News/Media

Boys & Girls Clubs Visits

The Boys and Girls Club of Southwestern Oregon brought a busload of kids from its Teen Center down from Coos Bay to visit the Bandon Community Youth Center on June 21st. lt was the first of a visitor exchange between the two programs. lt provided for youth from the two communities to interact and have some fun together. The Center hopes to do a visit to Coos Bay next month to see the Boys & Girls Club Facility. Both Clubs will host a Last Chance Dance at the Bandon Community Youth Center near the end of August.

Summer Recreation Programs Coming

The Youth Center will again be conducting a summer recreation program this summer for older youth. Camps to be planned include sports like boys and girls basketball and non-contact football and other areas of inteest such as computer skills and digital photography. Schedules will be released later this month and registration will begin June 1. Call 541-347-8336 for more details.

Local Businesses Support Fundraisers

The Youth Center put on two fundraisers during the weekend of April 22 and 23. Both events would not have enjoyed the success they had wihout the participation of a number of local buinesses.

Bain Insurance Company sponsored the Sprint Fling Dance featuring the Oregon Coast Lab Band "Evolution". The Mill Casino provided a dining/lodging package to the winnders of the "best dancing couple" prize. Bandon Baking and Deli provided desert and McFarlin's hosted the bar.

The second annual Bandon Bling had many contributors as well. The following merchants in town donated items that were sold or auctioned: The Cobbler's Bench, Whiskey Run Jewelry, Riverview Gems, Jailhouse Rocks and Spirit of Oregon. The following businesses donated food for the event: Ray's, Price 'n Pride, Bandon Baking, Subway and Brewed Awakenings. And Brewed Awakenings, Vicki G's and Our Thrift Store served as drop off points for used jewelry. Sage Place's Anne Sobbota helped with displays and setup. Bethany Reen and Sarajo Royalty serviced the bar.

Youth Center Board and staff members worked tirelessly. Linda Cummins pulled together the Bling and Marcene Rebeck served as cashier and support at both events. Chris Powell and his wife Kim helped at the Dance and earned $50 for the Center when challenged to dance.

Most important were those who donated jewelry and participated at each event. It was your dollars that made up the funds raised.

Our Copy Shop Closes

The Youth Center is closing our Our Copy Shop, originally opened in 2005. It was created in part to provide job training for youth. However, youth are in class when most customers want copies made. More recently, the Shop was losing money and the Center Board of Directors could not justify moving dollars meant for our kids to subsidize the Shop's losses.

SAGE Arts Day

Tuesday, April 19th is SAGE Arts Day at the Youth Center. Come join the fun as our youth prepare items for the Center's Bandon Bling 2 fundraiser.

Lab Band Join Youth Center in Fundraiser

The Oregon Coast Lab Band will be joining the Bandon Communiq, Youth Center in a fundraiser April 22nd at the Harbortown Events Center. Join
them in an evening of dancing and fun opening at 6:30 pm. The Oregon Coast Lab Band has been providing and promoting in music for youth ages 9-21 since the 1990s. Evolution is their most skilled band. Thev have played yearly at the Southcoast Clambake Dixieland Jazz Festival and other regional and narional jazz events. Dance the night away at this Spring Fling dance. Refreshments will be available and a grand prize
awaits the best dancing couple. Call 541-347-8336 for tickets and more details.

Flower Child Dance

April showers bring May flowers! We close our month of April with still another dance party, our Flower Child Dance. It's our monthly dance party at the Youth Center, with the dance party beginning right after school.

Earth Day Activities Scheduled for Center, Thrift Store

April 22 is Earth Day and the Youth Center and Our Thrift Store will be taking part in the community celebration. The Center will serve as a site for middle school students to experience a variety of recycle- and nature-oriented activities.

Our Thrift Store will be the site for a "free cycle" day. Tables will be available for people to put items that they would like to recycle to other people. In return, they may see something that they could use and have it for free. At the end of the day, anything remaining on the "free cycle" table would become donations to Our Thrift Store. Call 541-347-8336 for info on these events.

10th Annual Auction Jan 22, Harbortown Events Center

The Bandon Community Youth Center will be holding its 10th Annual auction on January 22 at the Harbortown Events Center. Doors open at 6:00 pm. The evening starts with a silent auction that ends at 7:30 pm during which food and beverages will be available. The live auction starts at 7:30 pm, but even those who must depart early can leave a bid on a live auction item.

Each year promises something different in items offered in both auctions. The silent auction frequently provides gift baskets, merchandise and certificates from our local merchants. The live auction has many different items of interest: an autographed baskedball from the Trailblazers; dinner and lodging packages from out of town resorts; admission passes to theme parks such as Disneyland and Enchanted Forest, Wildlife safari and Oregon Coast Aquarium; fine wines; furniture; guided fishing trips; and golf packages.

Join the fun at Harborbown on January 22nd!

Youth Center Joins Lab Band in Fundraiser

The Youth Center will join the Lab Band in a fundraiser at the Harbortown Events Center on February 12. The Lab Band will be performing at a Sweethearts Dance. More details will be forthcoming in next month's newsletter, but be sure to mark your calendars now.

Center Enters Door Competition

The Youth Center participated in the Holiday Spirit Challenge sponsored by the Greater Bandon Association during December. The challengt to local businesses and organizations was to decorate an interior door. While not a winner, youth at the Center enjoyed creating and producing their decoration and showing it off for all to see. Special thanks to Anne Sobotta for her arts class and materials that helped get our decoration started.

The Herbert A. Templeton Foundation has awarded the Youth Center a $4,000 grant for its after-school tutoring program. The program is offered daily free of charge to any 4th through 12th grade student living in the school district. It's the fourth straight year that Templeton has provided grant support to the Center.

Grant Helps Support Tutoring Program

Juan Young Trust, has provided the Youth Center with $4,000 for its after-school tutoring program. This program is available to all 4th through 12th grade students in the Bandon school district free of charge. This is the second grant award from Juan Young Trust to the Center in the past three years.

Health Insurance for Kids

The Youth Center and Bandon Community Health Center are now helping families fill out and send in applications for health insurance for their kids.

Healthy Kids is free or low-cost health care coverage for Oregon children who don't have health insurance. Even kids with current health conditions can enroll.

Eligibility is mostly based on income. If you qualify for the no-cost option, health coverage is free. If you qualify for the low-cost option, you'll pay between 15 to 25 percent of the premium. Even if you don't qualify for no or low cost, you can still benefit from Healthy Kids' affordable rate.

The Youth Center is a certified agency for enrollment assistance for the Oregon Healthy Kids Program. Its job is to get the word out and make sure those who are eligible know that it is there. We are here to answer questions and to help complete the necessary forms required to enroll in the program. Volunteers also stand ready to help at the Bandon Community Health Cener.

Youth Center to Join Lab Band in Fundraiser

The Bandon Community Youth Center will join the Lab Band in sponsoring a Sweethearts Dance at Harbortown Events on Saturday, February 12. Look for more details in our January newsletter.

Youth Center Helps Healthy Kids Assistance Program

The Bandon Community Youth Center is working with the State of Oregon's Department of Human Services as a Certified Application Assistnace Organization for Oregon Healthy Kids program.

In this role, the Center is providing outreach, education and enrollment assistance for the Oregon Healthy Kids Program.

Over 116,000 Oregon children do not have health insurance. Governor Kulongoski and the 2009 Oregon Legislature created the Oregon Healthy Kids Plan to provide outreach to families for children who qualify for benefits at no cost to the family.

Children in families with incomes up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level can receive a comprehensive benefit package. Coverage includes dental, vision, mental health, prescription drugs and physical health care. There is no cost to families.

Some families do have access to employer-sponsored insurance programs but still face insurance premiums that are difficult to fit within their family budget. Premium payment help will be available for children in families with incomes up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

The Healthy Kids program takes advantage of programs already in place and has simply expanded the eligibility limits for the programs. About half of the 116,000 children without health insurance could qualify for the
existing programs but do not enroll in them. Many do not know they are eligible or do not know what to do to get health care coverage.

The Youth Center performs several functions in this new program. lt's primary one is simply working to get the word out and making sure that those eligible for the program know that it is there, that they are entitled to it and that enrollment can be done easily through the Center.

Center Director Harv Schubothe says "our goal is to enroll as many Bandon Children in need of insurance in the Healthy Kid's program as possible. "

"This will consist of doing a variety of things. First, we are here to answer general questions about the program. Second, we are here to help complete the necessary forms required to enroll. lf there is documentation necessary we will help obtain it. We will even submit the applications to Oregon's Department of Human Services to make sure they get to the right people in the right place."

"We have kids in this town that need the coverage, who are ellgible to get it free, and our job is to make sure they get it!"

Youth Center Adds New Program Staff

Loreen Mills and Sharon Wallace have joined the Youth Center as its new program staff. Loreen will be part of our program team and also assist with management of some of the Center's office activities as time allows. Loreen has just returned to Bandon after livingthe past 5 years in Morocco. Loreen earned her bachelor's degree at California State University, Long Beach and tutored at Westminster high school and assisted with special education students at Morningside Elementary in Garden Grove. Her law office and human resources director skills will help in the office.

Many local people may recognize Sharon Wallace from her years as a restaurant supervisor, server, baker and barista here in Bandon. Sharon just earned her Bachelor's degreefrom Portland State and is lookingto put her many years of customer service skills together with her education to use in a new and rewarding career. Sharon joins Loreen as the Center's program delivery staff.

Volunteers of the Month

Taylor Smith (left) and Winsvey Campos (right) are the Youth Center's volunteers of the Month. These two Bandon High School students have been helping Eileen with the after school tutoring program throughout the school year. During Arpil they contributed the first mural to the newly painted Youth Center recreation room. Taylor is also being considered for the Youth Center's Board of Directors position for a person under 21 years of age.

Two Bandon High School students were the architects of a brand new mural, "Imagine", inside the Youth Center. Taylor Smith and Wlnsvey Campos not only came up with the concept but also did most of the design and painting of the mural itself.

Taylor and Winsvey were playing with the conept of peace when the John Lennon tune came to mind. With some guidance from their high school art teacher Jen Ells and some help from Any Schoonmaker and donated materials from Bandon True Value, the girls were on their way to making their concept a reality.

The girls produced the mural pretty much by themselves as youth at the Center watched and admired their work. Ben Quinn did help with some painting

Auction Brings in Cash

The Youth Center's 9th annual auction on January 30 came close to matching our previous record for proceeds. The Center realized more than $6,200 from its major fundraiser for the year.

The Harbortown Events Center served as the site of this year's event. We appreciate Kirk and Elizabeth Day for donating their site and thanks to all who donated items for this event.

Auctioneer Steve Underdown led an energetic live auction that netted $4,200 for the Center's programs. The silent auction brought in nearly $1,400.