Late in the afternoon, a rush of kids come running through the doors at Jordan’s Place.The wide, open space is filled with attractive activities for them, like pool tables, foosball, air hockey, and video games. There’s a spot to play piano and guitar, and a place to watch a big-screen television.Even the places to sit have extra cushions, as if the people who decorated it planned to have guests come in and stay awhile.“I come almost five days a week. It’s fun to hang out here,” said Corbin Gasaway, 14. “There’s a lot of stuff to do.”Haley McGee, 14, said she goes to Jordan’s Place, to hang out with friends, or “sometimes to get help with homework and sometimes to take a nap.”Jordan’s Place, located at 202 E. Main St. in Warrenton, is best described as a community center for teens. Its founders, Kelli Clodfelter and Cathy Pritchett, wanted to offer teens a place to go after school that would be fun and safe. And, ultimately, keep them out of harm’s way.The concept — giving teens a place to go after school — and the name of the center was inspired by Clodfelter’s son, Jordan Lunsford, who died in 2014 at the age of 17 from a drug overdose.A few kids who come to Jordan’s Place say they know someone who died from a drug overdose.The familiarity of that was all too disheartening for Clodfelter and Pritchett. If they could offer teens an attractive place to go, a more positive alternative to drugs and other dangerous activities, then that’s what they would do.This July marks the center’s two-year anniversary.Pritchett said even now some people have a misconception of what Jordan’s Place is about.“We are not a rehab. We’re about prevention,” said Pritchett. “We’re a place for kids to hang out. We’re fun, it’s safe and kids can be themselves. It’s structured, but not structured like school.”They can participate in group activities or go their own way, she said.They also encourage family outings. Every Sunday is for all ages, which gives parents a chance to come to the center with their kids.Jordan’s Place is a nonprofit organization. Everything inside has been donated by the community and volunteers run it. Activities are free, too.This year, Prichett said, they are forming a junior board with representatives from each grade level from six to 12, to seek input from the age groups they serve.The only reason kids would need money at Jordan’s Place is to buy drinks and snacks at 50 cents and $1. Snacks and drinks are popular because children often are hungry after school.

After school, Chloe Kramer and Haley McGee, both 14, try out the piano at Jordan's Place. Record photo/ Kate Miller.