How it all began
It all began over 20 years ago when the God put a vision in our hearts to create a wholesome, positive, loving and safe environment for our youth to hang out after school. At the time, we were raising a teenager and realized the real need. (Below is the short version of how all things come about)
Our vision was to provide an alternative to existing recreation and entertainment, to offer a safe haven for students. Our idea was to promote respectful attitudes, be uplifting, encouraging, but most of all committed to sharing love that leads to life transformation. Our hearts hurt for the generation we were losing to this world and all the influences that surround them. We decided to do something!
In July 2007, with the help of several parents just like us, with a building graciously given, $75 in seed money, and God leading us; we opened an afterschool drop in center for youth, 6th grade and up in Washington, IA. This faith-based, non-profit was called Hamakua Place, and later OneEighty Teen Center and continued to serve the community faithfully, under new leadership until it closed in Dec. 2017. Deb served as Pastor and Executive Director for over 9 years until our move to Minnesota, Jim on the board of Directors and also served as our ‘maintenance’ person. We were so blessed as we watched lives being changed and students, as well as adults/families changing their life direction, leaving destructive habits behind and striving to become who God created them to be!
In April of 2016 after much thought and prayer, we decided to relocate to New Prague, Minnesota to live closer to our children and grandchildren. Jim had a new job, we had found a new church home and we began getting involved in our community. We had really thought working with teens was a thing of our past but we soon realized that the needs of the youth in this area were the same or possibly even greater and God wasn’t finished with us yet! Our vision restored and re-ignited our passion to develop a new youth facility here in the New Prague area. God united us with many like-minded community members and the campaign had began in Sept. 2017. The Well Youth Center opened it’s doors on east main within the Gerold Brothers Construction building February 2018. We partnered with TreeHouse Inc of Minneapolis in June 2018. TreeHouse has over 45 years of experience working with hurting teens, we wanted to bring support groups and one-to-one mentoring to the teens in our community through TreeHouse. The TreeHouse mission so lined up with ours, to end hopelessness among teens, to provide a safe space for teens to gather and to help lead them into a transformed life. In February 2020, we launched a second TreeHouse location in the Savage-Prior Lake area and over the past five years have grown to 5 locations across Scott County and serving over 200 teens. In January of 2022, we relocated The Well to a ‘uptown’ location next door to the library and city park. In March 2022, we formed a partnership with Scott County to assist with truancy issues across all middle-high school. We created a program called P.A.T.H. (Promoting Attendance Through Hope. We currently have 4 employees and many committed and passionate volunteers and are super excited to see what God has in store over the next several years. God is good! We thank all that help us with support, love, encouragement and prayer.
Blessings,
Jim & Deb Bodensteiner