The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Updates on Boys & Girls Club, Blue Mountain Counseling and After School Program

DAYTON - Dan Butler presented an architect’s design of the Dayton Boys & Girls Club facility to attendees at the Columbia Cares Coalition meeting last week.

“We want this to be really attractive,” Butler said, showing off the architectural drawings.

Butler said when the doors open for business, on Sept. 4, 2018, the facility will provide middle school and elementary students, and possibly preschoolers, with a high level of affordable care, in an entirely safe, and secure manner.

“I want parents to feel incredibly comfortable leaving their kids here,” Butler said.

Butler said students will be checked into, and out of, the facility using ID badges. And the office of the director will have clear sight lines into the facility.

While at the club, the students will be able to choose from a myriad of age-appropriate activities to keep them occupied, as well as a space to do homework.

Butler said the design calls for portable walls for the creation of an art and pottery station, a maker-space with 3-D printers and routers, and teen suite, with a pool table, ping pong, and foosball.

The kitchen will provide students with lunches and snacks, including free and reduced meals, Butler said.

“In the next month we’re going to see some big changes,” he said.

Butler said the Boys & Girls Club has just achieved 501 C3 nonprofit status, and grant writing is underway.

Butler thinks Lowe’s will help with the kitchen.

Bids for changes to the roofline and for upgrading the electrical service and flooring, will commence next month, he said.

The Wolfe Architectural Group in Spokane has donated $25,000 to the project, Butler said.

“Everything will belong to this community,” Butler said.

Everything includes hiring local staff, and mentor/volunteers.

“This will be an integrated community asset for schools, students and parents,” Butler said.

“We are excited. We haven’t lost our passion. I’m feeling really comfortable with where we’re going,” he added.

The Boys & Girls Club will be open daily from 3 p.m. until 6:30 or 7 p.m., as well as on early release days, and during spring and summer break, for students in Dayton and Waitsburg.

Blue Mountain Counseling

Jennifer Price, the Community Prevention Wellness Initiative Coordinator for Columbia County said she will be mentoring in the Boys & Girls Club.

Price is currently working on the SPORT Prevention program, which is designed to identify physical and mental wellness-enhancing behaviors and goals, as well as risky habits that interfere with reaching those goals. This is a six-lesson program asking students to participate in weekly activities including; different types of physical activities, eating a variety of foods, monitoring caloric intake and stress management while avoiding wellness harming habits.

The Strengthening Families program is a seven-week program which helps parents acquire parenting skills, addresses youth behaviors, and puts skills into practice.

Price said facilitators and back up facilitators are needed for those programs.

Price also pointed out that last year’s survey of 6th through 12th graders showed that about forty-six percent of them were struggling with symptoms of depression. Price is working on Sources of Strength, which is another program that works to train student representatives how to work with other students and refer them to adults, if help is needed.

After School Program

The Dayton School District After School Program Coordinator Monica Mitchell said the program is going well with 20 students signed up for the nine-week winter session. Students are taking science, safety and sewing on Tuesdays and cooking and Kid Power on Wednesdays. Thursdays are for photography and board games, she said. The first hour of each session is devoted to academics and three DSD para educators are helping with that.

During the spring session, students will be going on field trips to Palouse Falls, the Lyons Ferry Hatchery and wind farms, Mitchell said.