TIONESTA, Pa. (EYT) — Taylor Diversion Programs (TDP) celebrated the addition of its newest residential building, which is slated to open soon on Lighthouse Island along the Allegheny River in Tionesta.

(Pictured above: Debra Cummings, Jack Sherman, and Michael Cummings cut the ribbon in celebration of the grand opening of TDP’s newest building on-site at Lighthouse Island.)

Sixty adults and students attended the celebration on September 29, which honored Jack Sherman, owner of Allegheny Valley Development, and Debra and Michael Cummings, owners of Taylor Diversion Programs.

The event included a ribbon cutting ceremony and a message from guest speaker State Representative Cris Dush.

State Representative Cris Dush speaks to TDP youth and audience members attending the grand opening celebration on Lighthouse Island.

In his speech, Dush recognized the vision and work of the Cummings and Sherman and praised their commitment to “saving the lives of youth” through the program.

TDP is an independent educational and residential program for at-risk western Pennsylvania students ages 14 — 21.

The new building, designed by architect Harold Best, will house eight female students who are set to move in later this month.

“They will be the first individuals to be able to enjoy and see what it’s like to actually move into a place of this caliber,” said TDP assistant president Kathleen Smith. “I don’t think any of the students who we have have had an opportunity like this.”

The building also features a state-of-the-art stainless steel kitchen that was purchased through a state competitive PACTT grant. Students and community members will have opportunities to enroll in ServeSafe/food management classes, earning the credentials to work in food services on-site and elsewhere.

The new building will house female students and has a state-of-the-art kitchen for student and community member use.

The kitchen includes what Smith calls a “pie oven.” TDP hopes to hold “Pie Fridays,” where students bake desserts and have them for sale in the community.

“We’re teaching kids to be able to respect property, to be proud of it, to take care of it. To be able to teach those skills to kids is unbelievable,” said Smith. “There are so many amazing opportunities for them when they move into this new building.”

For more information on Taylor Diversion Programs and its services, visit taylordiversionprograms.org.