Nick Yannotty speaks Tuesday, Feb. 21, to participants of a volleyball jam night hosted by his organization, Breakthrough Butler, at the Butler YMCA. Eddie Trizzino/Butler Eagle

Looking to his childhood, Nick Yannotty said he would have liked an avenue for self-expression where he could go aside from school-sanctioned activities.

“I needed a place to go and have friends in a place that was pressure-free,” Yannotty said. “Just a fun, positive atmosphere where you could build skills and become a better person.”

In January 2021, Yannotty started Breakthrough Butler, which he hoped would become a nonprofit organization like the one he wanted as a child. So far, he has hosted open gym events for sports, usually volleyball, father-and-daughter dances and middle-school dances all serving children ages 7 to 15 years old.