Phillips recognizes North Seattle Boys and Girls Club 70th anniversary

October 30, 2013

Summary

Club also recipient of donated retired King County van

Story

Local iconic non-profit organization North Seattle Boys and Girls Club in Greenwood was recognized this week by the Metropolitan King County Council for seventy years of exceptional work providing hope and opportunity to King County’s youth. The recognition was sponsored by Metropolitan King County Councilmember Larry Phillips, who represents Northwest Seattle on the County Council.

“The Boys and Girls Club has worked diligently in fulfilling their mission of inspiring and enabling all young people, especially those who need it most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens,” said Phillips. “I congratulate the North Seattle Boys and Girls Club on serving the youth of Northwest Seattle for 70 years.”

The North Seattle Boys and Girls Club was the first Boys and Girls Club in King County. It was established in 1943 to address a growing problem of juvenile crime, following a riot involving more than 100 teens that broke out on the corner of North 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue.

Nearly every day of the year, for over 100 kids, the North Seattle Boys and Girls Club provides athletic programs, after school programs, and full-day care and day camps when school is not in session.

The North Seattle Boys and Girls Club also received a four-wheeled assistant in their work of elevating young people: a donated van secured for them by Phillips. The van was part of Metro Transit’s vanpool fleet, but had recently reached the end of its useful life as a commuter van and was retired from the fleet.

“Putting retired county vans to use in the community helps extend the value of these public assets,” said Phillips. “North Seattle Boys and Girls Club provides valuable services to kids in Greenwood and beyond, so I’m glad to be able to supply them with a van to further their efforts.”

The North Seattle Boys and Girls Club will use the van to transport youth to and from school, to field trips during school breaks, outreach activities and on activities during summer break. The van will also be used for different civic clubs, to transport youth home after the club’s teen late Night Program, and for outreach to youth living in motels and hotels along the Aurora Corridor.

Since 1995, the County Council has been donating retired vans from Metro’s Vanpool program to local nonprofit organizations to provide transportation for the disabled, low-income, young adults, and senior citizens. Governments, agencies and organizations that receive the vans must meet specific requirements:

• Capacity to support ongoing van operation, including assured funding for licensing, insuring, fueling and maintaining the van;
• Ability to provide qualified and trained drivers;
• Specific plans for use of the van to transport low-income, elderly or young people or people with disabilities, and assurance that the use shall be available to those persons without regard to affiliation with any particular organization;
• Ability to support county's public transportation function by reducing single occupancy vehicle trips, pollution and traffic congestion; supplementing services provided by the county's paratransit system and increasing the mobility for the transit-dependent for whom regular transit might not always be a convenient option.

Interested organizations can contact Councilmember Phillips for more information on applying for a vehicle.

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RECOGNITION

WHEREAS, this year marks the 70th anniversary of the North Seattle Boys and Girls Club, King County’s first Boys and Girls Club, founded by Deputy Joe Woelfert; and

WHEREAS, the North Seattle Boys and Girls Club was established in 1943 to address a growing problem of juvenile crime, following a riot involving more than 100 teens that broke out on the corner of North 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue; and

WHEREAS, the North Seattle Boys and Girls Club operates several academic, teen, drop-in, and athletic programs serving over 100 school-age youth every day after school and during school vacations; and

WHEREAS, the Club’s board members offer great support and leadership to make this organization successful; and

WHEREAS, the Club partners with several corporate citizens to find new ways to fulfill the Club’s mission of inspiring countless young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens;

NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Metropolitan King County Council, recognize the

NORTH SEATTLE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB

for their exceptional work in providing hope and opportunity to King County’s youth and congratulate them on the 70th anniversary of the organization’s inception.

Pat Murray (l), Regional Director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County,
is joined by Calvin Lyons (r), President and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs
of King County and the members of the Metropolitan King County Council.
The Council recognized the 75th Anniversary of the North Seattle Boys and Girls Club.

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Representatives of the Boys and Girls Club of North Seattle and the
Boys and Girls Club of King County join Councilmember Phillips as he
hands over the keys to a donated Metro Transit vanpool van presented to
the Boys and Girls Club of North Seattle.”  

(l-r) Pat Murray, Regional Director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County,
April Clark, Program Director of the North Seattle Boys and Girls Club,  
Berhanu Mekonnen, Athletic Coordinator of the North Seattle Boys
and Girls Club, Kendra Hale from Councilmember Phillips’ office
and Councilmember Phillips.