By Nick Sestanovich
Summer is in full swing, and despite the freedom that teens feel it can be quite easy for them to get bored. This is one way the Hyland Teen Center can help.
The Hyland Teen Center, located behind Gateway Church on Military West, was established in January by Barbara Gervase, whose son Kyle Hyland had died by suicide in 2014. Shortly afterwards, Gervase founded the nonprofit Kyle Hyland Foundation for Teen Support to promote statistics of teen suicides and provide support for youth struggling with depression and anxiety issues. One of the main goals had been to establish a teen center in Benicia for teens ages 13 to 19 to hang out, decompress and receive emotional support from peers and counselors if needed.
The center had its grand opening in January and has continued to operate throughout the summer. The season, however, will bring new changes to the center.