It all began when longtime Kingsley resident Diane Walton started to notice kids with no real place to go after school let out.

Sure, there were sports, band and a handful of other after-school activities. But what about kids who didn’t fall into any of those buckets? More importantly, what about those kids who might lack a stable home environment to go home to?

In the back of Walton’s mind was her own difficult upbringing in Fife Lake, where a small youth center was a place of refuge and growth during her formative years.

Eventually Walton, who worked for Kingsley schools and raised three children in that community, decided to do something about it. It was 2005 when she first started pulling together plans for a youth and community center in Kingsley.

“When I first told my husband about this, he said ‘Why in the world would you want to do that? Our kids are all grown up (and it’s finally quiet),’” Walton tells The Ticker. “All I could say was ‘If I don’t do it, who’s going to?’ I wanted to be that person for the kids in Kingsley.”

From this seed grew The Rock of Kingsley, which since opening in 2009 has served countless hundreds of young people, senior citizens and other community members. Walton's passing thought was the first step toward what is now a well-organized, highly respected nonprofit that acts in many ways as the very heart of the Kingsley community.

“It’s been so amazing, and I’ll give all the credit to our volunteers,” Walton says. “They’re just so wonderful.”

Walton and a small group of community members kicked things off in 2008 with the purchase of a worn out old fire/EMS building not far from the village offices for $149,000. She remembers scraping together all the dimes and quarters.

“Everyone ponied up and threw a little money in the kettle, and we were somehow able to put a $10,000 deposit on it with one year to pay it off,” Walton says. “We paid it off in 2009 and we’ve been debt free ever since.”

What began as a mere space for people to gather has evolved into a thriving, lively facility with games, activities, computers for homework, a fully-stocked snack bar, a clothing library (dubbed the “Rock Locker”) and much more. Almost all of it has been funded by various grants and donations of time and talent. This is particularly true of renovations and expansions there.

“Relationships are really how this place came together,” Walton says. “A lot of people have come to the table to help us out.”

Support from foundations and other charitable organizations has also been key. Rotary Charities of Traverse City, for instance, kicked in $70,000 to help buy the building and in the years since contributed nearly $80,000 more for a variety of improvements and upgrades.

The Rock is open every day after school until 6 p.m. for students in 6th through 12th grades. Though community building, support and camaraderie are the goals, there’s no question it has helped at least some of its guests make the most productive use of time that might otherwise be spent doing less savory things.

“When there’s too much idle time in kids’ lives, they’ll either find trouble or it’ll find them,” Walton says. “We don’t want to think that way, but that’s the way it goes.”

Walton is most proud of the kids who have come out of their shells, so to speak, and went on to do great things in their lives personally or professionally. While Walton is always there (she’s the only paid employee) she repeatedly praises her volunteers for finding ways to connect with every kid who walks through the door.

“We’ve had kids that have really just blossomed after they got here,” Walton says. “I just give so much credit our volunteers, because their heart is in the same place as mine and they build strong relationships with these kids.”

The kids themselves are also encouraged to contribute to a supportive environment in which no one is left out.

“We have no social boundaries in here – everybody’s on a level playing field,” Walton says. “There’s no judging…it’s amazing to see the kids who don’t experience some of these problems that other kids do go make friendships with the kids that do.”

Kingsley Area Schools Superintendent Josh Rothwell tells The Ticker The Rock is a “tremendous blessing” for Kingsley students and an “integral part of the Kingsley community.”

“The Rock provides a safe, secure environment for students to attend while parents finish their busy workdays,” he says. “The staff supports our students’ academic, social, and emotional development, all while assisting families in managing their work-life balance.”

To be clear, The Rock is about more than just kids. In addition to community events, the facility is also used by Grand Traverse County for a variety of senior citizen programming.

“We wanted to get the youth taken care of first, but after we got to where everything was running pretty smooth, we wanted to incorporate senior citizens, and that’s turned out to be very successful,” Walton says.

Though they’re not always in the building at the same time, the mixing of youths and seniors has provided heartwarming results, Walton says. Many seniors end up volunteering with the kids there.

“Some of the kids don’t have grandparents or grandparents who live around here, so it’s almost like a grandparent coming into their life. And the (seniors) will tell you that the kids keep them younger,” Walton says. “It’s like a two-way street.”

Village leaders are thrillled to have The Rock in their community. Village Manager Kaitlyn Aldrich tells The Ticker The Rock "plays a crucial role in enhancing the quality of life and future opportunities of both our local youth and seniors."

"By offering a safe, structured environment during the critical after-school hours to our youth, they help reduce the risks of negative behaviors while fostering positive social interactions," Aldrich says. "We are fortunate to have such a wonderful youth nonprofit in our small rural community, working tirelessly to protect and support our young people."