Monterey Park : Teen Center Funds Sought

The Boys’ and Girls’ Club has launched a yearlong campaign to raise $300,000 for a new teen center that organizers hope will draw more junior high and high school students off the streets.

The money will be used to buy furniture and equipment, pay for staff salaries and finance programs for the teen center, which is scheduled to open in March, 1992. The nonprofit club, which is part of United Way, is using a $600,000 state grant to construct the 7,000-square-foot building on Ramona Avenue.

Daniel Haren, the club’s executive director, said club volunteers will apply for grants, approach corporations for money and ask for individual contributions. Although the existing club building welcomes youths of all ages, its programs cater primarily to 7- to 12-year-olds. It opened in 1972 and serves 1,100 children, Haren said.