2017 Mid-Year Report

CLUBS REACH
SIGNIFICANT
MILESTONE
In 1995, a group of community members began meeting,
believing that the 18,000 youth in Skagit communities
needed a place to go out of school that would provide
positive, useful, and rewarding activities in a safe,
healthy, culturally diverse, and drug- and alcohol-free
environment. One hundred and thirty-five years before
that, Mary Goodwin, Alice Goodwin, and Elizabeth Hammersley
met in Hartford, Connecticut, and because they
believed that boys who roamed the streets should have
a positive alternative, they formed the first Club. With
character development as the cornerstone of the experience,
the Club focused on capturing a child’s interests,
improving their behavior and increasing their personal
expectations and goals. A cause was born, and more
than a century later, found its way to Skagit County.
That initial conversation in 1995 led to the formation
of the Skagit Valley Youth Association, who conducted
their first official fundraiser as a Golf Tournament in the
fall of 1996, in hopes of opening a teen center. As the
group continued to meet and interest picked up steam,
different interventions and options for implementation
were discussed, and they turned to Boys & Girls Clubs
of America (BGCA) as a potential option. Throughout
the initial process, BGCA provided information and
support as necessary, and also connected the group
to local Club staff in Snohomish County. Terry Freeman,
who at the time already possessed 23 years of
experience with Clubs, was the Assistant Executive
Director. It may have been the first time Mr. Freeman
would provide guidance and influence to Clubs in
Skagit County, but wouldn’t be his last. In fact, as late
as 2014, during a transition window between Executive
leadership, Terry was quick to respond to provide
important knowledge that helped lead Skagit Clubs to
a record-breaking Annual Breakfast.
1995
A group of citizens form
the Skagit Valley Youth
Association that would later
become the Boys & Girls Club
of Skagit County.
Logo contest winner: Kyle
Larson from Jefferson
Elementary
1996
JAN 23, 1996:
Part of the original steering committee of the Skagit Valley
Youth Association: (Back Row L to R): Jack Gubrud, Greg
K, Joe Best, & Paul Vance. (Front Row L to R): Pat Pearce,
Marlys, Viginia Learned, & John Shultz. Not pictured:
Babara Ward, Sue Peterson, Nanci Leff, Doug West, Bill
MacDonald, Claudette Gubrud, & Joyce Nagel.
Continued on page 20
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