LIFT launches Summer of Hope campaign, expands youth support

LIFT student Keeley TwoCrow performed on Nov. 2, 2022, at the program’s monthly potluck for Native American Heritage Month. Photo by Audrey Sharp

By Ross Boissoneau

Sun contributor

Bekah TenBrink said that creating an after-school program in Leelanau County was never on her radar. With a degree in social work, she intended to work in an agency. But when her husband Gerald befriended some teens playing hockey, it all changed.

Now, despite Aesop’s advice to be careful what you wish for, her dream of building an after-school program for teens continues to grow. LIFT Teen Center has expanded from the Suttons Bay area into Suttons Bay and Northport schools, with Leland on the brink. TenBrink said discussions continue about adding other county schools.

All because of hockey? Well, yes. What became LIFT dates back to 2011. The TenBrinks were newcomers to Suttons Bay when Gerald saw some teens playing ice hockey at the local rink down the road from their home, and asked if they needed an extra player. After the game, he invited them to his home for pizza.

When he and Bekah asked the kids what they did in their free time, it turned out there weren’t a lot of options. That prodded them to consider what they could do to help address the situation. Their home soon became a gathering place. As the number of kids grew and they added a son to their family, it became obvious they needed a new space for movie nights, game nights, and other activities.

LIFT incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2017, and found a home in The Center (formerly the Friendship Community Center) in 2020. At the same time, the casual get-togethers morphed into a series of activities and events for a growing number of students, mostly from their adopted home town of Suttons Bay.

Today that initial location serves as the hub for the organization, while the program itself has moved into the schools and beyond. “It went from just me in 2016 to five of us full-time,” TenBrink said.

There’s now a dedicated room in the school where the students are offered opportunities to explore anything from art to the art of conversation. Off campus, it’s field trips, biking, hiking, ski trips—they’re all on the table. “The things they come up with blow my mind,” said TenBrink. And the program has grown to include Northport Schools as well as Suttons Bay, with plans to move into Leland. “We hope to be at every single school in Leelanau County.”

The members of LIFT have helped chaperone field trips, work with the school’s Career Day and college visits, and other special events, such as rock climbing at the Elevate climbing gym in Traverse City. “We fill in the gaps,” TenBrink said.

All those opportunities came to a shuddering halt during the pandemic, when schools were closed and people were encouraged to stay home other than trips for essential items. The pandemic demonstrated how important the work of LIFT was. “It was a wake-up call for us in rural areas, (demonstrating) how important community is, the mental health impact, how much effort needs to go into youth,” explained TenBrink.

The organization is funded through a variety of grants, foundations and local sources. “We lean on our county to make that investment in our youth,” she said. LIFT is dedicated to building relationships with teens and providing connections where they can be seen, heard and loved. “Three’s huge potential when you stay connected.”

That work doesn’t end when the school year does. LIFT is working on summer programming, which TenBrink believes is especially important for those in middle school who may not have summer jobs but who are home alone while parents are working. “Instead of being sucked into the vortex of their phones, (they can) go out on a hike. We are out doing things,” she said.

The organization is also working to develop multigenerational and multicultural relationships in the community. “That’s really important. Our seniors have a lot to share, and teens have a lot to share with them.”

The program has changed a lot since it began, and TenBrink says she has as well. “Working to enhance other people’s lives does not allow you to stay stagnant. There isn’t a day I don’t wake up ready to go. It’s my passion—I see the impact it’s making within the community and in individual lives.”