Clinton County Youth Council (CCYC) Celebrates Renovations & 25th Year

Eric Guindon (Middle)

Since 2000, the Clinton County Youth Council (CCYC), located at 302 W. Sugartree Street in Wilmington, has been providing students grades 6 through 12 with a "holistic approach" to youth development. Eric Guindon, Executive Director of CCYC, stated that, "Our mission is to help youth make healthy choices... by meeting the social, recreational, and developmental needs of students. We target low-income, at risk students, but are open to everybody... [and] all our services are free." This year, the youth program plans to rebuild their indoor stage, update their kitchen, expand their garden, and celebrate their 25th anniversary.

Last winter, CCYC received the Lucas Fund grant, a grant focused on performing arts. This is the grant money they used to rebuild their indoor stage, in addition to adding an accessibility ramp, and new stairs. CCYC plans to also add new railing, new flooring, and new electric on the stage. They hope to host a concert performed by the students once it's completed. They also hope to purchase more recording equipment.

In addition to the Lucas Fund grant, they recently received funding from HealthFirst Clinton County to renovate their kitchen, which hasn't been renovated since its opening, and expand their garden. Eric stated that CCYC is excited to attend the Clinton County Corn Festival this September to sell their cobbler, which they hope to bake in their new kitchen.

For their 25th anniversary, they are hoping to plan a celebratory event this fall and partner with Harvest of Gold, an organization that offers free educational assistance to children in the county, who is also celebrating its 25th year. In addition to this, they will hold 'Make a Difference' community service day on October 25th, 2025, that is open to everyone to help clean up the bike trail.

During the summer, the after school center is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 1pm to 5pm, right after Wilmington City Schools free summer lunch program. Throughout the school year, they are open five days a week, Monday through Friday, from 2:30pm to 6:30pm. According to Eric, they have a "low barrier" registration process, requiring no income eligibility or extensive paperwork to register a student.

Learn more about CCYC at their Facebook or Instagram, or call (937) 382-2828.