Fayette

County is a wonderfully designed area with lots of space

and opportunities for athletic recreation. There are nice

restaurants and shopping areas. The one thing that this

county has always lacked, though, is facilities for

teenagers.

If they are

not members of a sports team or club, or if they don't

have disposable incomes, there aren't very many

opportunities for fun and entertainment.

Richard

Thompson of Peachtree City saw this problem, as most

people in this community do. The difference is that

Thompson decided to do something to help. He has been a

resident of Fayette County for 12 years and has two

teenagers and an 11-year-old at home. He joined the

Commission on Children and Youth and the Youth Advisory

Board and started to pitch in and help with the youth

problem.

In 1995,

Thompson was elected to be chairman of the CCY and the

one thing that always came up as a possible solution was

a teen center. He began to look in to buildings in the

area to house the center and the cost of such a project.

There was no movement on the project and in 1997 Thompson

ran for city council. His platform was to either have a

recreation center built on the south side of Peachtree

City or to have a teen center built in town.

Thompson

did not win the seat on the city council but he did begin

to form alliances with members on the board. He began to

ask students what they would like from a teen center and

got the schools behind his idea. He wanted to purchase a

building in the Braelinn Shopping Center that was vacant,

but the real estate company refused to take a lease. The

shops in Braelinn weren't particularly put off by the

teen center though, and Thompson began to build an

alliance with different companies, including KMart,

Coca-Cola, and his own company Lithonia Lighting.

Recently,

Thompson began talking with David Rosetti and Jim Pace of

Group VI. They were both positive about Thompson's ideas

and they had a building off Steven's Entry in Peachtree

City. It used to be a bowling alley and currently

belonged to a business complex that had relocated. A

third of the building is now Jitterbuggers, and the rest

belongs to the Braelinn Baptist Church.

It took

nearly six years, but Thompson and the teens of Fayette

County have their teen center. Jitterbuggers takes many

of the ideas that have been submitted by students,

including video games, a billiards room, a dance floor

and a stage. Jitterbuggers hopes to be a place where they

can showcase emerging talent in the community. It is

designed for adolescents 19 and younger.

"I

just wanted a place for my kids to be able to go

to," said Thompson. "Churches are interested in

the center and want to help in any way they can. A lot of

the teenagers I've hired have worked with me on the YAB

or the CCY, so they know what will make Jitterbuggers

successful."

The club is

going to be a non-profit entity for at least the first

year. There are food sponsors from Chic-fil-A, Pizza Hut,

McDonald's and Coca-Cola. There is a membership fee of

$25, which grants unlimited access to the club for a

year. There are also two companies that have promised

Thompson that if the fee is too expensive for some people

who wishe to be members, they will cover the cost.

"I

think Jitterbuggers can be an asset to the

community," said Thompson. "At the very least

it gives kids an alternative."