5) A business environment that

recognizes the opportunity of having a community facility for their young

people and will support it with their finances and time.

6) Finally, the young people

and their parents must buy into the need and support it with their talents

and time.

We are pleased to see that

the city of Peachtree City has now begun a proposal to build a community

center/teen center to be financed partially by a hotel tax-bond issuance.

The YMCA facility on Huiet Road between Peachtree City and Fayetteville

has worked with the Jitterbuggers teen club to promote concerts and one

day will have budgeted an area for teen expansion. Finally, several independent

businesses in Peachtree City have contacted us with possible merger expansion

plans to include a new site for the Jitterbuggers teen club.

To be successful, all six components

must exist within the community. Sadly, the city of Fayetteville must

realize what has already been recognized by churches, businesses, the

school board and parents and teens: That Fayette County has almost 10,000

young people between the ages of 12 and 20.

Without providing them a safe

environment free of unscrupulous adults and an "arrest them at all

cost" mentality, we will be driving away the most important part

of any community the young people.

An old fable this brings to

mind is the city of Hamlin that failed to pay the Piper, and with that

he responded by luring out all the young people, never to return again.

The vitality of the community was zapped, never to recover. How long can

we accept the statement by many of our young people, They can't wait to

get the hell out of Fayette County! The Piper is the city of Atlanta and

Buckhead. Where do you want your teens to be, Fayetteville?

We have made it our personal

mission to stop this exodus and by working one-on-one with the kids have

surpassed 12,250 in attendance, 30 local bands from eight different schools

performing over 125 times and a membership and repeat customer base of

over 350 young people.

We will be representing Fayette

County as the opening number in The Children's Healthcare Parade Dec.

2, 2000 along with the 250-member concert performing band of Salem High

School, Conyers, presenting 40 young people doing a ballroom dance to

the tune, "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year."

Richard Thompson

President, Jitterbuggers

Teen Club

National Headquarters

Peachtree City