The Anchorage Library Foundation teamed up with the Public Library and the Anchorage Rotary Club to create a pertinent, vibrant center in the Z. J. Loussac library for teens aged 12-18 where they can study, research, collaborate and interact in a stimulating and safe environment. Local teens selected the name Teen Underground for this space.
The Teen Underground project began in fall 2010 and opened June 10, 2011.
Go to: www.teenUground.org for more information.
Read the Anchorage Assembly recognition for the Teen Underground team.
Teen Underground Donors
Anchorage Rotary Club, Anchorage Library Foundation and Anchorage Public Library recognize the following supporters for their generous investment in the future of our Anchorage teens.
Post Graduate Level - $20,000 +
Davis Constructors and Engineers, Inc.
Municipal Light and Power
Rasmuson Foundation
Graduate Level - $10,000
The Chariot Group
Barney & Rachael Gottstein
Cheryl Myers
Pebble Limited Partnership
Ed and Cathy Rasmuson
RIM Design, LLC
Senior Level - $5,000
Anchorage Daily News
Anchorage Rotary Club
Carlile Transportation Systems
Dr. Steve and Karen Compton
Friends of the Library
McKinley Capital
PangoMedia
Rhyneer Clinic, P.C.
Rotary District 5010
Wells Fargo
Junior Level - $2,500
AA-K Business Environments and Haworth Furniture
Alaska Furniture Manufacturers
Alcan Electric
Anchorage International Rotary
Anchorage Sand and Gravel Co., Inc.
Coffman Engineers
ConocoPhillips Alaska
DSI, Inc.
JL Properties, Inc.
Murray Orthodontics
Nerland Agency
Northrim Bank
Dr. Jack and Sherry Sedwick
Alex and Susan Slivka
Mead Treadwell
John and Karin Wanamaker
Sophomore Level - $1,000
ABC Painting Group and Construction, Inc.
Alaska Executive Search
Alaska Laser Printing and Mailing Services
AlaskaUSA
Allstate, Stan Tebow
Bank of America on behalf of Ken Jones
Tom and Janet Boling on behalf of Nora Boling
Bratslavsky Consulting Engineers
Blake and Carol Butler
Milt and Sue Byrd
Chugach Alaska Corporation
Commercial Contractors
CompuCom
CORNERSTONE Construction Company, Inc.
David Green Master Furriers
Denali Federal Credit Union
ECI/Hyer Architecture & Interiors
Tracy Hartung
Morry and Vicki Hollowell
William Hopper II
Allan R. and Jennifer B. Johnston
Ken, Karla and Daniel Jones
KPMG
Manning Family Foundation
Lloyd and Joan Morris
Michael and Maria-Elena Walsh
Click here for the full list of donors.
Teen Underground Background
A message from Carol Butler, Project Chair:
Anchorage Rotary Club (Downtown) President Cheryl Myers wanted to focus her club on a project to support the Anchorage Public Library during her term as President. She approached the Library staff for ideas and they shared their dream to establish a teen center at the Z.J. Loussac Library. They had followed national efforts to add “teen centers” as supplemental learning venues and had been inspired by the YOUmedia project at the Harold Washington Public Library in Chicago. YOUmedia is a nationally-recognized teen center which opened in July 2009, with major support from the MacArthur Foundation. However, Anchorage Public Library’s budget was prohibitive to moving forward.
That’s when Cheryl Meyers asked me to lead a committee to undertake the effort to design, fundraise and build Anchorage’s first teen center.
In order to provide a modern teen center with the technology needed for our young people to excel in today’s world, our budget stands at slightly less than $200,000. We are aiming for an opening date of summer 2011. We are fully aware of the challenges to make this happen, but we believe it can be done. I say “we” because there are 15 committed Rotarians who were hand-picked for their specific talents and each one of them have already made extraordinary contributions to achieve our opening date.
We are proud to work on this project because we see the value in helping prepare our young people to enter the workforce with the skills our community needs now and in the future. I personally think it is a very exciting project and will have long term benefits for many young people over the years to come.
Respectfully,
Carol Butler
Z.J. Loussac Teen Underground Project Chair
