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Furman University and YMCA of Greenville have created a new center in downtown Greenville that will provide a wealth of programs for the community, including activities for teens as well as a variety of events that would normally take place on the Furman campus.
Furman and the YMCA will jointly operate �FYI� (Furman YMCA Interactive), a 3,800-square-foot facility located at 612B South Main Street. The center occupies the second floor above the Go Fish gift shop, across from Falls Park and next to Spill the Beans. The YMCA will provide programming for the teen center, which will be open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Activities will include live music, art and photography shows, open-mike poetry readings, college counseling, tutoring and drop-out prevention seminars. The YMCA�s Teen Services Branch and the State Offices of the Youth in Government program will also be housed at the facility. Furman will use the new FYI center to sponsor events for the entire community throughout the week, including community-focused lectures, art exhibits, and faculty and student concerts. Members of the community can also come to FYI to reserve tickets for arts and athletic events on campus. Both Furman and the YMCA will have staff members at the center throughout the day. The space can accommodate up to 150 people and is flexible enough to seat 100 for a theatrical production, concert or lecture. �We are pleased to join with the YMCA in this very exciting project,� said Furman president David E. Shi. �As two of the primary beneficiaries of the Hollingsworth Funds, the charitable trust focused on enhancing the greater Greenville community, it makes perfect sense for Furman and the YMCA to be involved in such an effort. We have worked successfully with the YMCA on a number of community-outreach programs in the past, and we look forward to working with them again. It also is fitting that Furman is returning to downtown Greenville 50 years after moving to the �new campus.�� Mary Capers Bledsoe, executive director of Teen Services for the YMCA of Greenville, said FYI �will meet a growing need in our community by providing a place for positive, after-hours activities for teens. The YMCA has a mission to help everyone grow in spirit, mind and body, and high school teens need more opportunities to do so.� Teens may become members of FYI at no cost, and membership is available to all high school students in Greenville County. Teen members must adhere to a code of conduct and behavioral standards. �This unique center should also have a positive impact on graduation rates in Greenville County by helping teens to understand the importance of completing their education and the value of higher learning,� said Scot Baddley, YMCA of Greenville president and CEO. �FYI offers teens a safe place to learn more about themselves and understand the importance of building relationships with others while developing leadership skills�and having fun.� FYI will begin its teen activities in late March. The center will have its grand opening on Friday, April 11, and there will be another celebration specifically for teens on Saturday, April 26. Furman will sponsor its first art exhibit, ��6, 7, 8, 9 �,� in the space March 5-April 11. The free exhibit will showcase the paintings in mixed media of eight members of an advanced adult critique group that meets monthly under the auspices of the Greenville County Museum of Art�s Center for Museum Education and is led by Furman art professor Michael Brodeur. The gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information about the FYI teen center, contact the YMCA of Greenville at 864-230-6196. To learn more about Furman�s activities at the center, call 864-294-2185. (Image provided by Furman Universtiy.)
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