LEWISTON — Julia Sleeper, founder and executive director of Tree Street Youth Center, will be the presenter at the USM Lewiston-Auburn Senior College Food for Thought luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Friday, March 11, in the Function Room 170 at USM LAC, 51 Westminster St. 

Sleeper has a wealth of knowledge and material to share about the center, located in the heart of downtown Lewiston, and the youth it serves. She will detail the daily happenings at the center as well as highlighting some of the leadership and enrichment programming. She will discuss the power these programs have in supporting at-risk youth as they aspire for higher education and positive future opportunities for themselves and others in the community. Each day 120 to 150 youth grades kindergarten to 12 are served. 

These youth of Lewiston-Auburn are supported and guided in their personal, school, family and peers living through academics, the arts and athletics. The youth have a safe place for the programs that encourage healthy physical, social, emotional and academic development while building unity across lines of difference. Nearly all youth at the center live at or below the poverty level, with approximately 65 percent of the youth served being recent immigrant and refugee arrivals.

A Bangor native, Sleeper initially moved to the Lewiston-Auburn area as an undergraduate at Bates College. During her time as a student, she began connecting to the Downtown Lewiston community youth through service learning opportunities afforded to her as a psychology and education major. After completing her masters in leadership and organizational studies at USM-LAC, she began what is now Tree Street Youth Center.

For the past 10 years Sleeper has continued to build on these relationships providing after school programming for the at-risk youth living in the downtown Tree Street neighborhood.

The event is open to the public. The cost, which includes lunch, is $7 with advance reservation or $8 at the door. To obtain an accurate food tally, reservations must be made by noon on Wednesday, March 9. Any late callers will be considered at the door.

FMI, register: 207-753-6510.