SEQUIM — It is not only about the cooking, art and fitness programs, said Jerry Sinn, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, running a teen center also means intervention: helping a young man or woman out of a dangerous fix.
At the Sequim Boys & Girls Club, 400 W. Fir St., the staff of the teen center has intervened in situations involving domestic violence, weapon possession and alcohol and other drug abuse, Sinn told the Sequim City Council last week.
Teen club director Kristal Van Selus and her co-workers have counseled teenagers who were considering running away and dropping out of school, Sinn added.
His report came at a time when the teen program, known as The Club, could use a form of intervention.
With the city of Sequim facing revenue shortfalls and severe budget cuts in 2009, its $100,000 in support for the club could be history by Jan. 1.
Sinn pleaded with the council to sustain their support for the teen program, calling it an investment in the future.
He pointed out that in Port Angeles, the Y-House, a drop-in teen center run by the Clallam County Family YMCA, closed at the end of August.
“They ran out of money,” Sinn said.
YMCA
The Y’s executive director, Dan Maguire, said on Wednesday that the organization could no longer afford the nearly $50,000 per year it took to keep the 12-year-old center open.
The YMCA’s main building at Third and Francis streets still offers art, sports and wellness programs for teenagers, and while there are fees for those classes, Maguire emphasized that financial aid is available to teens who cannot afford them.
“We still have a facility. The drop-in piece is missing right now,” Maguire said.
He added that the Y has formed a coalition of other community members in an effort to respond to the needs of at-risk teenagers.
“We can’t do it ourselves. We need a community-wide approach,” he said.
Maguire can be reached at the YMCA at 360-452-9244.
Boys & Girls Club
Of the Sequim Boys & Girls Club, Sinn said: “We’re fortunate . . . We’ve built a good basic program. As funds become available, we need to expand these programs. There needs to be more counseling.”
He added that the interventions would not have happened without The Club’s after-school activities, which give teenagers and staff members time to get to know one another.
After his presentation to the City Council, Sinn said he hopes the members do not “throw away” the city’s two-year investment in The Club.
The Sequim teen center is open from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Sinn said between 27 and 38 members come in for activities and meals, and like the rest of the Boys & Girls Clubs’ users, they pay dues of $24 per year.
“We’re looking at probably trying to double that,” Sinn told the council, though he added that the clubs’ policy is to turn no one away for lack of funds.
Council member Walt Schubert, a fervent supporter of The Club, interjected that, if some teenagers had to pay higher dues, “they wouldn’t be there.”
He knows of one youth who went for weeks without a change of clothes before club staff helped provide new ones.
“The kids that need [the program] the most can afford it the least,” Schubert said.
Sinn handed out a financial report to the council members, noting that The Club reduced expenditures this year, from $136,248 in 2007 to a projected $113,215 by the end of 2008.
Salaries for The Club’s staff of one full-time director and three part-timers total $73,112 this year, down from $89,274 last year.
Sinn emphasized that the Boys & Girls Clubs depend on donations more than dues.
“We’re a community-based organization,” he said. “We’re not a fee-based organization.”
The Boys & Girls Clubs’ administrative offices can be reached at 360-683-8095.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailyews.com.
