LIFESTYLES
WEEKEND, JANUARY 17-18, 2015
1C
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Three teens from Lost & Found Youth Outreach concentrate during an evening of video game competition Friday,
Jan. 9 at the Helen McCune Gymnasium in Pendleton.
Lost and Found
EO file photo
Timbre Fritz uses a power washer while working
with other teens to rebuild old bikes in Pendleton
in 2011. Pendleton on Wheels, the local bike club,
has teamed up with youth from the Lost and Found
Youth Outreach program to teach youth how to re-
build bicycles that have been collected by the Pend-
leton Police Department.
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Three teens from Lost & Found Youth Outreach shoot the breeze
during a recent game night at the Helen McCune Gymnasium.
Youth Outreach program provides
safe place for teens to grow up
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
A week in the life of a member
of youth club Lost and Found Youth
Outreach is packed.
The average week could bring a
video game tournament, a dodge-
ball game or a skiing trip.
But the teens and preteens that
frequent the events say they get
more from the program than a place
to hang out, though that’s still im-
portant. Tuesday’s meeting was in
a community room at Hailey Place
Apartments in Pendleton, which
chatter.
Conner Laurson, 18, has been
with Lost and Found for seven
years, a time in which he credits the
program for keeping him from go-
ing down “a dark path.”
Laurson said he grew up getting
bullied to such an extent that he be-
came a bully himself. His behavior
was getting so bad, he said he was
on the brink of being sent to juve-
nile hall.
Laurson not only credits Lost
and Found for giving him the tools
to deal with his emotions, but also
the wherewithal to overcome a
speech impediment that rendered
him virtually incomprehensible.
A safe place
Lost and Found founder Danny
Bane said supporting kids like Laur-
son is what his program is all about.
A former alcohol and drugs
counselor with Umatilla County,
Bane started Lost and Found 12
years ago to help offset rapidly di-
minishing mental health services in
Eastern Oregon.
The premise of Lost and Found
is simple — offer kids a safe place
to share their feelings without fear-
ing retribution.
After offering support to their
members, Lost and Found turns
around and encourages them to sup-
port their community.
“It’s group therapy but it doesn’t
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
A group of teens from Lost & Found Youth Outreach listen to Danny Bane before they start an eve-
ning of games at Helen McCune Gymnasium in Pendleton.
“It’s group therapy but
it doesn’t appear that
way to them.”
— Suzanne Moore, director
of Lost & Found Youth Outreach
appear that way to them,” Director
Suzanne Moore said.
Lost and Found organizes clean-
ups at Roy Raley Park, rebuilds
off public property.
Eighteen-year-old Kenny Stew-
ard takes pride in the bikes he’s built
for charitable causes in the past.
Steward knew what it was like
to need a helping hand. The Pend-
leton High School senior left school
for two weeks with the intention of
never returning, before Bane found
him and personally convinced him
to give school another try.
Steward is now on track to grad-
uate and intends to apply to St. Mar-
tin’s University in Lacey, Wash.,
where he hopes to pursue a career
in nursing.
He decided to seriously look at
-
ing a Pendleton doctor as a part of
Lost and Found’s “Bridges” pro-
gram.
A bridge to a job
-
plans underway to start another in
the near future.
The program is comprised of 24
classes focused on teaching older
teens the skills they need to succeed
in life.
Bridges not only helps connect
kids with potential employers like
Safeway, Newlywed Foods and the
Round-Up Athletic Club, but also
helps advance their career ambitions
further.
Jade Patterson, 17, has been
with the program for four years. In
addition to attending school during
the daytime, she also works 30 to
40 hours a week at Burger King on
nights and weekends.
With the help of a Bridges con-
nection, Patterson plans on enroll-
ing in Blue Mountain Community
College after she graduates from
high school. From there, she plans
on transferring to Western Oregon
University, where she plans to major
in either education or psychology.
Like many other Lost and Found
members, Patterson attributes the
organization with helping her come
out of her shell and giving her a
space to share her feelings.
“It’s helped expand my circle ...
I’m more tolerant,” she said.
Although Lost and Found is af-
-
nity Church, Bane said the organiza-
tion welcomes all kids and focuses
primarily on kids being able to use
their skills to help the community.
Lost and Found recently scaled
back their limit from 800 kids to
500, focusing primarily on the stu-
dents who are serious about the pro-
gram.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra at asi-
erra@eastoregonian.com or 541-
966-0836.
EO file photo
EO file photo
Danny Bane, at left, walks with a group of kids from the Lost and Found Youth Outreach program
during a cleanup effort along the River Parkway in Pendleton in 2011.
Skateboarders watch as Aaron Johnson grinds on the coping
of the bowl while warming up before the start of the Pendleton
Skate Camp at the Rudy Rada Skatepark in Pendleton in 2009. The
skateboarding was a joint venture with the Lost and Found Youth
Outreach program and Pendleton Parks and Recreation.