Our Beginning
The Petroleum Valley Youth Center became a vision for local leaders within the community after Penreco Employee Park became no longer operational. After Mr. Denny Barger learned that the park was no longer part of the Penreco vision in 1985, he sought to acquire the land via donation in hopes of creating a campus for local churches to transform into a youth ministry program. The Petroleum Valley Youth Center was created and has since then served the community in ministering to the youth of the area by creating a safe environment to get outside and enhance their connection with Jesus.

Our Campus
Our property boasts 130 acres with two private ponds for fishing, kayaking, and canoeing, basketball and volleyball courts, a 5-hole disc golf course, hiking trails, gaga pit, football field, pavilion and recreational buildings. Our amphitheater allows us to hold large group instructional events during our summer program as well as concerts and movies on the lawn. Our facility also has low-rope course elements to accommodate team building activities!

Our Ministries
The Youth Center facilities are utilized by community members, local churches, youth football organizations, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts for picnics, parties, graduation, meetings, practices, and many other social gatherings. PVYC’s outreach fosters connections, nurtures a sense of belonging, and enriches the collective unity of our community. Our commitment is to make a positive impact on the lives of everyone in our community.

Our Summer Camp
PVYC Summer Camp is a program that serves youth in our community. Our camp operations are overseen by our dedicated team of directors and counselors, many of whom were campers themselves at one point. The number of campers who join us each year varies, but consistently, we've had over 150 campers register for many summers now. Campers come from various school districts in Butler, Armstrong, and Clarion counties. Throughout the week, our campers participate in various activities, including themed whole camp activities, basketball, volleyball, gaga ball, fishing, hiking, low ropes course elements, board games, pool, and more. Petroleum Valley Youth Center concludes each week by providing Fun Friday events where campers can attend offsite events like Living Treasures, The Carnegie Science Center, and more. We also host various onsite Fun Fridays, such as a carnival, a float day on one of our private ponds, and an end-of-summer campout!

The PVYC Mission Statement

The Petroleum Valley Youth Center, in service to the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior,  Jesus Christ and in partnership with local churches exists to enhance the
spiritual, emotional, social, intellectual and physical needs of all youth in our area, and to help them establish their identity and purpose in life.