IN THE story “The Star Thrower” by Loren Eiseley, a man approaches a boy throwing starfish back into the ocean. The boy is in a hurry but is taking care of putting them back into the ocean. The man approaches the boy and asks him what he is doing with the starfish. The boy replies that the tide is going out and is trying to put the tiny creatures back into the ocean so they won’t die. Scoffing at what the man sees as a vain attempt, he tells the boy there is no way he can save the hundreds of starfish before them. Unfazed in his effort to help, the boy continues his work, bends down, picks up another starfish, and throws it into the surf. Smiling at the man, he said, “I made a difference to that one.”
This is a favorite parable for Franklin County resident Kelly May. In 2010, he and his wife, Jessica, took a group of kids from their church to a camp in Alabama. Inspired by the kids’ enthusiasm for Christ, they wanted to keep this fire for God burning bright. Thus, The Rain Teen Center was born.
“It started back in 2010,” he explained. “Actually, it started two years before that in our church. Our youth group had outgrown our church building, so we began looking for another building. Long story short, we found a building to rent. We then decided to open it up to the community. It was also a great opportunity to bring in the community. So a nonprofit was formed and separated from the church.”
While Kelly knew he could not save every teen in Franklin County, he hoped to be like the boy in the story and help as many as possible. And over the last decade, that has been just what Kelly and a dedicated group of volunteers have done. Along with those who help with The Center, they have created a place where young people can show up and feel welcome, fill their stomachs and hearts, and leave better than they arrived.
“We have a full game room, and kids can come in and play pool, ping pong, foosball, and air hockey,” he said. “We also feed them for free every Wednesday night. We partner with the Franklin County Prevention Coalition, and they come in and share a positive action message. We always have a time when we share the gospel with them. We are a religious organization, and we don’t make any apologies for that. We share Jesus with them, as we believe that’s the only thing that can change their lives.”
After celebrating 10 years of being a faithful resource to the community, Kelly said that it is his dream to see The Center continue to grow and flourish.
“It’s pretty awesome when they stop by to say thank you,” he said. “It means a lot when they tell us we gave them a place when they didn’t have anywhere. We are so thankful for those times. While we can’t save them all, we know if we can help or rescue one of them, we have done something. It’s always worth it.”
Kelly said that there is still a lot of work to be done. But just as it began, the team will continue to move forward in faith and allow God to work through them and all that come through The Rain Teen Center.
“I would love a center with a basketball court and an additional outside area. Our long-term goal would be to have a center that is larger and able to reach even more of the youth of our area.
For more information on The Rain Teen Center, visit therainteencenter.com. GN
