$3.9 million youth center in a vacant lot near the Missoula County Fairgrounds.
“We're going to relocate the utilities, and that power line is going underground,” said Greater Missoula Youth For Christ director Brent Gyuricza.
Plans call for a 34,000-square-foot facility, with office space for as many as nine nonprofits and a recreation area with a pair of classrooms, a gym, a teen center, a cafe, a computer lab and a sports arena. The building will also house a storage area for the nonprofits.
The center, called the City Life Community Center, is part of a national movement led by Englewood, Colo.-based Youth For Christ USA, said chief operating officer Michael Spottsville.
“We're in the process of gearing up for growth mode,” Spottsville said. “We probably have 180 local ministry centers throughout the nation.”
The national organization hasn't finalized its strategic plan. Its most recent objective was to grow to 300 ministries within five years, Spottsville said.
Each ministry is affiliated with national and regional bodies, but is operated and directed by a local board and director, he said.
The national Youth For Christ movement was founded in 1944. Its first employee was Billy Graham.
In the early days, the nondenominational group held youth rallies. The organization spread across the nation and to 98 countries. About 50 years ago it started in Montana, eventually fostering organizations such as the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch near Billings.
These days, the group has six ministries, one of which operates under the “City Life” banner. Youth For Christ USA is in the process of getting registered trademarks for its brands, Spottsville said. Other ministries include one focused on young people in detention facilities.
Like all of the affiliate groups, Missoula's local Youth For Christ gets its support largely from local volunteers and donors.
The group is not affiliated with any one church, but draws its support from the Christian community, said Gyuricza.
“Between our staff and our board, we represent 12 churches in Missoula,” Gyuricza said. Everyone on its staff of six goes to a different church.
“We recommend and encourage being involved in a local church. We like to think it helps build strong communities,” he said.
For years, Youth For Christ has operated in borrowed spaces around Missoula. The group sometimes meets at the YMCA and takes youth groups each summer to Young Life camps.
Gyuricza, who came to the Missoula chapter almost seven years ago, spent his first few years rebuilding the organization after a period of transition. Funding was low and staffing unstable.
Several years ago, he and the board decided to buy a piece of land and build a community center.
Raising funds for capital projects is hard, Gyuricza said. Lots of people want to help a project with momentum, but it's hard to get started.
“We had some delays,” he said.
But things are rolling now. With the land purchased and construction under way, the checks seem to be rolling in. The organization has some big local donors, giving single gifts to the tune of $45,000 and $50,000. Gyuricza has also received funding from the Murdoch Foundation. And he landed a $37,000 grant from the Missoula Redevelopment Agency.
The goal is worthy, Gyuricza said. He knows firsthand of the need for a recreational facility free to the community.
“There's lots of good outdoor recreation space in the summer, but in the winter months it gets a little bleaker,” he said.
It feels good to be making the dream happen, he said. “It's been an exciting venture. We've been able to get through phase one. We'll dig the foundation and get the main floor system in place and 9,000 square feet under cover.”
The next phase will cost about $1 million. Half of that has been raised, he said. Then will come two final phases of fundraising and construction.
“It's been a long haul,” Gyuricza said.
Reporter Robert Struckman can be reached at 523-5262 or at rstruckman@missoulian.com.
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