodspeed complimented the New Outlook Teen Center staff on its commitment and the success of the program, which dovetails with the hospital’s mission to improve the health of the greater Exeter community.

Goodman said community support such as Exeter Hospital’s annual grant has enabled "a diversity of programs and consistency in implementation. This has increased attendance. The kids who come here experience a sense of belonging and acceptance by their peers."

The New Outlook Teen Center serves 300 to 400 teens each year from the towns of Brentwood, East Kingston, Exeter, Kensington, Newfields and Stratham.