Grant helps local youth with outdoor activities, travel

Two local youth organizations are putting a recreation grant to good use this summer.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula and YMCA of Sequim continue to offer various camps, trips and adventures through the Summer Experiences and Enrichment for Kids (SEEK) grant worth nearly $210,000 from the Washington Parks & Recreation Association and the Association of Washington Cities.

The two agencies applied for the grant with the City of Sequim.

At the Sequim Boys & Girls Club, 400 W. Fir St., staff report they’re happy to return to field trips and outdoor recreation after two summers confined to the clubhouse and small, local destinations.

Submitted photo Boys & Girls Club members in kindergarten and first grade visited Graysmarsh Farm in recent weeks as part of their summer field trip program.

More than 100 children enrolled in the club’s morning camp with the SEEK grant helping reduce the camp fee from $15 to $10, said Janet Gray, resource development director for the Boys & Girls Clubs. She said parents told staff they appreciate the discount.

The Sequim club’s summer kicked off with a Solstice Field Day and lunch at Carrie Blake Community Park, where the club serves free lunch at noon weekdays to any child under 18. Staff incorporated two field trips a week to make up for restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kindergarteners and first graders went to Graysmarsh to pick berries, and to the Olympic Game Farm with a few other grades. Older club members went to Seattle on separate trips to Seattle Mariners and Storm games.

Gray said the club’s Garden Club members received a special field trip to Woodcock Demonstration Garden with local Master Gardener volunteers.

Submitted photo Linda Schroeder, a Boys & Girls Club member, visits the Woodcock Demonstration Garden by Clallam County Master Gardeners during a recent field trip.

The club’s Junior Ranger program kicked off a couple weeks ago for 9- to 12-year-olds and they are exploring local national parks, hiking, beach combing, exploring tide pools and learning about ecosystems and land stewardship.

The club recently wrapped up Water Week to keep cool and to celebrate Discovery’s “Shark Week,” Gray said. She said they enjoyed playing in a shark fountain on the Sequim club’s playground and a field trip to Sol Duc.

For more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, visit bgc-op.org.

At the YMCA of Sequim, 610 N. Fifth Ave., staff report their summer programming is going great. They offer three, one-week summer day camps for children ages 6-12 with one camp just held July 11-15. Camps are full for Aug. 1-5 and Aug. 15-19.

Submitted photo Boys & Girls Club members, from left, Bee Mao, Paisley Taylor, Hunter Carleson, Daniel Salanoa, Russell Thomas, Alex Salanoa, and JD Kessler, enjoy a ferry ride on the way to a Seattle Storm basketball game.

The grant funded Find Your Trail outdoor leadership program features 25 children and they’ve hiked more than 20 miles and learned about several hiking topics, said Gail Sumpter, YMCA of Sequim branch executive.

The club continues to recruit youth lifeguards, too; find more information at olympicpeninsulaymca.org/careers.