The vision behind The Cairn began with a pressing need that was recognized by civic and religious leaders across Clark County – that the young people in Winchester need a safe place where they can find acceptance apart from dangerous behaviors; and where they can foster relationships and develop skills that will allow them to grow into successful, responsible, and independent adults.

The urgency for this need arose when a study was completed in 2009, finding that 60-70 teenagers were wandering the streets of Winchester at any given moment. The prevalence of generational drug & alcohol abuse in Central Kentucky means that hundreds of children in our city are fighting an uphill battle to find significance and purpose with little or no support from traditional family structures. Additionally, the Clark County Community Action Forums (est. 2007) identified the following needs/action steps:

• Have a Youth Center operating by the summer of 2011.
• Increase parental involvement (PTO, education, extracurricular, etc.)
• Reduce the dropout rate to 3% or lower.

In 2009, Calvary Christian Church (Winchester, KY) launched a campaign within their church body that would, in part, begin the development of a downtown community ministry to help address these needs by creating a space where community and relationship and hope could thrive. After committing initial funding to the project in excess of $200,000, the church acquired the building 17 S. Main Street for the purpose of developing a multi-purpose space to do just that.

A strategic piece of this project includes opening up a full-fledged coffee house on the first floor of the building. The purpose of the coffee house is two-fold: first, in recognizing that change can only truly take place in the context of relationships, we need a place where everyone – not just teenagers – can feel comfortable and welcome enough to engage in conversations and strengthen relationships, both new and old; second, our expectation as that, as a non-profit business, the coffee house will be an economic engine providing a constant revenue stream to support and sustain the teen center.

Renovations began on the first floor of the building in early 2011, and have continued as funding for the project allows. The estimated opening date for The Cairn July, 2012, with the second floor Teen Center slated to open later in the summer of 2012.