A healthy business community is dependent and determined by many factors, all of which are interrelated. The Boys & Girls Club is one of those factors.

I think one could show that young people, constructively engaged, are not out on the streets creating problems in town, including our business community. The skills learned at the Boys & Girls Club help our young people to be employable and find local employment. Again, employed youths are less likely to get into trouble.

New families moving to the area will become customers purchasing goods and services. Several factors influence families considering relocating to Sequim. One major consideration is what resources are here for their children. The Boys & Girls Club is one of those important resources for working families.

The former city council believed the services of the Boys & Girls Club were important to the community and provided $100,000, by contract, for the startup of our new Boys & Girls Club Teen Club and $100,000 for the second year of operation.

Part of what I hear is that funding the Boys & Girls Club takes money away from creating new sidewalks. About two years ago, a teen was behind the Boys & Girls Club in the act of taking his life. The staff intervened and the life was saved.

I ask you, how many feet of sidewalk is a life worth?

I believe people want to live, work and spend their money in a community that has a heart. One of the measures of the heart of a community is how it treats its youths. By supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, our community shows that we value our youths as a precious resource.