There is an urgent and pressing need for additional youth development services in Thurston County. To address this need, we plan to build a Boys & Girls Club on the campus of Garfield Elementary School, on Olympia's Westside. This is a high-density residential area within walking distance or close proximity to Garfield, Hansen and Brown Elementary Schools, Jefferson and Marshall Middle Schools and Capital High School -- where the largest majority of the district's low-income students live.

Utilizing the latest architectural innovations developed by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the new Clubhouse will be approximately 20,000 square feet and will include an education and technology center, a games room, a teen center, an art studio, small group meeting spaces, classrooms and a full size gymnasium. The Clubhouse will also include a kitchen for the preparation of healthy meals and snacks.

This new Club will serve the needs of Olympia's young people and will offer much more than just a place for boys and girls to recreate and learn. At the Boys & Girls Club we provide programs and experiences that enrich the lives of young people in our community. We involve school-aged boys and girls in wholesome — and fun — activities that build their self-esteem and self-worth. We teach the values of responsibility and respect. We empower children to make wise and educated life choices. In this age of teen drug and alcohol use, premarital sex and violence, we work to help create model citizens for our future.

Please join us in supporting this very important effort! Your commitment to our programs and services is both a current and long-term investment in the overall health and vitality of our community.