It’s For the Kids! Annual auction raises nearly $600,000 for Tulalip Boys & Girls Club

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

A short-lived heat wave hit Snohomish County last weekend. Temperatures touched 80° on Saturday, May 11, resulting in many people either staying inside to avoid the sun rays or actively searching for a fun Spring-time experience. Some six-hundred Snohomish County residents weren’t burdened by such trivial things because fortunately they had already RSVP’d to the always exciting and memorable, not to mentioned well air-conditioned, 26th Annual Boys & Girls Club Auction.

Hosted within the Tulalip Resort Casino’s Orca Ballroom, the signature fundraising event of the season was all about giving gracious donors and committed community members an opportunity to paint a brighter future for Tulalip’s children.

“Many of us have spent unlimited hours at our local Boys & Girls Club participating in sports and learning activities while others remember our local club as a safe place to be surrounded by friends and staff members we trusted,” stated auction chairwoman Marci Fryberg. Marci also serves her Tribe as President of Tulalip Gaming Operation. “Our personal experiences have led to a life-long commitment to an organization that had a positive influence in our lives growing up, and now it is our responsibility to carry that commitment forward.

“Our theme, Woven through Generations, highlights Tulalip’s commitment to family and how our communities work collectively to safeguard the future of the next seven generations. We are honored to celebrate 26 years of fulfilling our mission of promoting health, social, and educational development of our kids. Our club cares for hundreds of kids daily. Magic happens here, as our kids strive to achieve higher levels of learning and personal growth while creating special friendships and bonds that last a lifetime.”

Silent auction items ranged from handmade jewelry and custom clothing to laser-etched mini tumblers and autographed sports memorabilia.

 ‘The Club’, as it’s affectionately been dubbed by two generations worth of Tulalip youth who attend daily, is a safe place where kids can just be kids. While there, they are routinely exposed to nutrient-dense, healthy food choices, learn useful skills that can be put to work at home or in the classroom, and create an abundance of happy memories that can be remembered later in life.

An example of sovereignty in action, the Club is the first-of-its-kind to be built on tribal land in Washington State. Established over twenty-five years ago, 2024 marks nearly three decades worth of commitment to the community. Through before and after school programs, our reservation’s club aims to help the next generation improve their lives by building a positive self-esteem, developing core values, and adapting critical skills during their foundational periods of growth.

“What an amazing evening to be together with all of you for our signature event that supports the Tulalip Boys and Girls Club,” said Tulalip Chairwoman Teri Gobin to the hundreds in attendance. “The funds raised from this one event truly makes a huge impact on the lives of so many of our kids. We have so many leaders who grew up as club kids and now are professionals working in management positions at both our casinos, Quil Ceda Village, and in many departments of our tribal government. That’s a significant impact the Boys & Girls Club has had on our people.”

Michelle Myles poses with daughter Jacynta as she holds a custom paddle depicting the Seal Hunting Brothers that was auctioned off

Serving as a model for those working to improve the lives of young people in Tulalip and the surrounding communities, our Club is the primary beneficiary of the annual spring time auction. With each auction building off the success of the previous years, the Club has not only been able to sustain services, but also develop and complete much needed campus expansions that add additional learning and activity space. 

Funds raised from the annual actions are dedicated for capital improvement, not operating costs. Previous auction funds have paid for a state-of-the-art music studio, a multi-media room with twenty-plus computers, several transportation vehicles, roof repairs, and even a 4,000-square-foot technology-filled extension to better accommodate an ever-growing teenager membership. This teen center has been invaluable since its creation. In uncertain times, local teenagers are able to depend on access to this tech-loaded space to meet their computer-driven demands as 21st century students.

Grandma Diane and Club Director Shawn Sanchey say their goodbyes to the French Bulldog pup before the auction begins.

“It’s so funny looking back because I didn’t realize how much the Club meant to me as a kid, but really it was everything,” shared Club Director, Shawn Sanchey. The 28-year-old homegrown Tulalip citizen has come full circle after he himself grew up a Club kid. Now, he manages the same facility so many kids depend on every day. “It’s amazing being able to witness these kids learn and grow in the same way staff once did for me. It really is unique how dedicated our staff are to the community’s youth.”

Embodying his staff’s unique dedication to the community is the legendary Diane Prouty. She’s been safeguarding Tulalip’s club kids for 24 and a half years. She learns every single kid’s name who is a club regular and takes to heart their emotional and physical well-being as if they were her own grandkids. It’s no wonder then that she’s been lovingly referred to as Grandma Diane by thousands of kids at this point. A title she proudly owns.  

“All nine of my actual grandkids attended the club, and when they were here they’d of course call me grandma so eventually the other kids did, too. I thought it was just the cutest thing. I had no idea twenty-four years later that would become my de facto name, but I love it because it’s the kids who gave it to me,” explained Diane as she assisted checking in auction guests. “Every year, at this auction, I see former club kids all grown up, who have started families of their own and have kids who attend the club today. Ross and Krisan Fryberg were both club kids. Now, they are married and have had multiple kids attend the club, just like they once did.”

Ross Fryberg Sr. and Ross Fryberg Jr. take center stage with a handmade drum they donated to the live auction.

Ross Fryberg Sr. donated a beautiful, handcrafted drum to the live auction. It was brought to center stage by his son, Ross Jr., where it fetched a handsome sum to support a facility both Sr. and Jr. have cultivated many memories.  

In total, there were an estimated 600 generous individuals in attendance for this year’s 26th annual auction. Most of these attendees have never been inside Tulalip’s reservation-based B&GC Club. However, the uplifting faces of Club kids were ever-present on marketing materials and projected onto several giant screens bordering the Orca Ballroom. There were also a number of teenagers who volunteered during the auction to help generate support by sharing their wonderful presence and beaming smiles.

That is Amaya Hernandez (16) and Ella Roller (15) with Spark Fastpitch deliver a special live auction item – a French Bulldog puppy. 

One such teenager was 16-year-old Amaya Hernandez who, during the live auction, was one of the lucky few to roam the ballroom while holding a very special item – a French Bulldog puppy – that generated all kinds of buzz. When auctioneer Mark Schenfeld announced it was bidding time for the adorable pup, amass of bidding cards immediately filled the air. The eventual winner received the French Bulldog hand delivered by Amaya and her Snohomish Spark teammate, Ella Roller. 

When the 26th annual action finally came to an end, close to $600,000 was raised between the silent and live auction proceedings. Notably, a generous $25,000 of that impressive sum was raised by U.S. Bank’s Smokey Point branch. The bank staff embraced the celebratory atmosphere and combined their powers to claim top spot in the event concluding dessert dash.

U.S. Bank’s Smokey Point location in Arlington raised a whopping $25,000 during the Dessert Dash!

“At the end of the day, this auction is really about building relationships with the community and continuing to build upon the strong foundation of support we have with the Tulalip Tribes, Snohomish County, and the Tulalip Resort Casino,” said Terry Freeman, special event specialist for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County. “For twenty plus years now, our goal has remained the same – to create more and more partnerships off the reservation to achieve our goals on reservation. Thanks to our Tulalip leadership team and the leadership teams of so many amazing businesses in Snohomish County, we continue to meet and exceed this goal.”

Thanks to everyone who contributed and gave generously, the 26th annual action was a major success. The generosity and heartfelt support received each year from sponsors and volunteers is overwhelming. As in years past, all funds raised will ensure our local Boys & Girls Club continues to provide quality, growth-focused programs in a fun, safe and positive environment for kids.

Record amount of participation and contribution at Boys & Girls Club Auction

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By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

During the evening of Saturday, June 11, the Tulalip Resort Casino’s Orca Ballroom was home to the 18th Annual Tulalip Boys and Girls Club “It’s for the Kids” Auction. The fundraising event is all about giving donors and community members, the opportunity to take action for the benefit of the Tulalip community, specifically the hundreds of children who daily attend and depend on the services of ‘the Club’, as it’s affectionately been dubbed.

“The Boys and Girls Club is a special place for Tulalip. This year we celebrate our auction with the theme, ‘Taking Action for the Community’,” stated auction chair Rochelle Lubbers. “The Club lies in the heart of our reservation and in many ways is the heart of our community. Our working moms, dads, aunties, uncles, and grandparents rely on the Club to be a safe place where our children can be nurtured when they are not at home. Our family bonds in Tulalip are strong, the Club is an extension to that; with the children seeing staff as surrogate aunts, uncles, or grandparents”

The Tulalip Boys & Girls Club is the first club if it’s kind to be built on tribal land in Washington. Established in 1995, 2016 marks twenty-one years of commitment to the community. The Club promotes the health, social, educational, vocational and character development of boys and girls. Through before and after school programs, it aims to help young people improve their lives by building self-esteem, developing values, and teaching skills during critical periods of growth.

 

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Serving as a model for those working to improve the lives of young people in the surrounding communities, the Club is the primary beneficiary of the annual fundraising auction. With each auction building off the success of the previous years, the Club has not only been able to sustain services, but to likewise complete much needed campus expansions that add additional learning and activity space. This includes spaces like the all new Computer Learning Center built in 2014 that allowed for our kids to stay on par with the area’s best school when it comes to computer technology.

“Each year we come together and raise money that will improve our club in ways that would not be possible without the support of our dear ‘Friends of the Club’. The learning, mentoring, playing, and team building that currently happens on a daily basis has a huge impact on our children, but there is so much more we could do,” continued Rochelle. “Tulalip is taking a hard look at our gaps and realizing that teens continue to struggle and need more places where they feel safe, nourished, and comfortable. This year the Club is raising money to meet those needs and plan a space for our teens at a critical time in their development. We want our teens to stick around after their grade school years and mentor our children, but they need a space that fulfills their teen lifestyle; technology and creativity.”

At the auction, there was an initial goal to raise $75,000 to build a multimedia center specifically tailored to the teen lifestyle. Thanks to the participation and contributions of those in attendance the $75,000 goal was easily surpassed and a total of $91,250 was raised for the future multimedia teen center.

That was just the beginning of an evening that saw previous auction records broken. It was announced that with more than 650 generous and caring people in attendance, the auction had set a new record for in-house attendance. Then came the biggie; with a record high in attendance came a record high in fundraising. It can safely be said that with sponsorships included this year’s event raised just under $400,000, which is nearly $75,000 more than last year’s event.

“We are extremely proud of the efforts of the auction committee, the Club, our sponsors, and all those that turned out to support the Club on Saturday night,” says Sam Askew, Tulalip Resort General Manager. “John Curley brought a level of energy that we’ve not have had before and with that came new opportunities for bidding excitement and ultimately more funds going to support our kids. I’d also like to personally thank all those that donated. Whether it was time, effort, items or funds, YOU make a difference! Thank you.”

Auction items included Native American artwork, jewelry, sporting events and memorabilia, and vacation and wine packages.
Auction items included Native American artwork, jewelry, sporting events and memorabilia, and vacation and wine packages.

 

On behalf of the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club, the Tulalip Tribes thanks everyone who contributed to the success of the 18th annual auction. The outpouring of support received each year from sponsors and volunteers is quite overwhelming. As in years past, the funds raised from the auction will ensure that our club not only continues to provide, but improves upon, quality programs in a fun, safe and positive environment that make it such a positive place for kids to attend.

 

 

Contact Micheal Rios, mrios@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

On the T.R.A.I.L. to diabetes prevention

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by Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

On the evening of Thursday, April 14, Tulalip Boys & Girls Club held an open registration for its very own T.R.A.I.L. healthy choices program. Its mission? To teach children the necessary steps to prevent diabetes and pre-diabetes.

“We are super excited to offer the community a very special hands-on practical prevention program for the kids at the Boys & Girls Club,” stated Veronica “Roni” Leahy, Tulalip Diabetes Care and Prevention Program Coordinator. “This is the first time a large scale collaboration between health clinic staff and the Trails Program staff has occurred. Together, we are offering diabetes prevention education delivered in a cooking class format with nutrition education geared towards kids!”

From 1990 to 2009 the incidence of type 2 diabetes in Native American/Alaska Native youth increased by 110%, according to the Indian Health Service (IHS). Type 2 diabetes has been reported in Native American youth as young as four years of age, and IHS also reports that mortality rates for diabetes are 1.6 times higher for Native Americans compared to the U.S. general population.*

 

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In 2003, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), IHS, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), and Nike, Inc., initiated a prevention program aimed at reducing the onset of type 2 diabetes among Native youth. The program – On the T.R.A.I.L. (Together Raising Awareness for Indian Life) to Diabetes Prevention – is an innovative combination of physical, educational, and nutritional activities.

T.R.A.I.L. is a 12 chapter program that provides youth with a comprehensive understanding of healthy lifestyles in order to prevent type 2 diabetes. The program is presented with four themes: About Me, My Health, & Being Part of a Team; Healthy Eating; Making Smart Food Choices and My Healthy Community.

Woven throughout the program are self-esteem and prevention activities utilized by BGCA, including contributions from national evidence-based programs such as SMART Moves. Club members draw from Native traditions and history to learn about nutrition, food choices, media influences and the impact of type 2 diabetes.

 

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The program also emphasizes the importance of teamwork and community service. Participants apply decision-making and goal setting skills in the physical activity challenges, and engage in service projects to improve healthy lifestyles in their communities. Community and family members participate in activities with the elementary-aged club members. These motivate members to achieve their goals and promote physical activity. The club sites are implementing the SPARK Physical Education and Nike Let Me Play programs to foster club-wide participation in fun physical activities and games for 60 minutes every day.

T.R.A.I.L. is currently funded at 55 participating club sites located in 18 states. Each of the Native Boys & Girls Club sites received the following to implement the T.R.A.I.L. program:

  • A grant to fund program operations, including a part-time staff person and program training for one year.
  • Evaluated program curriculum, training, and on-going technical assistance.
  •  Access to the SPARK Afterschool Physical Activity Program.

Each club member who registered to participate in the T.R.A.I.L. program received a box of fresh food from Klesick Farms and Haggen Grocery store, and their choice of an apple tree or blueberry bush. These boxes were valued at approximately $50.00 per box.

“The kids will learn how to grow, harvest and preserve fruit, berries & vegetables and we will use them in the meals we prepare together. Plus, they will personalize and develop their own cookbooks with the recipes,” added Roni. “Our collaborative prevention team looks forward to working with your kids and sharing our knowledge and skills with them.”

The T.R.A.I.L. program will hold sessions Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Fridays from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. in the Boys & Girls Club community room.

 

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*source: https://www.naclubs.org

 

Contact Micheal Rios, mrios@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov 

When School’s Out, The Club is in

Bubbleman, Gary Golightly, performs his soap bubbles routine to the delight of the kids.Photo/Micheal Rios
Bubbleman, Gary Golightly, performs his soap bubbles routine to the delight of the kids.
Photo/Micheal Rios

 

by Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

This summer, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club buzzed with a minimum of 150 kids per day. The newly updated learning center and immersion rooms have been a great success, club officials say, with nearly full-occupancy occurring in each activity room every single day, and that’s just the beginning of the story for Summer Camp 2015.

The Club’s Summer Camp program ran from July 13 – August 21. There were 364 registered kids for this year’s Summer Camp, up from the 340 registered last year, and a record amount of parents who took advantage of the Club’s before care program, with an estimated 100 kids at the Club every day by 9:00 a.m. Membership dues were completely free for the entire five-week Summer Camp program for any child who lives on the Tulalip Reservation, tribal or non-tribal.

“Summer Camp was definitely hoppin’ this year. From six in the morning to six at night we were full of kids, which is great,” says Diane Prouty, Program Director for the Tulalip Club. “The Boys & Girls Club is a safe place. We are always telling the kids this is a positive place, it’s our job to keep it safe and positive for every single one of our kids. We want every kid who walks through our doors to feel safe and to have fun, that’s our number one priority.”

Air brushing body paint and ballon shapes made for a fun filled day.Photos/Micheal Rios
Air brushing body paint and ballon shapes made for a fun filled day.
Photos/Micheal Rios

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The Club is more than just a safe, stable place for kids to spend their summer breaks while out of school. Along with numerous field trips, weekly presenters, and daily activities, the camp also provides kids with lunch and snacks. Throughout the summer, the Club’s staff planned a variety of programs to keep kids learning and exploring. Field trips were a regular occurrence, including visits to local water parks, Kayak Point County Park, and Forest Park in Everett that currently features an animal farm and petting zoo.

Learning opportunities are a large focus of the summer program with several special guest speakers dropping in to present to the children. From the local school district and transportation to The Reptile Man to Seattle Children’s Museum, the guest speakers and presenters kept the kids’ attention peaked by mixing fun activities with ideas that foster a creative imagination.

The Reptile Zoo in Monroe brought their assortment of snakes, turtles, and even crocodiles to the Club.Photos/Micheal Rios
The Reptile Zoo in Monroe brought their assortment of snakes, turtles, and even crocodiles to the Club.
Photos/Micheal Rios

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“We had at least one guest every week, if not more,” continues Prouty. “We also did a soccer camp within our summer camp this year. We had a local soccer coach come in with one of his very talented, young players. They would come to the Club twice a week, every week during the camp and work with our kids. They had the kids do soccer drills and worked to build their understanding of the game while teaching them new skills. It was really cool and the kids just loved it.”

Overall, members of the Club’s summer program spent their break forging new friendships, exploring their surroundings and opening their minds to new concepts and knowledge. School might have been out, but Club members were keeping their brains and bodies active.

Drive-In Night. The kids worked all week to create their own make-shift cardboard cars so they could go to the drive-in and watch classic cartoons and movies.Photos/Micheal Rios
Drive-In Night. The kids worked all week to create their own make-shift cardboard cars so they could go to the drive-in and watch classic cartoons and movies. Photos/Micheal Rios

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To learn more about the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club and its mission to enable young people to reach their full potential, visit https://sites.google.com/site/tulalipboysgirlsclub or call 360-716-3400 to set up a tour with a club ambassador.

 

Tulalip National Night Out goes local, receives large attendance

National Night Out

By Tulalip News staff

TULALIP- For the first time, Tulalip Police hosted a National Night Out event solo. Previous years Tulalip PD has co-hosted the event with Marysville Police, alternating locations in Tulalip and Marysville. Due to  low tribal member turn out, Tulalip Police Chief Carlos Echevarria began looking for a new format. It was decided that the venue should be hyper-local and include Tulalip Bay Fire Department and Tulalip Tribes community resource departments.

National Night Out is celebrated across the nation as an annual event to enhance community relationships with local law enforcement through block parties and information resource events.

National Night OUt

Tulalip’s block party, held August 4 at the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club, received a tremendous turnout for its debut.

Families were treated to burgers and hotdogs grilled by Tulalip’s finest officers. Nearly a dozen information booths were available to attendees to browse information and learn what resources are available to them. Also in attendance was Tulalip PD’s new K9 officer Cooper, who was a big hit with children.

Tulalip PD plans to host another event next year and continue to strengthen the community-police relationship to discourage  fear of police in younger generations and discourage potential criminals.

National Night Out

 

 

Heartfelt donation finds its way home

Rochele Hammond presents the signed Michael Bennett football to Nate Hatch. Hatch donated the football to the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club Auction to help raise funds for the club's program. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
Rochele Hammond presents the signed Michael Bennett football to Nate Hatch. Hatch donated the football to the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club Auction to help raise funds for the club’s program.
Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

TULALIP – Rochele Hammond, husband Ken and sons Josh, Jake and Bradon purchased a priceless item donated to this year’s annual Tulalip Boys & Girls Club auction held Saturday, May 9.

The item is a football signed by Seattle Seahawks #72 defensive end Michael Bennett. It wasn’t just the autograph that made this item priceless to bidders, it was the story behind it that resonated with the Hammonds.

The football was donated by Nate Hatch, the only survivor among the five students attacked in the school shooting on October 24 at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. Hatch was presented the football by Bennett following the tragedy.

Hatch, a former Tulalip Boys & Girls Club member, decided to donate the football to help raise funds for the club’s programs.

The Hammonds won the final bid but knew the football was worth much more than what they had paid for it. They decided to return the football to Hatch.

“He deserves to have it and I knew he was meant to have it,” said Rochele . “We want him to know we are thinking of him. It just needs to be with him.”

Tulalip Boys & Girls Club Youth Sports

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The Tulalip Boys & Girls Club flag football team the Chargers, ages 5 to 6, took on their first opponent on April 18, with a game against the Saints from the Everett Boys & Girls Club. No score was kept but the Chargers kept the Saints on their toes and performed beyond expectations. Great Job Chargers!

Six spots are still available on the Chargers team. Head coach is Deyamonta Diaz and assistant coach is Selena Frajman. Practices are every Thursday, 4:30 -5:30 p.m., and Friday 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Tulalip Boys & Girls Club features five flag football team, one t-ball, one coach pitch and two volleyball teams.

Flag football coaches are Michael Hunter, Aletha Tatge, James Madison, Jay Fryberg and Issac Elliot. T-ball coach is Charlita Davis with Gregory Moses coaching for coach and pitch. Jamie Orth and Becca Marteney coach volleyball.

If you are interested in having your child join any of the available teams, please contact Tori Torolova at 360-716-3400.

Tulalip Boys & Girls Club Youth Sports

Tulalip Boys & Girls Club flag football

By Tulalip News staff

TULALIP – The Tulalip Boys & Girls Club flag football team the Chargers, ages 5 to 6, took on their first opponent on April 18, with a game against the Saints from the Everett Boys & Girls Club. No score was kept but the Chargers kept the Saints on their toes and performed beyond expectations. Great Job Chargers!

Six spots are still available on the Chargers team. Head coach is Deyamonta Diaz and assistant coach is Selena Frajman. Practices are every Thursday, 4:30 -5:30 p.m., and Friday 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Tulalip Boys & Girls Club features five flag football team, one t-ball, one coach pitch and two volleyball teams.

Flag football coaches are Michael Hunter, Aletha Tatge, James Madison, Jay Fryberg and Issac Elliot. T-ball coach is Charlita Davis with Gregory Moses coaching for coach and pitch. Jamie Orth and Becca Marteney coach volleyball.

If you are interested in having your child join any of the available teams, please contact Tori Torolova at360-716-3400.

 

Tulalip Boys & Girls club flag football

 

Tulalip Boys & Girls club flag football

Tulalip team sweeps through game tournament

Jay Miranda, Tulalip Boys & Girls Club games room director stands in front of the special display that houses the medals won in the March 7, 2015 Boys & Girls Club of Snohomish County Games Tournament. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Jay Miranda, Tulalip Boys & Girls Club games room director stands in front of the special display that houses the medals won in the March 7, 2015 Boys & Girls Club of Snohomish County Games Tournament. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

TULALIP – Tulalip Boys & Girls Club gaming team had an incredible performance at this year’s annual Snohomish County Boys & Girls Club Game Tournament on March 7. Players in the Tulalip team took home 12 medals including several first place spots, in a variety of game categories.

The annual event brings together club teams from around the county to compete in games such as bumper pool, checkers, pool, foosball, ping-pong and card games. This year the event was held at the Everett Boys & Girls Club.

The Tulalip team placed in the top three slots for each game category. Tulalip club members Gaylan Grey placed first in checkers and pool, and second in bumper pool. Terrance Phillips second in ping-pong, Mauricio Garcia first in foosball, Joshua Miranda third in pool, and Maximo Gonzalez third in checkers. Matthew Miranda placed first in ping-pong and second in foosball, while Marcella Gonzalez placed second in speed cards and Ayrik Miranda placed first in pool and third in bumper pool.

Tulalip Games Room Director Jay Miranda explains the tournament is more than just a bunch of kids playing games. Unlike other popular sport choices such as basketball and football, games in the tournament are played individually. They also help the kids develop skills that they can use later in life.

Medals won during the March 7, 2015 Boys & Girls Club of Snohomish County hang in a special display area inside the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Medals won during the March 7, 2015 Boys & Girls Club of Snohomish County hang in a special display area inside the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club.
(Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)

“These games teach the kids strategic thinking, along with critical thinking skills. Bumper pool and pool are games about angles which helps in math at school because they have to look at the angles before they make their move. They have to calculate before they shoot,” said Miranda, who has been the director for just under year and incorporates a philosophy of fair play and respect with players.

“I tell the kids, when you get older you will learn life isn’t fair, but as long as you keep trying you will overcome the things that seem unfair in life. I tell them to always play to win,” said Miranda.

Unlike other clubs in the Boys & Girls Club of America chain, the club at Tulalip is uniquely tailored to the population it serves, which has a large percentage of Native American youth.

“We teach more than just the rules of the games. We teach about having morals and standards for personal growth and we incorporate traditional cultural teachings in our club,” Miranda said. “If there was no games room it would impact the other departments in the club with an overflow of kids. The games room gives them a competitive outlet. If we lose the games room, the kids lose the feeling of accomplishment.”

“This year was a great accomplishment,” Miranda said. “In last year’s tournament we had only three players, but this year we had seven and they did great.”

 

Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com

 

 

 

 

iheart Go! hosts block party at Tulalip Boys & Girls Club

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
TULALIP – The Grove Church in Marysville hosted a block party for the youth at Tulalip Boys & Girls Club as part of their iheart Go! kids campaign on Friday, August 8. The campaign is designed as a local summer mission trip that aims to connect church youth with their communities in positive ways, such as giving back to their communities.
The group, comprised of volunteer youth in grades fourth through eighth in the Marysville area, and church staff, are spent the week of August 5-9 reaching out to the Marysville/Tulalip youth through fun block parties that feature, games, bouncy houses, face painting and crafts.
The Tulalip Boys & Girls Club is one of five locations that iheart Go! youth, known for their identical bright neon green t-shirts, reached out to.
“It’s wonderful what you [Tulalip] dofor the kids at the Boys & Girls Club and the Grove Church is excited to be a part of this learning partnership. I love outreach and I love working with kids,” said Patty Thometz, Children’s Pastor at the Grove Church in an earlier interview with Tulalip News. “We couldn’t ask for a better day, the weather was gorgeous and we are so happy to be here. I think the kids are enjoying themselves.”