NaperBridge has big plans for the new year, one of which includes moving right into Naperville North’s backyard.

The recreational center has merged with the Alive Center and is in the process of renovating a new facility.

The Alive Center is a newly established organization striving to help teens and adults connect with their most alive selves through classes, workshops and programs, according to executive director of the Alive Center Kandice Henning.

“The main thing is helping people connect with their gifts, be it music, art, writing, cooking, meditation, whatever it might be,” Henning said. “It’s also about conscious living and belonging to a community.”

Both NaperBridge and the Alive Center are preparing for the construction of their new facility, located directly across the street from the NNHS varsity baseball field at 500 W. Fifth Ave.

Construction will begin Jan. 26 and is planned to last about 2½ months. Henning expects the grand reopening of the teen center to occur sometime around April 18.

To raise money for construction costs and to build excitement throughout the community, there will be a pre-construction open house and a fundraising event on Jan. 24 at the new location from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to Henning.

When Henning first started sharing her ideas about creating the Alive Center, many people in the community directed her to Jeffrey Haake, board president for NaperBridge.

“Everyone said I needed to talk to NaperBridge, so Jeff and I met three or four times,” Henning said. “We immediately connected and saw the synergy.”

According to Haake, the merger is beneficial to NaperBridge because it expands the scope of their mission by including adults as well as teens, bringing a more effective business model and utilizing more space.

“It gives us space to have a wider variety of programming, and it gives us a more secure business model too because Kandice is well funded with the Alive program,” Haake said. “From an organizational standpoint I think it brings a lot to the table for us.”

According to Henning, the merger will bring the NaperBridge brand and the people who are already participating in NaperBridge to the Alive Center.

NNHS senior Jon Kim, NaperBridge’s student advisory board president, said he supports merging the two organizations.

“I think it’s really cool because two non-profits are teaming up to meet a common goal,” Kim said.

For more information, visit the Alive Community Center Facebook page.