SOAR is in new facility

Some work remains, but SOAR is in its new building near Sisters High School. photo by Jim Cornelius

Ready for teen-flavored and adult-approved activities, SOAR is welcoming families at its new building located on the west side of Sisters High School.

SOAR (Sisters Organization for Activities and Recreation) staff spread their wings in the roomy building this month, after finishing the first phase of construction. This first phase created 10,000 square feet, three Head Start classrooms, one pre-school child care room, an elementary-aged childcare room, a Taekwondo/dance studio and a teen center for middle school and high school students.

The building is a vast improvement over the former 1,700-square-foot modular administrative building on Locust Street. SOAR had been using that building as well as renting several buildings around town.

Moving into a building that will be about 10 times the size of the old one will allow for more programs and will cost less money, said Tom Coffield, managing director of SOAR.

"We will have more space and we are going to be able to consolidate more into one area instead of being around town," Coffield said. "We will have more space sharing. The Taekwondo studio will be able to be used for dance programs. It will save us some money in rent in other places. We will add many different programs and expand the ones we have."

Construction of the first phase cost $1 million. Several foundations contributed significant funding -- on the condition that the local community would match the grants.

To invite the community to give, SOAR wrote the name of each donor who gave at least $10,000 on a 12-inch-by-12-inch tile, and the name of each donor who gave $100 on a brick. The bricks are displayed on the outside of the building, and the tiles line a wall inside the building.

"SOAR serves over 1,000 children in Sisters School District and 300 inside the city limits," said Judy Trego, city councilor and member of the Sisters Community Action Team (CATS).

"That service is a benefit to the community as a whole. Prevention is often better than intervention," Trego said.

"As we look at the children in the community, we see if they don't have after-school programs, they will be on the streets. Then we will have to have more sheriff's patrol and supervision.

"It costs about $100 a day to house youth in juvenile detention in Bend. It costs the community more for intervention. SOAR is definitely a prevention model," she said.

Coffield plans new activities for teens.

"I hope to make better use of the teen center and have more activities for high school," Coffield said. "We could have some live music where students can perform for peers and friends."

Coffield said he is hoping SOAR will raise $500,000 over the next 12 months from grants from private foundations to build the second phase of the building.

Coffield said SOAR will house some classes from Central Oregon Community College. He said he wants activities to serve adults as well as youth, including an adult card-playing night.

The SOAR hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. SOAR is also open for some programs on Saturdays.