Over 100 York County community members and leaders celebrated the opening of a new teen center on Monday night. Sydney Richelieu / Post

York County residents and leaders joined My Place Teen Center on Monday night to celebrate the upcoming opening of a new center in downtown Biddeford.

Located in the former St. Andre’s Church on Bacon Street, the center will be open to over 100 York County kids and teens each day, five days a week, and will serve 80 meals a day.

My Place Teen Center Board Chair Tim Higgins said Monday that the center will serve as a refuge for kids suffering from extreme poverty, neglect, or abuse.

“From the moment they walk through the door, they are accepted and loved,” Higgins said. “They will be mentored, taught, and given the tools to thrive.”

The nonprofit currently operates three centers in Westbrook and Biddeford, providing a haven for youth ages 10-18, sustaining them with comfort, meals, resources and hope.

As a year-round, free program, My Place Teen Center provides academic assistance through tutoring, study skills and STEM programs. They also provide instruction in character development, leadership development, life skills, job skills and financial literacy, setting kids up for success.

“Time spent at My Place Teen Center is precious,” President and CEO Donna Dwyer said.

The dream to open a center in Biddeford took root in 2017, Higgins said.

Renovations began in 2023, with an overall cost of $3.7 million.

Biddeford contractor Jim Godbout headed the renovation, donating over $1 million to the project. Sydney Richelieu / Post

Over $2 million of the project costs were covered by donations alone, with Biddeford contractor Jim Godbout covering the rest.

Godbout and his team headed the renovation project, retaining many of the historical and artistic elements of the space, including repurposing old pews to be used as benches.

“When I think about Jim Godbout, the only moniker I can apply to him is our angel on Earth,” Dwyer said.

Speaking to the crowd of supporters on Monday night, Godbout said the project was close to his heart.

The Godbout family has history with the former St. Andre’s Church, he said. His wife’s mother and her grandmother were both married at the church, and his son was baptized there.

“All I can say is, ‘wow,’” Godbout said. “We made it happen.”

Renovations were not without difficulty. When Godbout began working on the church, he said the building had a leaking roof, broken windows, and pigeons living in the rafters.

Now, it is a warm and welcoming space for at-risk youth to enjoy.

A new state-of-the-art kitchen will provide 80 meals a day to at-risk youth. Sydney Richelieu / Post

“When you see the light shine in on this place every morning, it just comes alive,” Godbout said. “It’s pretty overwhelming to watch this project come to the finish line.”

According to officials, the Biddeford Housing Authority also had a monumental role in creating the new center. Guy Gagnon, executive director of Biddeford Housing, was instrumental in finding a space that could be repurposed for the center.

On Monday, Gagnon thanked the Biddeford community, saying he knew “in his gut” that the city of Biddeford would step up to support the project.

“I’m speechless about this whole facility,” Gagnon said. “I couldn’t be more thrilled with how this came out.”

With only a few minor details left to complete, My Place Teen Center hopes to have the new center open by early 2025.

“Lives have not only been changed here, but they will be changed here,” Higgins said. “That’s what had happened in Westbrook, and we know it will happen in Biddeford.”