‘All the accolades’

MOSES LAKE — Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin Director Kim Pope got just a little embarrassed at Saturday’s fundraiser banquet. 

“In this community, we know how amazing Kim Pope is,” Boys & Girls Clubs Board Member Kelly Price told the crowd. “However, this is even bigger: She received the CEO (of the Year) Award from the Boys and Girls Club from the Washington and Alaska clubs.” 

Price waited for the applause to subside. 

“But there’s one more thing,” she said. “I traveled with Kim down to Arizona with the Boys & Girls Clubs (of the Pacific Region) … and she was also awarded the Executive Director of the Year. That’s with clubs that encompass Washington, Oregon, Alaska, California, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Hawaii.” 

The crowd roared to its feet in honor of Pope, who, Price said, “deserves all the accolades.” 

Pope has been at the helm of the Boys & Girls Club for seven years, and oversees the club not only at its central McGraw Clubhouse but also at six Moses Lake schools. In addition, the club has expanded beyond Moses Lake to clubhouses in Kittitas County over the last year. 

“That was a very cool expansion, and she was very strategic at working with the county government and other local organizations over in Cle Elum and Kittitas,” said Katya Miltimore, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington State Association. “So that's really great. She is very enthusiastic about the missions.”

The award from the Washington and Alaska clubs was given to Pope in June, and the one from the Pacific Region came just last month at the Pacific Leadership Conference in Phoenix. 

The Boys & Girls Clubs Pacific Region encompasses hundreds of club organizations, including 130 in California alone. Even among Washington’s 18 clubs, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin is one of the smaller ones, Miltimore said. 

“It's not a Seattle, Tacoma or Vancouver-based organization, but that doesn't stop her,” she said. “(Pope’s) never held back by the fact that she has a small organization that maybe doesn't serve as many kids. She will go to bat for them anywhere, from Olympia to Washington, D.C. and anywhere in between. If she sees a pathway to advocate for kids, she will travel down that pathway.” 

“We're one of the littlest clubs in the state,” Pope told the Columbia Basin Herald on Monday. “I keep saying we're small but mighty and we don't give up. We're very frugal with our funds. We work really hard to give the kids as much as we can with what we have, and it's nice to be recognized by the big clubs, because they voted on this.” 

This has been a tough year for Boys and Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin, with the Moses Lake School District’s financial woes financial woes making the future of the school-based clubhouses uncertain. Still, supporters said, Pope has kept everything together.  

“In moments of adversity, Kim Pope says, ‘Not my kids, we're going to make sure we're okay.’” Price said at the banquet. “And I gotta tell you guys, what we're here for matters. What Kim Pope does matters. What her team does matters. And we just want you to know it takes amazing leadership.” 

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin board was also honored at the Pacific Region conference in Phoenix, Price wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald. The board received the Silver EAGLES award for high board involvement and achievement. Price credited Pope with that as well. 

“I will say that as proud as I am of the board, it’s the leadership from Kim that drives our success,” Price wrote “She has grown our local presence exponentially, and at the heart of everything, what she truly cares about are the kids. She deserves all of the accolades and recognition.” 

    Kim Pope, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin, sits in the club’s quiet room, which opened earlier this year. Pope was recently honored by both the state and regional Boys & Girls Clubs organizations for her tireless work and innovation.