Share Your Passion

Kaylani Siplin, Education Associate for Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group shows a group of Club members how they test water quality for salmon habitat.

For those interested in inspiring, motivating, and impacting the young people in our community, Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County welcomes individuals who want to support our efforts through volunteering.  We offer volunteer opportunities in the areas of tutoring, mentoring, special events, programming assistance, administrative support and more.

For those volunteering at our Clubhouses: It’s easy to get started. We can’t wait to meet you and find out about your interest in the Clubs. Just fill out the Volunteer form and bring it to our Administration Office during business hours. We perform an extensive, National background check for all of our volunteers, because safety is paramount. We also provide training on some safety basics and Club policies. You are welcome to email us first to get more information.

Share your skills: What are you passionate about? If you take a look at the Our Impact page, you’ll see that we have a lot going on at the Clubs. Programs like Power Hour offer homework help after school, Triple Play is all about outdoor sports and physical activity, and Healthy Habits can involve cooking, or selecting or growing healthy fruits and vegetables. Really we are just scratching the surface of all the Targeted Programs we offer at the Clubs. Maybe you have a passion for gardening, woodworking, or photography. Maybe you have a  background in science or technology. Maybe you love field trips, and want to join the adventure with our youth as they explore their world outside the Clubhouse. 

Summer Programs: During the summer, we operate all day, so there is a lot more time for special programs and field trips.

Other Non-Profits: We love to partner with other Non-Profits who align with our values and mission. If you are involved with a Non-Profit Organization and have an idea for program integration or alignment, please let us know. 

Career Launch: Are you a professional or a business that would be able to provide insight for our young people planning their futures? Career Launch encourages Club Members ages 13 to 18 to assess their skills and interests, explore careers, make sound educational decisions and prepare to join our nation’s workforce. Guest speakers from a myriad of fields are welcome to visit our teen centers and share about their career path. To coordinate, please contact your area’s corresponding Club Director. Additionally, if possible, we’d love to schedule a field trip to your place of business so that our members can see the possibilities of their educational decisions in action. 

STEM Tours: We’d love to connect with any business or professional relating to Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math. Contact our Director of STEM Initiatives, Nathan Allen, if interested.

Event Support: Our events are super fun. Because our event volunteers are given free entry, and meals, it’s a great way to enjoy the event while furthering the mission of the Clubs. Many of our volunteers return every year. They say they “wouldn’t miss it for anything”. Each Event has its own set of needs, so we encourage you to contact us. Here’s a list of usual volunteer positions at events:

  • Helping guests at registration
  • Running games during social hour
  • Bartending: Must have a Class 12 serving permit
  • Pre-event set-up
  • Post-event clean-up
  • Professional Photography
  • Decor or table settings
  • Join an Event Committee: You’ll meet and collaborate with other community members to make our event amazing

Join a Community Council: Each Club or Area has their own Community Council, who meet regularly to support the Club. Each Community Council is responsible for advocating on behalf of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County organization as well is its programs, staff, volunteers, stakeholders, and most importantly – it’s Members. Advocacy duties include leading club membership drives, attending organization-wide and Club specific special events, scheduling Club visits with stakeholders and donors, and representing the Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County at various service/professional organizations, etc.  If you are interested, contact your area’s corresponding Club Director.

Join our Board of Directors: It’s true, our Board members put in many hours and we are grateful for their advice and leadership. If you want to be on the ground floor of planning for our Clubs’ success, contact our CEO, Ron McHenry. 

Anacortes

Burlington

Mount Vernon

Sedro-Woolley

Mount Vernon Library Hosts Weekly Story Time at the Mount Vernon Club
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The Boys & Girls Club of Mount Vernon is usually full of color, sound, and activity everywhere you look. But every Thursday, there is a pocket of near silence among the organized chaos of the Club as members have the option to walk into a quiet room, stocked with coloring sheets and colored pencils. There, members can take a quick break in a relaxing, calm, quiet environment as a part of “Story Time with Callie”.

Callie Shoemaker, Mount Vernon library assistant, has continued this long-running tradition at the Mount Vernon Club. “When I took over the position, this was one of the projects I decided I’d keep going” said Callie. Every week, for just over two years now, a library assistant has come to the Club to read to members as the members get to relax, color, and listen to the stories.

Story Time is a part of a larger program at the Mount Vernon Club called Project Learn. Every week there are 

different themes for the days, such as Limerick day or National Walnut Day. Callie takes these themes and brings in a selection of books based on them.

“I really like bringing in some books related to the theme, new arrivals in the library, and some personal favorites to read to the kids” said Callie. The members get to choose which books they want Callie to read.

Sedro Woolley Teens Invite Guest Speakers for Career Launch
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As kids start to get into middle school and high school, they are asked more and more frequently to start making important decisions about what they want to do with their lives. Career Launch is a program that gives members new tools to help make these important decisions.

Every week, Teen Centers in our Clubs invite guest speakers to share their experiences with the members. Our teens have heard from a variety of people in different professions, and different stages of their professional careers.

This week the Sedro Woolley teens welcomed Holly Shannon as guest speaker. Holly is a lawyer and has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County for the past 3 years. She currently serves as Board President.

As part of our Career Launch programming, Holly spoke about receiving a Bachelor’s degree in History from Western Washington University and her Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University. The members heard about how every day is different and how she works with around 300 clients! Fortunately, not all 300 of them need something every day.

Originally, Holly wanted to be a teacher but after looking into the law field and its history, she decided she’d rather be a lawyer. This sentiment, of discovering a new interest and pursuing it as a career, has been a common one with guest speakers. It’s a valuable lesson for our members to hear as we encourage them to make plans for their Great Futures!

Thanks for stopping by Holly! The teens really enjoyed having you visit and hearing about an exciting profession!

The Anacortes Club and The First Tee Link Up
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Youth Gain an Introduction to Golf Basics

Last week the Anacortes Boys & Girls Club and The First Tee linked up to provide a unique experience for Club members. The snow was falling, but that did not stop local golf pro Tom Perry and First Tee Coordinator Kjell Carlsen from teaching 15 eager Club members basic golf skills in the Anacortes Club’s gym.

The First Tee is an internationally recognized youth program that introduces the game of golf and its inherent values to young people. The learning program focuses on nine core values – honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment. Anacortes’ local First Tee chapter is sponsored by Anacortes Sunrisers Kiwanis Club in partnership with Swinomish Golf Links, two organizations that also support the Boys & Girls Clubs. The program hopes to provide opportunities for fun, self-confidence, and sportsmanship skills for the kids who participate in their program. They offer Golf Clinics for ages 7-18, as well as a tournament in August. 

For most Club members, this was their first introduction to the game. Using oversized golf clubs, tennis balls, and velcro targets, members were able to safely achieve success. They worked on putting and chipping and tried to stay focused on “keeping their Y” in their golf swing with mentorship provided by Tom & Kjell.  

The First Tee Link Program and Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County share values that align for a great partnership, including the idea that any kid who wants to be part of the program will have an opportunity to do so. Moving forward, The First Tee hopes to work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County to reach a diverse group of kids who have an interest in the sport of golf.

Those interested in learning more about The First Tee Link Program can visit www.anacortestft.com. 

Pop-up Library brings books to the Anacortes Club
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Throughout the year, Club Members at the Anacortes Boys and Girls Club had the opportunity to spend an hour reading every day, thanks to a local partnership with the Anacortes Public Library, who were able to provide some special reading opportunities for youth through their Pop-up Library Program. The program began last summer, and was so popular that they decided to continue into the school year.

Children’s Librarian Leslie Wilson, visits the Anacortes Boys & Girls Club on a regular basis to host the Pop-Up Library. The system uses a new web-based library catalog that makes it possible to take library services out into the community.

Wilson said that they started doing Pop-up Libraries in May at a STEM event at the Middle School. And that it is surprisingly easy. “All we need is internet access. The Pop-up Library enables us to check out books, place holds, provide member info, issue new library cards, and more,” she said. Wilson explained that thru their weekly visits to the Club during the summer, they were able to streamline the process.  “The program has really improved. It helped us figure out what worked and what didn’t, really fine tune the program.”

The Pop-up library was also very popular with the kids. “What I liked about the pop-up library was that we got to check out books without going to the real library. I also liked hearing the different stories Leslie read to us,” said Club Member Alaea Cerrillo. The Boys and Girls Club has a library of books that the kids can choose from, but the Pop-up Library expanded their choices.

“I could tell how excited the kids were, because of how patiently they waited to check out their books. We run choice-based programs at the Club, so there are activities going on simultaneously. Lots of kids were choosing to look at the library books that were brought in and check out new ones for next time.” said the Club’s Marketing Director, Tammy Findlay.

Wilson explained, “The Club members really enjoyed being able to request books. It was great seeing how excited kids were getting them. It also helped us really tailor the program to meet the kid’s interest.” Some of the most popular requests included Guinness Book of World Records, Pete the Cat, and graphic novels.