Week to week, reporters cover dozens of stories from the heartbreaking to heartwarming. Here, we take a moment to revisit previous stories to update the community on their latest developments.
Big support for Boys & Girls
Staff with the Boys & Girls Club of the Olympic Peninsula report its 30th annual auction broke several records on Nov. 10.
With the theme “Adventures in the Northwest,” the event saw about 400 guests raise $326,000 for the Sequim and Port Angeles’ clubs’ general operations in Sequim’s Carroll C. Kendall unit.
“We wouldn’t be here without the community,” Mary Budke, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, said.
“This is very much a community organization that is funded by the community and not just with money but also with our volunteers. We had 87 volunteers at the auction and even more continuing to help our kids every day.”
Of the total, the live auction brought in $71,800 while the “Bid for Kids” — a straight-up donation to the clubs — brought in $139,750.
One of the highlights was a speech and vocal performance of “Rise Up” by 15-year-old Pursha True of the Port Angeles club.
The record-supporting night specifically helps the clubs with operations such as programming, and does not go toward fundraising for a new Port Angeles club building.
In the Peninsula Daily News’ Sept. 20 story “Port Angeles club for youth seeks funds for new facility,” Budke said the facility at 2620 S. Francis St. is too small and there is still a wait list for more than 100 children to join.
She said staff and volunteers remain in the “Community Gift Phase” and they have some commitments/grants out bringing their current total to nearly $5.1 million, or about 73 percent of their $6.9 million goal.
Budke said the support has been amazing.
“We have to keep operations going while doing this and we were able to raise $5 million and still have a record breaking auction,” she said.
For more information about the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, call 360-683-8095 or visit www.bgc-op.org.
Sequim doing swell in Minnesota
Long-time Sequim resident Arline Dailey went on a special trip to see Sequim in Minnesota recently.
Sequim, a cougar found in Joyce, was an orphan cougar found in October 2016 on Jennifer Gross’ property along with his sister, later named Olympia.
We wrote about the cougars in the May 10, 2017 story “Cougar named Sequim found in Joyce now featured in Minnesota Zoo.”
A Minnesota native, Dailey said she visited the zoo in September during a trip to see relatives after reading about the cougar’s rescue.
“I think he’s beautiful,” she said. “Other people I showed pictures to here seemed thrilled to see him, too.”
Sequim and Olympia were rescued by Department of Fish & Wildlife staff who found them in Oct. 2016 and a deceased kitten near Gross’ driveway.
The two cougars, also known as pumas and mountain lions in different parts of the world, were briefly cared for in Quilcene’s Center Valley Animal Rescue and then in Eastern Washington before being transported to Minnesota and placed in quarantine for various ailments.
Olympia, the female cougar, did not survive because of issues with her hind legs.
Dailey said Sequim lives with another cougar, Landslide, who was also rescued from Washington state, but Dailey said she didn’t see it at the time because it was sleeping.
For more information about Sequim the cougar and the Minnesota Zoo, visit www.mnzoo.org.
Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
Mary Budke, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, stands with 15-year-old Pursha True of the Port Angeles club on Nov. 10 during the clubs’ 30th auction. The clubs raised a record $326,000 for operations. Photo courtesy of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula
