Killeen: Local non-profit benefitting youth still looking for new facility

KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) - A Central Texas non-profit hoping to make an impact with teens and young adults is still in dire need of money for a new facility.

Vantonio Fraley says his lifelong dream is to inspire the next generation of young adults in Killeen.

“Take care of the kids cause one day, the kids are gonna take care of you,” he said.

“For me, Killeen is home, and I was one of those kids.”

However, his non-profit, ImPossible Teen Center, has had a rough go at it in the last few years. After opening his first facility in 2020, he had to close down just one year later.

“At the time, we didn’t have the personal funding or the staff to keep the building and keep compliance with the TEA,” he said.

“So, instead of risking the non-profit, 501-C3 status with the federal government, we decided to give up that building.”

Since then, he’s been looking around at new properties to build or rent out a new facility, setting a goal to fundraise $500,000. That goal has proven more difficult than anticipated.

“Hopefully, we can have a lease signed by the end of the month,” he said.

“We’re looking at the price of materials and that price is hard to set.”

So far, they’ve raised more than $30,000 which is enough to sign a lease with a property. While there’s much more money to raise and details to sort out, Fraley says he’ll stop at nothing to make sure he can make an impact with Killeen’s future generations.

“I’ve been in Killeen since I was in the sixth grade, and I actually used to walk this street back in High School,” he said.

“There was nothing for us to do. So, for me to give them the support they need and the development in any career field and interests, I think it’s a major thing.”

Anyone who’d like to make a donation can find more information on the non-profit’s website.