10 Sedro-Woolley Teen Director Patrick Dougher, discusses upcoming plans with the Keystone Club (top). Mount Vernon Keystone members celebrate together with an ice skating trip (middle left). A Mount Vernon Keystone member creates baked goods to raise money for their upcoming community service projects (middle right). Mount Baker Club members pose with Tina Asp, owner of Image360 & BGCS Board Vice President, during Career Launch (bottom).
aising with a supplies drive for the Oasis Teen Center. “I’m pretty sure chocolate is nonperishable!” exclaimed a member. These members also made big plans for their summer Family Nights where they talked about a scavenger hunt, water balloon toss, and great food, like grilled cheese and pancakes. They also discussed helping out at the Annual Eagles Car Show and 4th of July BBQ Fundraisers which directly benefit the Clubs’ Teen Center. Keystone members can attend the Washington State Keystone Summit in the fall where members from all Washington Clubs will gather to socialize with peers, explore relevant issues, and develop skills to support and enhance efforts in their local Boys & Girls Clubs and communities. “Having grown up in Sedro-Woolley it is important to me to share my career journey to becoming a lawyer with our Club members. I am passionate about my career and in sharing I hope to inspire our Club members to follow their dreams on whatever that path looks like for them...” CAREER LAUNCH Inviting career professionals to the Club to share their experience is a very effective way to help youth visualize their future. Professionals in the field can introduce youth to career avenues they might not otherwise have considered. Through their candor and honesty, these mentors can help youth prepare for the real life challenges they might face on their career journey. In the last six months, Club members were visited by a myriad of professionals in many exciting fields; a refinery operator, a nurse, a lawyer, an entrepreneur, a judge, an author, an outreach coordinator, a substation wire-man, and a park ranger! Retired Park Ranger, Hugh Dougher who is still active in Search & Rescue, both as a volunteer and as an educator, visited the Sedro-Woolley Teens and brought along some of the equipment used in search and rescue: an ice axe (dulled for safety), crampons and carabiners for climbing, helmet and harness, radio for communication—and his favorite toy, a drone used for aerial searching. With teens currently learning to pilot drones through our STEM programming, it was helpful for them to tie their knowledge of drones to a real world application. Holly Shannon, current Clubs’ Board President & Lawyer with Carson Law Group is a frequent Career Launch guest at many of our Clubs. “Having grown up in Sedro-Woolley it is important to me to share my career journey to becoming a lawyer with our Club members. I am passionate about my career and in sharing, I hope to inspire our Club members to follow their dreams on whatever that path looks like for them. The best part about Career Launch, for me, is answering the insightful and imaginative questions not only about my job but about how I got here and why I do what I do. At the same time I get to share with our Club members my passion for volunteering and why I serve on the Board of Directors.” As part of the Career Launch program, Club members at Mount Baker Boys & Girls Club have been participating in a new curriculum focusing on youth exploring aspects of becoming an entrepreneur. They were visited by one of Skagit Valley’s very own entrepreneurs, Tina Asp. Tina together with her husband, Anthony, founded Image360, a full service graphics and signage firm in Burlington, WA. Tina Asp also serves on the Club’s Board of Directors. Tina shared about her journey of founding her own business, her favorite things about being an entrepreneur, and some of the technical aspects of making a business successful. Afterwards, youth had the opportunity to ask questions and share reflections. These programs, among others, are designed to introduce our youth to a wealth of opportunities, ideally putting them in a position to match their natural talents and passions to an educational and/or career path that will best serve them and their community. With the right balance of fun, challenges, and responsibility, along with trust, guidance, and mentorship, these experiences can open the eyes of our youth and generate excitement about their future possibilities. 11
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