By Warren Kagarise

Staff writer

WABASSO - When the Dasie Hope Center opened its after-school program seven years ago, four students and two computers filled a cramped space.

Memories of the first facility were distant last week, as center administrators, donors and volunteers unveiled a $300,000, four-classroom complex complete with a computer lab and a media center.

"This building is a lifeline to Wabasso and the kids here," said Dasie Hope Center executive director Verna Wright, who founded the center and named it for her late mother.

Each weekday, more than 60 students from across Indian River County arrive at the Dasie Hope Center after the final school bell rings. Once there, they participate in a free program that includes tutoring, sports and other activities.

Warren Schwerin, a Dasie Hope Center donor and volunteer, described meeting the inspiration for the after-school program. He first met Dasie Bridgewater at her roadside stand, where she sold boiled peanuts and vegetables.

"Dasie Bridgewater was about five feet tall, but as I got to know her through her vegetable market, she became the tallest person I knew," Mr. Schwerin said.

Because of Mr. Schwerin's efforts as a mentor, a former Dasie Hope Center participant started at the University of Central Florida last fall. Six Dasie Hope Center alumni could begin college this year.

He remained humble about his contributions to the Dasie Hope Center, which he visits several times each week.

"Verna is the story here, not me," Mr. Schwerin said.

Volunteers said the new classrooms, named the Warren and Virginia Schwerin Educational Complex, would be an improvement over the existing Dasie Hope Center facilities.

Maryellen Conefry, who began volunteering at the Dasie Hope Center two years ago, said a new computer lab donated by the Rossway Moore & Taylor law firm would help students sharpen their computer skills.

And, she added, the new lab was larger.

"It has a lot of elbow room," she said.

Crews delivered the modular structures Dec. 28, and then workers and volunteers added fixtures, flooring and other finishing touches. Students began using the new classrooms on April 18, a day after the dedication ceremony.

"When I was a kid growing up, we had nothing like this here," said Mrs. Wright, who grew up in Wabasso and makes her home there today.

Randy Bethel, the head football coach at Sebastian River High School and a Dasie Hope Center volunteer, said the center "provides a safe haven for these kids after school."

Since opening the Dasie Hope Center in September 2001, Mrs. Wright has attracted accolades, donations and volunteers from across Indian River County and the Sunshine State. In July 2006, then-Gov. Jeb Bush awarded her a Governor's Point of Light Award for exemplary community service.

Such widespread success was unimaginable when Mrs. Wright opened the Dasie Hope Center seven years ago.

"My mom always said, 'God takes care of those who pray,'" Mrs. Wright said. "And I pray all the time."