EUREKA, Mo., July 25, 2006 - Wyman, the national teen development leader, opened two facilities today that will enhance leadership skills for tens of thousands of teenagers well into the future. The buildings and the programs they house begin a transformation of the 240-acre Wyman Valley in Eureka/Wildwood that will further establish St. Louis as a center of thought leadership and achievement in teen development.

Approximately 100 teens and regional business leaders attended today’s ribbon cutting ceremonies that opened the Arthur & Helen Baer Foundation Market Pavilion and the Wyman Enterprise Center, made possible by a generous donation from the Anheuser-Busch Foundation.

The 2,500-square-foot Wyman Enterprise Center will facilitate youth-run art, agricultural, and environmental enterprises that provide lessons in business marketing, planning, and project management. The building also houses a state-of-the-art media center. Programs hosted by the Center will test teens’ decision-making skills while allowing for learning and creative expression.

Much like a country farmer’s market, the 1,600-square-foot Baer Foundation Market Pavilion will bustle with activity throughout the year. It will be the hub for programming involving fine arts, business and entrepreneurial endeavors, recreation, and outdoor activities. The open-air pavilion will be lined with portable kiosks that are teaching stations for fine arts, manual arts, and textile arts.

The Baer Foundation Market Pavilion and Wyman Enterprise Center are the first in a series of important, physical improvements that will create The Wyman Teen Leadership Ranch. Teens will learn the basics of plant science and crop production in the Ranch’s fields, orchard, and prairies. The teens will learn the principles of business by selling their produce at the Market Pavilion.

About Wyman
Wyman has a rich history in St. Louis. Founded in 1898 by a group of prominent St. Louis citizens, their purpose was to provide children living in sweltering tenements with fresh air, good food and healthy outdoor activities. They believed that these surroundings and experiences would positively impact the children’s character, values and outlook on life.

From this small camp in the woods has grown a nationally recognized, not-for-profit teen development organization. Wyman serves 10,000 teens, children and adults each year through its year-round teen development, school, retreat and conference programs.