Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington State Association has received a $120,000 Nourishing Neighbors grant from Safeway/Albertsons Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors Breakfast Kids campaign.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington State Association will use this grant to provide nutritious meals to Club kids during the summer months.
Nourishing Neighbors is a charitable program of Safeway/Albertsons Foundation. The program aims to eradicate hunger in America by keeping food banks stocked and supporting meal distribution programs at schools. In 2022, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the Company contributed more than $200 million in food and financial support, including over $40 million through their Nourishing Neighbors Program to ensure those living in our communities and those impacted by disasters have enough to eat.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington State Association is proud to partner with Nourishing Neighbors to help fight hunger issues in our community.
WA State’s 2023 legislative session concluded on April 23rd, and we applaud our legislators for continuing and increasing important investments in academic success and mental health promotion programs that can benefit Boys & Girls Clubs in Washington State.
The legislature approved a 38% increase to the Academics, Innovation and Mentoring, and our Clubs plan to compete for an award from this fund, now in its 5th cycle. Our elected officials also continue to recognize the severity of the mental health crisis facing our youth, and extended the Mental Health Promotion Pilot funding for two more years, thus paving the way for a continued collaboration between WA Clubs and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction on a multi-faceted approach to support Club kids, teens, staff and families with training, resource navigation and mental health promotion programming through 2025. Thank you for keeping kids and families front and center in the many bills and laws that you passed in 2023!
On March 21st through March 24th, 13 finalists from across WA state competed to be the next WA State Youth of the Year and WA State Military Youth of the Year.
The multi-day leadership development event kicked off at the Tumwater Club of Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County, with pizza, icebreakers and “getting to know you.” The finalists got to experience virtual reality headsets courtesy of the Workforce Development staff from Boys & Girls Clubs of King County. The VR tech allowed the teens to explore different careers and pasttimes.
On Wednesday, March 22nd, finalists and their Club advisors and CEOs gathered at the Governor’s Mansion in Olympia for a breakfast reception. Rep. Sam Low. R-39 (pictured below), who won WA State Youth of the Year in 1988, spoke about his experience at his Club in Everett and in the Youth of the Year program. Governor Inslee made a special appearance and spoke about his time as a member of the Boys’ Club before honoring Dalilah Fuentes from Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties with the Community Service Award. Many youth got a chance to network with their legislative delegations, and posed for a commemorative photo with our First Lady, Trudi Inslee.
Dalilah F. of Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties graciously accepts her award from Governor Inslee.Many of the finalists pictured here with First Lady Trudi Inslee.
After breakfast, teens gathered at TVW for a tour of the station and to learn more about their vital coverage of the legislative process. Later that morning, the HR team at WSECU welcomed the finalist for a workshop on important job interview skills.
At TVW’s studio, finalists pose for a photo on one of the many sets.Finalists listen intently to a presentation at WSECU while eating snacks provided by the credit union.
Wednesday night, the 13 finalists took a limo ride around Seattle. Every year, without fail, this limo ride is the turning point in the competition. It’s the point where the youth form bonds that last beyond the event. They posed for photos at Kerry Park (pictured below).
The big day arrived on Thursday. Finalists met at Bell Harbor on the Pier for a luncheon with judges where they presented their speeches. Individual interviews with judges representing WA State businesses and public agencies followed.
Finalists, judges, and staff gathered for a luncheon on Thursday afternoon to hear finalists give their speeches.All 13 finalists pose outside Bell Harbor International Conference Center with the Seattle skyline in the background.
Over 250 guests attended the Celebration Dinner later that night and at the end of the night celebrated Dalilah F. of Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties as the 2023 WA State Youth of the Year and Cecilia S. of Naval Base Kitsap as the 2023 WA State Military Youth of the Year. Congratulations Dalilah and Cecilia! And congratulations to all the finalists for all they’ve accomplished and for sharing their stories!
Our winners! Dalilah F., the 2023 WA State Youth of the Year and Cecilia S., the 2023 WA State Military Youth of the Year.
The festivities continued on Friday with an Alumni lunch gathering at MoPOP in Seattle. Current and past YOY alumni came together to celebrate and catch up, sharing stories and experiences. We’d like to thank our judges and our sponsors for allowing us to host such a successful event!
Past and current alumni pose for a photo at MoPOP in Seattle.
WA YOY finalists from traditional and military Clubs will meet in Olympia for a breakfast reception at the Governor’s Mansion, where Governor Inslee is confirmed to make an appearance. Teens will get an opportunity to tour the Capitol campus, visit TVW to learn about civic engagement and education and attend an interviewing workshop with HR professionals from WSECU.
Once the finalists arrive in Seattle, they will meet with a panel of judges, representing OSPI, DBHR, Ballmer Group, Boeing and Molina Healthcare of WA. The 2023 winners will be announced at the Celebration dinner attended by Club leaders, youth mentors and families as well as Youth of the Year corporate sponsors. Each finalist will have the opportunity to share their personal story with the Celebration audience. All youth will receive a $500 scholarship, and several finalists will be recognized with additional merit scholarships.
At the conclusion of the four-day program, 2023 finalists will have an opportunity to meet with former WA YOY alumni at a fun and interactive event at Seattle’s MoPOP. Every year the finalists learn many new skills, and definitely make new friends thanks to the WA State Youth of the Year program!
The 2023 Washington State Youth of the Year is made possible by the following sponsors:
Rep. Tana Senn, D-41 (Mercer Island), the Chair of Human Services, Youth and Early Learning Committee, met with members and staff of Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue at the “Clubhouse in Columbia” event.
Boys & Girls Club CEOs, board members and leadership staff gathered in Olympia on January 24th through 26th to advocate with their elected officials for the creation of Youth Development infrastructure with the Department of Commerce, as well as a couple of important Club priorities in children’s and teens’ mental health and academic success. With over 100 appointments with members of their local delegations, Club leaders and kids accomplished a significant advocacy push, while educating elected officials on Club wins and current issues.
Some legislators took a short break to join Club kids and staff at the “Clubhouse in Columbia” event, hosted in the Capitol building. The Columbia meeting space was transformed into a traditional Clubhouse games room, where everyone enjoyed some Jenga, Connect 4 and catching up on Club news and happenings.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington annual advocacy event keeps growing, providing more opportunities to promote our Clubs’ mission and role in supporting a healthy and happy out-of-school time for kids and teens throughout our state.
The Washington State Association of Boys & Girls Clubs was created to deepen Clubs’ impact, amplify our mission, and garner additional public and private resources to further Clubs’ work in local communities. At the end of 2022, the outcomes of the Association’s work are shining brightly while casting a great spotlight on the life-changing work of our Clubs:
In March of 2022, we returned to an in-person WA State Youth of the Year, and celebrated nine outstanding teens, naming Johanna from Skagit County and Sam from JBLM as our Traditional and Military WA State winners, respectively.
For a second year in a row, WA Youth of the Year finalists were considered for a prestigious four-year Presidential Scholar Award by the University of WA. Congratulations to Shelby from Snohomish County (2021), and Kevin from King County (2022)!
Aided by a $500,000 investment from a private partner, the Norcliffe Foundation, and a $1,000,000 grant for a pilot program from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, all 14 Boys & Girls Clubs have launched a comprehensive mental health initiative. This multi-year effort includes training of all youth-facing staff in PAX Tools for Human Services, a trauma-informed behavior support strategy; hiring dedicated Behavioral Support Specialists; and launching programs focused on Club member and family mental health support and well-being.
In a continued partnership with Washington Healthcare Authority, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, over 30 Club locations delivered drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs, paving the way for better choices and more resilience in a healthier future for our Club members.
Significantly expanded our Medicaid partnerships to provide free Club access to many more Apple Health subscribers throughout our state.
Continued a long-standing grant program with OSPI in Academics, Innovation and Mentoring, serving over 500 Club members from areas with the highest need with programs and strategies focused on Academic Success!
And finally, secured an unprecedented multi-year investment from Ballmer Group, focused on providing unrestricted support to Clubs with the highest rate of Club kids accessing Free and Reduced Lunch program. (To read more about these initiatives and investments, please visit our website).
Washington Clubs will continue to evaluate the most pressing needs facing our Club kids and teens throughout the state, and form and expand private and public partnerships and programs that are timely, responsive and of high value to the communities we serve! We look forward to hearing more amazing stories of our Clubs’ impact in 2023!
Katya Miltimore Executive Director Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington State Association and Alliance
