In 2005, Brookline High School Social Worker Paul Epstein, and his wife Saskia, had a dream to create a safe place where Brookline teens could go after school to learn, socialize and have fun. It was there that the idea for the Brookline Teen Center was born--and 6 years later it is now closer to becoming a reality, as a BTC Open House was held on Oct. 30, at its future home at 40 Aspinwall Avenue.

The BTC has been a labor of love for Epstein, his staff and a group of students from Brookline High School who have worked diligently to create this place of learning and fun. In fact many of the original students who began work on the Center will be too old to enjoy the facility as teens but that has not deterred them in the least.

Epstein and his crew are actively raising funding for the center and recently received $4 million line of credit from the Brookline Bank, to be repaid as pledges to the Teen Center are fulfilled over 3-5 years. The Teen Center intends to break ground, complete construction and open their doors in 2012, pending sufficient fundraising. Those interested in contributing to the center can visit the Teen Center website for more information. 

[Edit 8:32 p.m.: Previous phrasing in the piece may have implied the center's fundraising is complete, which is not the case. Corrected the phrasing and added donation information.]