2016 Annual Report

Reflections:
THE SEDRO-WOOLLEY CLUB
Cookson Beecher
Club Volunteer, Sedro-Woolley
When I started volunteering at the Sedro-Woolley
Boys and Girls Club, I thought of it as a
way to help individual students. And while that’s definitely
true, I’ve also learned that it goes beyond that.
Each time that I come to the Club, I’m happily amazed
to see how much the kids love being outside and
playing sports. Some of the girls are actually doing
cartwheels on their way to the sports fields. I also see
the flowers and vegetables the children have planted.
For some of them, gardening is pure pleasure, not to
mention the excitement that comes with seeing the
first green shoot pushing up out of the soil. They also
take pride in making flower bouquets and eating the
vegetables they’ve planted.
Once inside, I see a room full of kids doing crafts, taking
delight in what they’re creating. In the main room, kids
are playing all sorts of games with each other. And in
the “homework room,” kids are quietly reading or getting
help with their reading or math. In the next room,
kids are on computers, learning skills such as coding.
For them, improving their reading and math skills and
learning more about computers is a way to boost their
chances of succeeding in life. Instead of relying on
luck, they’re relying on their own hard work and persistence.
As the saying goes, “the harder you work,
the luckier you get.”
Over at the teen center, teens are playing basketball,
doing their homework, getting help with “life skills,”
and just plain enjoying the chance to “hang out” in a
safe and positive place.
As impressive as all of this is, even more impressive
is how happy the kids are to be with each other and
having the chance to burn off some energy, play, and
learn. Each and every day, they’re doing and learning
so much. They get to choose what they do, and along
the way, they get to learn a lot of valuable lessons that
help them make the right choices.
What I’ve learned is that this is more than a Club,
more than a group of children, and more than the staff
members and volunteers. It’s a community of young
people who will take what they’ve learned at the Club
into their future. And by doing that, they’ll be making
sure the next generation has the chance to experience
what they’ve experienced. They’ll be working toward
ensuring that their community is a good place to live
and for children to grow up in.
As a volunteer, I see this as a circle that winds around
the present and embraces the future—a circle that
extends from individuals to the community as a whole
—a circle that includes all of us. How fortunate can
we be!
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L to R: Club kid grandmother with Cookson at the Farmer’s Market Share. Playing board games. Dahlia’s grown & arranged with Cookson. Power
Hour (homework help) with Cookson & a Club member.