Chelan Community Center enters partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County

Bill Tsoukalas is the Executive Director of Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County

COURTESY OF BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY

Maribel Cruz is the Lake Chelan Community Center’s Executive Director.

COURTESY OF BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY

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CHELAN – The city took a giant step forward on behalf of its youth last week with the announcement that a Boys and Girls Club will take up residence at the Lake Chelan Community Center. City Administrator Wade Farris introduced Community Center Executive Director Maribel Cruz who broke the news at the regular monthly meeting of the Chelan City Council Workshop on June 4.

“We are very excited to announce that we have secured a partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs (BBGC),” said Cruz. “Last month we signed a 15-year lease with the BBGC.”

The Community Center has prepared a spot for its new partner. 

“They will be taking about 7,000 sq. ft of upstairs dedicated space at the Community Center,” said Cruz. “Once we finish off the gym there will be BBGC activities there as well.”

Cruz views the BBGC addition as a good fit.

“We have invited the BBGC to be apart of the community center because we really felt that at the heart of what the community center is trying to do is to wrap our arms around the youth and also those who can’t necessarily pay for services or who are underserved,” said Cruz. “If we can help them, that helps everybody.”

Executive Director Bill Tsoukalas explained that there are 1,000 organizations like Snohomish County in the Boys & Girls Club world that represent about 4,000 individual locations. 

BBGC of Snohomish County currently have 26 locations spread across a multi-county area not just Snohomish County, said Tsoukalas. Eight are on reservations. There are other organizations in Spokane, Colville, Tri-Cities, and Moses Lake. There remains a vacuum in Eastern Washington from Yakima north to Wenatchee, Chelan, and on to the border.

Tsoukalas explained that it is much easier and a less expensive pathway to start within an existing club rather than start your own 501(c)(3).

“We have a presence in Eastern Washington at Brewster and three clubs on the Colville Confederated Tribes Reservation,” said Tsoukalas. 

The Brewster BBGC started in 2016 and serves more than 400 youth in the greater Brewster area. Clubs are also located in Nespelem, Inchelium, and Wellpinit.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media