ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — A “Teen Dance Night” is being held at the Jaffa Shrine this weekend to raise money for Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT).

LOT is a non-profit program designed to empower and mentor youth in Blair County. They meet Wednesdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for kids ages 11-17. Co-Founder Jeremiah Witherspoon Jr. explains, “We want to be able to, from our perspective, be able to help guide and lead them and put them in positive positions.”

The group provides exercise, guest speakers, and takes the kids to events and to participate in service projects. The program wants to take kids back to the days where screen time dominated all their time.

Administrative Assistant Renee Wheeler says, “We weren’t raised on these devices, we were outside. Our parents didn’t have to tell us to go outside. I live near a park and there’s hardly anybody in the park. We just want them to be active and get rid of some of that energy through exercise and just hanging out with one another.”

The “Teen Dance Night’ will take place this Friday, July 2nd from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona. Tickets are $10 and proceeds will go to support LOT.

Witherspoon details, “Growing up, myself and others we had teen dances. It was just a way of life. It was just a way of expressing ourselves in a positive way and I just want to bring that back. There’s not too much in the area for the teens to do so, so we just thought to bring back the essence of dancing.”

The dance will include dance-offs, prize giveaways and raffles. DJ Savage will be providing the music.

Teens must have an updated Junior or High School ID to attend. For more information, you can call 814-660-4928 or 814-329-5870. More information on LOT can be found on their website.