Realtors association helping Boys & Girls Club make a difference

MOSES LAKE — Making a difference is what life’s all about here in the Columbia Basin and the Boys & Girls Club of the Columbia Basin is doing its part to help children of all ages reach their full potential.

The Moses Lake/Othello Association of Realtors is pitching in to help the make that difference.

Over the course of the next six months, the association will make a $10 donation to the Boys & Girls Club for every transaction that is closed through a realtor. According to the association, there were 388 transactions closed through the first five months of 2016. Throw in some side bets between companies, as well as realtors, lenders and closers willing to kick in a percentage of their commission, and there could be some serious difference made between now and Dec. 1.

“My personal goal is to raise $5,000,” said Mark Fancher of Coldwell Banker Tomlinson, who is the president of the ML/Othello Association. “It’s an opportunity for people that are buying and selling homes to know there is going to be a donation made to the local Boys & Girls Club. It’s very satisfying to know that it all goes right back to the kids. We’re excited to be a part of it.”

At the end of the day, the Boys & Girls Club of the Columbia Basin is all about the kids, and every little bit does make a difference, director Brant Mayo said.

There are anywhere from 175 to 200 elementary students through teenagers at the new facility on Paxson Drive at any one time and upwards of 250 throughout the day. They provide a game room, a gym, a computer lab, or just a place to hang out in a safe environment.

“Anytime we get donations like this is fantastic,” Mayo said. “The money helps us close the gap. We charge $20 per membership and it roughly costs $2,000 to provide services per year. So we’re always looking to close the gap. So projects like this, not only through the donations, but the marketing that will go on with this project will bring an awareness to our organization.”

It takes a concerted effort to make a difference, but judging by the way 7 1/2-year old Shakala Jackson of Moses Lake enjoyed looking down the stick, lining up her next shot on the billiards table in the game room it’s an investment worth making. Jacoby DeLeon, 6, of Moses Lake settled right in with all the other kids with a little air hockey on his first day at the club.

“We’re running an after school program for four hours a night,” Mayo explained. “We have a learning center where we do homework programs. The kids get help and tutoring. We have an arts center. We have the game room that promotes social activities, so they’re learning how to share and play together and resolve conflict.”

They have acres of outside facility, so they promote physical activities, as well as health and nutrition awareness.

“We have trained youth development professionals here to mentor and help these kids along the way,” Mayo said. “Some of these kids don’t have any of that or for those that do, it gives them another resource.”

The Boys & Girls Club is not just for elementary aged students. There’s now a teen program for older students. They have a dedicated staff for teenagers to give them some direction.

“We’ve had discussions nationally. We don’t want them coming here and spending three hours on the phone texting friends. So we have several programs throughout the year,” Mayo said. “We do photography. We have a science club. We also have some diversity classes too. We’re trying to make sure we’re role models of good behavior for these kids at all times, whether it’s showing respect to staff members or parents or whatever.

“If I see a young kid having trouble getting his stuff up on the hook, I’m going to stop and help. That’s the norm. That’s what life should be, not maybe what they are experiencing.”

There is how it should be and there’s how it is and the Boys & Girls Club of the Columbia Basin is helping close the gap, along with a little help from their friends. The Moses Lake/Othello Association of Realtors is doing its part in making a difference.