Following is the guideline for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin snow, and other inclement weather conditions:
If the Moses Lake School Districts closes school due to inclement weather, the Larson & Downtown Clubs will be closed.
The decision to be closed is based upon safety. We want to ensure that; our Club members and staff are able to arrive safely, whether they are walking or driving and that they avoid the circumstance of being “stranded” at a Club site. KBSN/KDRM radio station (99.3) will run Club closure announcements in the early morning, along with the school closure announcements. Closure confirmations will also be posted on our Face book page (BGC of Columbia Basin)
…..in the meantime, enjoy the snow and be safe!
Join us as we proudly take part in Macy’s Thanks For Sharing.
As one of our valued supporters, you’ll have the opportunity to champion Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin and other charitable causes.
Starting September 14, 2011, put your $25 enrollment on your Macy’s Credit Card and you’ll get 10% rewards on most Macy’s Card purchases* from your enrollment date through December 31, 2011.
Thanks to you, Macy’s will donate $10, up to $15 million to participating charities. The first $3 million raised will benefit Go Red For Women. The balance, up to an additional $12 million, will be donated to Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Futures Without Violence, formerly Family Violence Prevention Fund as well as local Boys & Girls Clubs like ours.
Enrollment is easy. Visit macys.com/thanks, ask a Sales Associate at any Macy’s or call 1-888-933-6229.
*Terms and conditions apply. See a Macy’s Sales Associate or go to macys.com/thanks for details.
By Lynne Lynch,
Herald staff writer Columbia Basin Herald |
MOSES LAKE – A $15,000 grant brings the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin closer to building a new clubhouse, possibly this summer.
The Staples Foundation for Learning gave the grant to the clubs this week.
“This new facility will have a dedicated teen space,” commented Brant Mayo, the club’s executive director. “This will allow us to run new programs and services designed for the teen members.”
The existing downtown club on Third Avenue, in downtown Moses Lake, and a second location on Arnold Street, do not have space for teens.
“It is a demographic we want to have more impact with,” Mayo stated.
In both locations, activities are provided for more than 200 youth per day.
They also learn about character and leadership development, “while increasing their community service participation and future academic and employment opportunities,” he explained.
The grant application started with the manager of the Moses Lake Staples store, Kevin Donovan.
Staples supports the club with donations, but wanted to go further, Donovan explained.
“I wanted to do something more specific for the local club,” he said. “Hopefully, it will help them get a little closer to their goal, to building their new facility.”
Staples staff members bring their children to the club, he explained.
“We’re so excited to help Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin make after-school programs that make a positive impact available to more youth throughout the community,” stated Amy Shanler, director of community relations for Staples.
“Staples Foundation is committed to supporting Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin as they work hard to provide phenomenal academic and enrichment programs that help local youth reach their full potential,” she added.
Last year, the clubs started the public portion of their capital campaign to raise $1.5 million for its new clubhouse.
The site is located next to Park Orchard Elementary School, on Paxson Drive, in Moses Lake. The school is set to open this fall.
By Pam Robel
Herald staff writer Columbia Basin Herald 
MOSES LAKE – Giggles and squeals of surprise mark Thursdays at the Boys & Girls Club on Arnold Drive.
Student teachers from Heritage University spend an hour each Thursday teaching children at the club about science.
Heritage adjunct John Bartkowski supervises the student teachers and gets a kick out of the lessons that present the wonders of science in a fun lesson.
“This is a unit on water,” Bartkowski said. Surface tension, buoyancy and other water-related lessons are all part of a semester of Thursdays spent at the club.
Bartkowski said Heritage has done science lessons with students in Moses Lake for the last three years but this is the first year it’s being done at the Boys & Girls Club.
“The benefit of having it here is that this is a much more conducive setting to separate the groups,” Bartkowski said.
For middle school students like Starr Hernandez, 13, of Moses Lake, the science lessons are a way to couple fun and learning.
“My favorite thing is to do the tests,” Hernandez said. “I’ve been coming for three weeks.”
Hernandez said she heard about the program from a student advisor at school.
“It sounded pretty cool and I wanted to join in,” Hernandez said.
For instructor Matt Wood, the class gives him a chance to work with students in the real world.
“My wife teaches and I love working with kids,” Wood said.
While earning his teaching certificate, Wood is also a substitute teacher.
He called the move toward becoming a teacher a “natural fit.”
“Last week, they did the Mentos in water,” Bartkowski said. “That is always fun.”
For more information about the science classes or the Boys & Girls Club, call 509-762-5832.
By Lynne Lynch
Herald staff writer Columbia Basin Herald
MOSES LAKE – About 15 kids learned more about the nuances of leadership and character-building as new Torch Club members.
The students, mainly ages 11-13, are also members of the Boys & Girls Club in Moses Lake.
Thursday’s meeting featured a talk from Chuck Sutton, REC Silicon’s head of commercial planning, and a Boys & Girls Club board member. He spoke about leadership and his career at the company.
Sutton began working as an operator, later advancing to the positions of supervisor and manager.
He told the students to take their skills and develop them.
“If you can do that, it creates opportunities for you,” he commented.
He asked the kids to describe what a leader is.
They replied with range of answers, including someone who is good with people, has responsibility, is a role model and doesn’t think negatively.
Leaders are positive and polite, have integrity, are trustful, and have vision, drive and commitment, Sutton added.
He also explained how leaders have good organizational skills, but that everyone makes mistakes.
It’s important to plan, budget and continually improve.
He also spoke about the importance of good citizenship, cultural understanding and understanding people.
Leadership skills are built by doing those things.
We are so excited to ‘be live’ with our new Webpage designed by Michaelle Boetger Graphic Designs! In our efforts to stay connected to the ones we serve and those who support our efforts, social networking has become increasingly important. Along with the fresh new look and a lot more club information at your fingertips, we are also happy to include links to our e-news letter, Facebook, Paypal and other avenues to keep you current and connected!
This is truly a work in progress and we greatly appreciate your patience as we go through the process of not only compiling all the necessary information but also learning to navigate through the program. We hope you enjoy the new site as much as we do!
The group is planning to construct the 10,700-square-foot building next to Park Orchard Elementary School on Paxson Drive in Moses Lake. The building will feature community, learning, art, teen and activity centers and is estimated to cost about $2.8 million.
The new clubhouse will help children avoid being recruited by gangs, Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna said at the event.
“This is a problem throughout our state,” he said. “This is not an Eastern Washington problem, a Yakima problem, a Grant County problem; this is happening everywhere.”
Law enforcement’s responsibility is arresting the leaders and separating them from the community, he said, adding police succeeded in the late 1980s and early 1990s in combating this problem.
“So successfully, when the South-Central L.A. gangs were infiltrating up to Washington state, that many jurisdictions shut down their gang units,” he said. “So we know one of our goals has to be to cut off the head of the snake.”
Organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club become important in stopping recruitment, McKenna said, adding gangs are recruiting children at younger ages. Leaders do this to avoid longer prison sentences.
“Somewhere in the state, one young person is shooting another young person,” he said. “I’m sick to death of reading headlines in Washington news stories that say, ‘Teenagers killing each other, wounding each other, harming innocent bystanders.’”
The children have substituted gangs for families, McKenna said, adding people are waging a battle for the hearts and minds of children.
“Particularly those that are most vulnerable to this kind of recruitment – kids who are poor, kids who are homeless, kids who come from single-parent households or no-parent households,” he said. “We have to understand that there are bad guys out there actively working to win them over, to use them and then dispose of them.”
October 25, 2010
From the Columbia Basin Herald
As Mia Arntson, 3, sat on a hay bale, Star Arntson carefully arranged the layered sleeves of her daughter’s Halloween costume.
After making the last finishing touches, Star snapped a few photos of her smiling daughter, dressed as a witch.
“It’s her first time doing all this fun stuff,” Star said about Mia.
October 4, 2010
From the Columbia Basin Herald
For a few hours on Saturday night, flapper dresses and fedoras made a fashion comeback.
More than 350 people donned their best Roaring 20s outfits in support of the Boys and Girls Club 15th annual fund-raiser held at Big Bend Community College.
The night-long event included wine and microbrew tasting, silent auction, dinner and live auction.
September 28, 2010
From the Columbia Basin Herald
What is 8 inches wide by 8 inches long by 8 feet tall and made out of basalt?
A structural art piece created by former Moses Lake resident Anthony Kaufmann three weeks ago.