Youth center proves town’s devotion to kids
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, August 12, 2003
What do vision, devotion and dedication look like? In the city of Snohomish, they take the form of the spanking new Everett E. Olsen Youth Center.
The attractive, functional building, the latest addition to the Boys &Girls Clubs of Snohomish County network, is the result of a tireless and successful effort to provide a positive environment for kids in Snohomish.
Standing alongside a playground and the Hal Moe Pool, with the impressive new Sno-Isle Library branch nearby, the youth center forms the final chapter of a winning story that will spawn countless other success stories for generations to come.
And it serves as an inspiring example of just how much one community can accomplish.
The effort began more than a decade ago, when lifelong Snohomish resident Everett E. Olsen, now 86, took the suggestion of a Snohomish High School student to heart and started gathering support to build a safe, fun place for the town’s young people to gather. Citizens and businesses stepped up with donations totaling some $1.3 million, and the city provided the land. The commitment of people like Olsen and Laura Hines of the Snohomish Valley Activities Council to see the project to fruition was indispensable.
The Boys &Girls Clubs of Snohomish County offer to lend its fundraising expertise and run the center was icing on the cake.
The youth center is sure to get plenty of use. Basketball courts, pool tables, arts and crafts areas, a teen lounge and computers with Internet access — which kids can use to complete homework assignments after school — are just some of the club’s offerings. There’s something for everyone, with the popular skate park and pool right next door and the brand new library just up the street.
It’s sure to be a before- and after-school destination spot. Bill Tsoukalas, executive director of the Boys &Girls Clubs of Snohomish County, is even working to see whether school districts or transit agencies can provide transportation between the clubs and schools. Given the number of households without an adult at home in the morning or afternoon these days, that’s an idea worth pursuing.
For now, the citizens of Snohomish should pat themselves on the back for showing exceptional community spirit — spirit that will recycle itself through the town’s kids for years to come.
