Duo help Boys and Girls Club in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE - It was a busy afternoon on Friday for Moses Lake residents Ryan Winzler and Scotty Tymczyszyn.

The pair spent a couple of hours at Big 5 Sporting Goods and Famous Footwear helping 55 Boys and Girls Club members shop for new athletic shoes - the culmination of their pilot summer sports program "Game On."

They launched "Game On" at the beginning of the summer, Winzler said. The goal was to get kids in the Boys and Girls Club summer program out and about and active.

One of the activities they did this summer was a field trip to the Surf 'n Slide Water Park, he said. Another was a trip to McCosh Park where they built a giant slip 'n slide and did some Zumba, Yoga and other aerobic exercises.

Winzler and Tymczyszyn raised about $3,500 for their "Game On" program during an event at Evolve Fitness earlier in the year. Winzler runs Evolve Fitness and Tymczyszyn is an instructor at the gym.

They spent most of funds on the Surf 'n Slide and McCosh Park trips, but still had some left over at the end of the summer, Winzler said. And buying each of the kids a new pair of athletic shoes seemed liked the perfect way to spend the remaining money, he said.

"We're buying the kids whatever shoes they need for their sports programs during the school year, whether that's for soccer, wrestling or running," said Winzler. "It'll be one less thing they have to worry about getting."

Tymczyszyn said he just was glad they were able to do something for the Boys and Girls Club. The organization is especially important to him because he spent a lot of time at the club while growing up in Bellevue.

Tymczyszyn said he and Winzler began talking about what they could do to give back to the community earlier this year and figured they should do something for the Boys and Girls Club. They discovered there was no sports specific program during the summer months and decided they would create one for the club, he said.

While "Game On" was born in their minds, Tymczyszyn said the program was only a success because of the help they received from the rest of the community. In addition to the individuals who participated in their aerobic dance party fundraiser at the gym, several businesses in the area, such as Porterhouse and Michael's on the Lake, stepped up to donate raffle prizes and live auction items.

Auctioneer Chuck Yarbo, of Moses Lake, also donated his time during the event, he said.

And support also came in during the summer. Employees from the Home Depot helped them build their slip 'n slide for their one outing for example, said Tymczyszyn.

Winzler said he is thankful for all the support they've received, especially from the Boys and Girls Club.

"We wanted to do this sports program and they were very open to it and let us come in and do our thing," he said. "It was just a great summer for these kids."

Winzler said they are planning on bringing back the "Game On" program next summer.