The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON-At a Monday morning meeting on February 14, The Club President, Jim Pearson, presented to the Columbia County Commissioners on The Club, following its request for $5,000 from the Juvenile Justice Fund. The Club provides affordable afterschool and school break programs for more than 100 area youth. At its peak before COVID-19 restrictions, The Club had more than 200 members enrolled.

Pearson told the commissioners that the past couple of years had been challenging for The Club, facing challenges due to staffing, closures, and scheduling issues.

The Club provides enrichment programs, recently shifting to incorporate social-emotional learning (SEL) to help boost learning skills and social interaction in school.

"The kids we serve at The Club are struggling mightily, in a number of ways; academically, personally, and socially," Pearson said. "We have taken our program in a direction to try and address that as directly as we can, making social-emotional learning that focus."

Pearson explained that multiple studies have shown that children who have a firm grasp of how to interact appropriately with adults and peers do better in academic settings. The Club will continue to offer educational services, including help with homework and study skills, in addition to SEL.

Previously, The Club partnered with Blue Mountain Counseling to guide kids to become, as Pearson put it, the best humans possible. However, the Dayton-based counseling service has struggled with staffing and cannot spare a mental health professional at this time. Pearson said that he secured grant funding, so Rosy Nechodem, the school counselor for Waitsburg School District, can work with kids at The Club.

In addition to daily elementary school level programs, Pearson said they have been incorporating middle school night activities. Sometimes it is a movie, or karaoke, and sometimes it's just running around playing games. He works with Dayton Middle School advisor, Jeff McCann, to help organize the well-attended events.

On top of that, The Club hires high school students to work as mentors and aides to the program. Pearson said that these positions are often the first jobs that the kids hold, and it gives them an opportunity to learn many necessary employment skills. One of many success stories about the young employees includes a student obtaining a much-needed full-ride scholarship to their chosen college, with the Club's guidance over college applications.

Pearson said over the past couple of years, Educational Services District (ESD) 123, based out of Pasco, suggested The Club become an all-ages community learning center. Pearson said the Club had turned down the offer, enjoying their autonomy, independence, and ability to pivot as needed to serve kids.

"This time, they (ESD 123) approached us and said 'we have surplus COVID-19 relief funds that we have been told to distribute within our territory.'"

The Club was chosen as one of four independent programs to receive these funds. To receive the funds, Pearson must attend monthly ESD123 meetings, and all club activities funded by the relief money must be evidence-based. Pearson said that evidence-based programs were already the focus of The Club. The funds provided by ESD 123 cover more than half of the annual budget, and is a two-year commitment, said Pearson.

Commissioner Charles Amerein voiced his concern that the program lacked civic duty classes, how to be a citizen, and how important your country is. He went on to say that 'it seems like public education systems don't find it very important, and that charities and funding, and things like that don't really support that anymore.'

"I do know that people of this community tend to be very patriotic and feel that it is an important thing," Amerein said. "I know that Washington State law actually requires the teaching of patriotism in the schools, not that they do it."

His concerns stemmed from the last time he visited the Club and did not observe an American flag in the building or on the grounds.

There are no laws requiring government or public buildings to display the flag. However, the Federal Flag Code suggests the flag be displayed on or near the main building of public institutions, including public schools. The Club is a private non-profit after-school program and not a public school or government entity. Students at the schools are led through the Pledge of Allegiance daily.

"What we are talking about right now, today, is the donation of public funds, from a public that feels a certain way about patriotism, nationalism, things like that, to an organization that doesn't," Amerein said. "I was wondering, how do you square that circle? You want funds from the public purse, but you don't feel that civic ideas are as important."

There are no requirements or laws supporting the idea that public funding must be given only to those the government (County, State, or Federal) deems sufficiently patriotic or nationalistic.

Pearson said there is no intentional avoidance of patriotism or nationalism at The Club; it has tried its best to avoid politics, focusing on what is best for kids participating in after-school programs. He said the American Legion offered to provide a flag; however, the flag brought to The Club by Jeff McCann was too massive to fit the space. Overall, Pearson attributed the situation to miscommunication.

"I think, a deeper issue... it's not as high on our priorities when we have kids who can't even sit next to each other without knowing how to interact," Pearson said.

Amerein asked if there were any plans to hang an American flag at The Club, and Pearson said that at the time, there were no plans, and the conversation had not come up until this meeting.

Answering questions from Commissioner Marty Hall, he said that there is space that could be used to display a flag, but it would likely take away art display space or a mural. Pearson said that he would be happy to present the idea of displaying a flag to the Club's board.

Upon hearing that Pearson would take the flag issue to the board, the commissioners approved the $5,000 request. The funds were already budgeted for, according to Commissioner Ryan Rundell.