The board of directors for Jordan’s Place Teen Center in Warrenton announced last week that the center closed its doors for good at the end of 2018.The organization announced the decision via an open letter on its Facebook page. Organizers did not give specific reasons for the closure.“We just knew, that for our own well-being, and that of our own families, it was time,” the letter states.Jordan’s Place was founded in 2015 to provide local teens with a safe, fun environment supervised by adult volunteers. A food pantry and other services were also provided through Jordan’s Place.The recreation center got its name and its mission from the story of Jordan Lunsford, a local teen who died in 2014 from a drug overdose. His tragedy drove his mother, Kelli Clodfelter, and a group of like-minded volunteers to create a place where teens could have positive role models and be kept away from dangerous activities.“We truly appreciate everything the community has done for us,” Clodfelter said. She and other volunteers hope to stay in touch with the young people who visited Jordan’s Place, and will still offer help and support for those kids when needed.“We want to tell you, the youth of our community, that we love you with everything in us,” board members said in their letter. “We have enjoyed getting to know each and every single one of you immensely. We challenge you to love yourself as much as we do.”Over the years, community members and businesses donated to provide activities and food for the teens, and a group of volunteers worked in shifts to keep the center open five days a week. But Jordan’s Place also faced significant challenges.Organizers in the past have pointed out that most or all of the adult volunteers who staffed and supervised the center also work one or more other jobs. Co-founder Cathy Pritchett said last year that organizers were seeking more volunteers to help run Jordan’s Place.The teen center also faced financial challenges. In 2017, organizers sought $20,000 from the city of Warrenton to help pay for rent and utilities at its building at 202 E. Main St.The center was temporarily closed in June 2018 as organizers began moving to a smaller location on North East Street, which would have cut its operating cost. That move was stalled and then reversed after some local business owners complained that downtown Warrenton is not an appropriate place for the teen center.After re-opening at its original location in October, organizers said they would continue to recruit and would seek a new long-term location in the future. But last week, those plans were put to rest.Jordan’s Place board members thanked the many families, businesses and volunteers who provided aid over the years.Clodfelter said board members are trying to remain positive, although the letter from the board calls for community members and critics to form a new plan to address the issues facing young people that lead to disaster and heartache.“The issues won’t fix themselves. We, the adults, have to do better for our youth,” the board wrote.One service that Clodfelter and others plan to continue is the Substance Abuse Victims’ Experience (SAVE) program that had been hosted at Jordan’s Place. The program is a partnership with the Warren County court system, which brings drug and alcohol offenders together with victims whose lives or families have been harmed by substance abuse.SAVE’s last meeting at Jordan’s Place is in January, after which the panel will move to Warrenton Christian Church on Highway 47, Clodfelter said.Jordan’s Place is also donating the food and storage equipment for a food pantry hosted at the teen center. The materials will go to the First Baptist Church in Wright City, which will offer its own food pantry.Jordan's Place