Steering a sinking ship aground

For 21 years, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula has served hundreds if not thousands of youths, providing them with opportunities to make healthy choices and invest in their future.

It’s alarming, then, to learn that financial difficulties will not only affect the operation of the clubs on the peninsula, but also possibly close it down. Indeed, the president of the Boys & Girls Club board has warned the club has enough money to sustain itself only through February 2009, and that is dependent on whether the November auction meets its budgeted goal. 

It’s a given most of this community agrees losing the Boys & Girls Club would be a shame, with disastrous consequences.
First, if the facility closed it would be a slap in the face to those who had the foresight to bring the club to the peninsula and those who have worked diligently to keep it here. Second, and most important, it would leave the 300-plus Sequim children who take advantage of after school and summer programs, as well as the entire membership of 567 youths, bereft of affordable activities.

Affordable is key when it comes to Boys & Girls Clubs, not only here on the peninsula, but nationally. On average, 74 percent of children who are members of clubs across the country participate in the free and reduced meal programs in school. These families need low-cost, high-quality programs for their children.

So when the board of directors for the Sequim and Port Angeles clubs want to ask parents to pay more than the $2 per month as a way in which to boost the coffers, it’s not a viable plan considering the demographics of the users. Many of the youths that are members of the clubs are on scholarship.

In fact, the club recently sent letters to some 800 families asking for contributions, an unsuccessful drive and one that cost plenty in postage.

The question remains, where do we go from here? The Boys & Girls Club is an outstanding organization that provides important services to often-underserved segments of our population. That is not up for debate and is not the issue here.

The issue is fiscal responsibility and that fiscal responsibility lies with the board of directors and the executive director.

It’s difficult to imagine the board of directors and the executive director not heeding financial statement red flags during the past year. It’s even more difficult to understand why the board and the executive director didn’t work toward instituting more fundraising efforts. With an annual budget of slightly more than $1 million, counting on existing monetary support from United Way or the city is not realistic. A nonprofit organization must have ongoing fundraisers, not only to raise money but to increase awareness of its needs.

Former board president Len Lewicki hit the nail on the head when he said the board has not been making its case to the community.

After all, how can people support a cause if they don’t know the cause exists?

Another reasonable question is why has the initial endowment established a decade ago, become inactive? Endowment funds are crucial to nonprofit organizations and must be nurtured on an ongoing basis.

One idea proposed by the present leadership to increase funding is to pour money into the Port Angeles community by expanding the club there. That proposal should be shelved.

While the 40-some children served in Port Angeles are certainly important, the cost of keeping the facility open is a drain on the organization. There are many more opportunities for youths in the Port Angeles area than in Sequim, and in the economic slump, it makes sense to invest all resources raised in Sequim in the Sequim club.

The organization is in dire need of leadership. The club has a 24-member board consisting of talented individuals. But, they have no direction from their executive director, who recently said he is waiting for direction from his board. That’s a stalemate that needs to be broken. The executive director is the captain of the sinking ship, and as such, must be the one to give direction as to how to right the boat.

Certainly, there has been no mismanagement of funds, nor any illegal proceedings concerning the Boys & Girls Clubs here on the peninsula. But, that doesn’t excuse those to whom trust has been invested for allowing a once financially stable organization to come close to closing its doors.

Bad economy or not, the board and the executive director need to come up with a workable plan to address their obligations to club members and this community. It is imperative to keep public confidence in an organization that is so important in the lives of the youths in our community.

A horrific weekend
Those who live in tight-knit, rural communities often wonder at how and why tragedies strike in a seemingly safe place to live.

But, as we learned this past weekend, no one is immune to dreadful tragedies, even in idyllic Sequim.

A man from Everett, sporting at least three handguns, shot and killed a U.S. Forest Service officer and a 59-year-old man on Saturday, both on a remote road just outside of Sequim.

The suspect was killed hours later by Clallam County Sheriff’s deputies at a deli, again, just outside of Sequim.

It has been truly sobering for those of us who live here, many to escape big-city crime.

Fortunately, incidents that result in three dead people don’t happen often in this neck of the woods, and thank goodness for that.

Thank goodness, too, for the outstanding protection local law enforcement give us, including the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, the Sequim Police Department, the Washington State Patrol and the FBI, now doing it investigation into the shootings.

The staff at the Sequim Gazette extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of U.S. Forest Service Officer Kristine Fairbanks, who lived in Forks, and Richard Ziegler, who recently moved to the area from California.
Be kind to one another in this time of tragedy and always.