Second Story Teen Center

10/21/2026

Hope to see you all tonight for a mystery game 🎃

Who Smashed the Pumpkin? Mystery Game 🎃

📅 October 21st, 2026
🕰️ 6-8
📍 Second Story Teen Center 125 S Main St Princeton.

10/20/2026

Are you a 6th, 7th, or 8th grader looking for some adventure?
Princeton Rotary Club invites you to a FREE event!
Imagine yourself immersed in nature away from technology for a day! Dates listed below.
9:00 am to 2:30 pm at Echo Bluff Park, Spring Valley, Illinois
Transportation and lunch provided!

10/20/2026

Let's thank Sherry for all she does in keeping our pantry stocked, making the runs to the food banks, bringing the food back to the SS pantry, and unloading trucks as food comes in. Every time something is bought or donated, we have our pantry crew who sort and stock the shelves for the teens and their families to shop every night we are open. Sherry, you have done an outstanding job serving in the pantry and keeping it looking amazing. Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication!!

I have been retired from teaching since June 2021. I worked part-time for the FARM STEW Ministry for a few years. I continue to volunteer for them. I started volunteering for Second Story in 2022. I helped the Seventh-day Adventist Church serve a few meals. I started to volunteer consistently with a couple of other church members to sort clothing and food items for the teens. As Second Story continues to grow, I now work only with food items. Occasionally, I go to Midwest Food Bank to help with the food pickup. Usually, I am here every Thursday to get the food from River Bend, Midwest Food Bank that gets delivered, or I am restocking the shelves and organizing them. I have gotten to know and admire Dana and several other volunteers. What amazing leaders we have! The caring and character that I witness weekly is a true blessing. This community is so fortunate to have Second Story and leaders and volunteers that actually care about the teens in their community, and the surrounding community is outstanding. Hats off to everyone involved and everyone attending Second Story!I have been allowed to work out of the old building and this new one. Both hold wonderful memories. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this great organization!
Sincerely,
Sherry Hughes

10/19/2026

Who Smashed the Pumpkin? Mystery Game 🎃

📅 October 21st, 2026
🕰️ 6-8
📍 Second Story Teen Center 125 S Main St Princeton.

10/19/2026

Our highschool Life-group enjoyed a trip to Tanners Orchard. Thank you Jan for taking the kids on this fun day trip.

10/17/2026

On behalf of Second Story Teen Center, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation for helping fund transportation for teens living outside of Princeton.

Your generosity is making a meaningful difference in the lives of our young people by helping remove transportation barriers and allowing more teens to access a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment. Every teen deserves the opportunity to connect with others, participate in activities, build meaningful relationships, and feel like they belong, regardless of where they live.

Because of your support, we can reach more young people in Bureau County and provide opportunities that may otherwise be out of reach. Your investment in our mission is an investment in the future of our youth and our community.

Thank you for believing in Second Story Teen Center and for helping us ensure that distance is not a barrier to opportunity. We are truly grateful for your partnership and commitment to making a difference in the lives of our teens.

Second Story Teen Center has been serving youth in Bureau County since 2009. The organization was founded by Jeff and Dana VanAutreve after the community began seeing a rise in the number of teen suicides. The VanAutreves saw a need for the community to have a safe space for teens to gather outside of school and turned the second story of their flooring shop into a space where teens could hang out. They named it Second Story, not only for the location, but also on the idea that everyone has a second story and chance to rewrite the narrative to their own future. The results were significant, and they began to see a positive impact in their community and in the lives of the hundreds of teens they began to serve from all across Bureau County.

In 2014, Second Story Teen Center became an incorporated 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and now offers free after-school programs four times per week, serving 50-100 teens each night, reaching an estimated 8000 teens annually. Teens participate in structured skill-based classes, including cooking, sewing, guitar lessons, woodworking, art, and more. Second Story also offers a food pantry to alleviate the costs of basic-needs items and help improve teens’ physical health, mental health, and academic achievement. They also offer a post-secondary scholarship fund for teens to further their education.

In 2020, Second Story expanded to provide students with transportation to and from the facility, providing a safe way for teens to attend the programming and get home after dark. In 2026, Second Story received a $9500 community grant from Starved Rock Country Community Foundation to expand their bus program to serve the rural areas of Bureau County. As Second Story has expanded throughout Bureau County, the need for adequate and safe transportation has grown significantly. Many teens do not have access to transportation, particularly after 8:30, when public transportation such as BPART, is not available. In addition, the added transportation opportunities make it possible for teens to now have access to the food pantry at Second Story as well.

To learn more about Second Story Teen Center, visit https://www.secondstoryteencenter.org. To learn more about Starved Rock Country Community Foundation’s community grants, visit https://www.srccf.org.

📷: Michael Stutzke, Pamela Beckett, and Jaimie Pinter, Executive Director of Second Story Teen Center. Photo provided by Second Story Teen Center.

10/16/2026

Reminder that the next class for this is Oct 19th 4-5:15 pm Flavor Frontier. Hope to see you there Monday!!

10/16/2026

We want to thank Emily for all she does for Second Story. You have been so successful with your pledges, fundraising, and grants in the short amount of time you have taken on being our Grant writer. Emily is an integral part of the success of Second Story! She originally kept basic financial information organized, and has now become our grant writer, treasurer and accountant liaison. She's an incredible writer, loyal supporter, and bright, shiny star in our Second Story organization! Help us thank her for all her hardwork and dedication to our teen center and our youth.

“My role in Second Story is making sure it is funded so that it continues being this amazing thing in our community. Telling our story and how incredible Second Story, our volunteers, and our community truly are is what writing is all about. I reside in Princeton with my husband of 18 years and our 4 beautiful kids. Even though I am more behind the scenes you may see my 4 kids running around Second Story every Tuesday and Friday night. Fun Fact: Jeff and Dana are my parents. Second Story reaches the areas in our community that need the extra attention, extra love, extra care, and extra stability that this center brings weekly. Loving on the next generations to come, showing them they are never alone, and that they are valuable just as they are is my why.”

10/14/2026

Certified Food Manager’s Class/Exam

📍 Second Story Teen Center
125 S Main St Princeton
📅 Saturday October 31, 2026
⏰ 9am- 5pm
Please register for class there is limited seats.

10/13/2026

Help us thank Daniel & Nikki who are amazing volunteers at Second Story!! They have been great mentors to our teens in being a friend and playing gaga ball and other games when the teens are here. They are such kind people and treat our teens with respect and kindness. We are so thankful to have both of you volunteering your time together. Cool fact they both met each other at Second Story and just recently got married!! Lets give a huge thank you to these 2!!

We are Daniel and Nikki, we both love volunteering at the teen center. Nikki has been attending second story for six years now, ever since I have needed a safe place and now I am a volunteer and I deeply love and respect the work that God has done in this community and how he has allow Jeff & Dana to make a difference in such a community. Daniel started attending second story a few years ago to give his siblings a ride and the longer they all began to join more. Daniel later on got old enough to become a wonderful volunteer and help around a lot. He loves playing games with the kids such as gaga ball and he brings a lot of joy to the kids with the games. We both attend as many as we can and we enjoy every second of it. Second Story has built up an amazing support system for the kids and has wonderful volunteers. Overall Second Story is such a needed space for teens in need and teens in general.