Perhaps the only thing sweeter than the drinks and treats served at a coffee shop in Sedgwick is the community spirit that started it all.
“A few families just coming together and starting to dream how to make a difference in the lives of kids,” said Damon Young, president of the non-profit called Sedgwick Meeting House, Incorporated.
“For the longest time, except for the two restaurants in town, there wasn’t a place in town for kids to hang out, and there needed to be,” said board member, Kelley DeGraffenreid.
The DeGraffenreids bought an old building in town, and the brainchild of a few became a mission for many.
“Tons of volunteers,” said DeGraffenreid. “Most of the work done on the inside of this building was done with volunteer labor.”
Now called The Meeting House, it’s a fun place for teens who used to have few options.
“When I was younger, we would mostly just go to the gas station,” said student, Laurel Nicholson.
But at the coffee shop, kids are encouraged to loiter.
(Read more: Top Stories | KSNW)