Over 100 people showed up for the Lights on After School community dinner hosted by the High Valley Community Center on Thursday. Photo by Lyndsie Ferrell

DEL NORTE— The High Valley Community Center (HVCC) welcomed over 100 community members, students and their families to the community dinner on Thursday, Oct. 25.
The center was decorated for a night of fun and delicious food that was prepared by the students at the center. The front lobby was packed with people as they gathered for their feast and some great family activities while the younger students could be heard playing outside in the playground.
The night was planned as a celebration of Lights on After School, a program designed to honor after school programs like High Valley. After school programs across the nation pick a special activity or event to do that involves the community in which they serve and showcases the importance of such organizations for local students. HVCC works within the community to help teach life skills and community pride to their students from a young age.
Family and friends enjoyed a homemade meal with dessert to follow and participated in fun games with unique prizes throughout the night. “It was a great success. We are so happy with how things turned out, and we served over 100 people from our community. It was a wonderful night and we are so thankful for the continued support from the Del Norte community and beyond,” said program coordinator Kathryn Trujillo.
Next up for the center will be another community night with a twist. “This year we decided to have a community night in conjunction with our art auction. The teens have been working extremely hard on their projects and we thought that by combining the two we might be able to have more people come out to support this wonderful cause. There will be food and a chance to bid on art made by the teens with all proceeds going towards the teens program and end of year trip,” stated Trujillo.
The art program requires students to create three different pieces of art to be auctioned off during the upcoming dinner. Students had to choose three different mediums to work with whether it was painting, sculpting or other techniques. The program uses the funding collected to take students to the art museum in Denver at the end of the year, where they also get to do something fun and have a chance to experience something new.
The auction will take place on Nov. 15 from 6 until 7 p.m. and will again include dinner and dessert made by HVCC students and staff. This is a great way to show support for the teen program and help make sure that it continues to help local teens. Be sure to come out and join in on the fun and donate to a wonderful cause.