Summer is coming. You may hear such things as there’s nothing to do. I am bored. I am hungry. I don’t have gas to get me to work and I don’t get paid until next week. I can’t pay my utilities. I am a senior citizen who needs assistance. My husband drinks too much. It is time to go back to school and my kids have no clothes or school supplies. Can you help me?
The Bonney Lake and Prairie Ridge Food Banks were discussed in a previous column. There is still a push to try to get the summer feeding program funded in the greater Bonney Lake area. Stay tuned for more information on that. There are a couple of plans in the works. The White River School District announced their Simplified Summer Food Program for Children. Meals will be made available at no charge to attending children 18 and younger at the Buckley Youth Activities Center, 251 River Ave. in Buckley from June 17 through Aug. 30 (except July 4-5). Lunch will be served from noon to 1:30 p.m., with a snack served from 3 to 3:30 p.m. For more information, including eligibility guidelines, contact Jenney Smith at 360-829-6534.
There was also an extensive listing of free or nearly free things to do all summer long recently in this newspaper. Many of these activities have begun since Neil Johnson became mayor. The goal is to have free events to keep kids engaged and learning during the summer; something for the family to do together at no cost. Bonney Lake is family oriented. I smile when I see kudos for SwimSafe (discussed in an earlier column), the picture of the first-ever Bonney Lake High School boys soccer state champions, recognition of high school students for their athletic and academic achievements and announcement of the winners of the annual Stormwater Pollution Prevention and Water Conservation Calendar art contest that will create a calendar. Those calendars are free to all.
Did you know the city of Bonney Lake is shared by two different school districts? The eastern portion is in the White River School District and Sumner School District serves the remainder of the city. Did you realize that the Prairie Ridge community is shared by three different school districts, White River, Sumner and Orting school districts?
The neighboring cities, community groups and the school districts have formed community coalitions to work through common issues and reach goals for all ages in our community. This explains why you will see in the council minutes or hear council members Tom Watson or Donn Lewis report they have attended a meeting at White River School District. Councilman Lewis most recently reported he attended White River’s Families First Coalition and heard a report about the Buckley Youth Activity Center and statistics on teen alcohol and tobacco use. Councilman Lewis is a teacher in the Sumner School District, so he has day-to-day input from the youth of our city and a relationship with both school districts that serve the Bonney Lake community is a plus.
I have mentioned the Community Summit in an earlier column. It is a Sumner School District Communities for Families (CFF) event. CFF is a group of concerned people actively working together to improve the health and well-being of children, families and our communities. Their goals are (1) Identifying community assets & top needs of local residents, (2) Creating links among community resources, services & activities, and (3) Support existing family-related projects. Marilee Hill-Anderson is the go-to person for CFF.
And there is one other very busy woman in this community that is active in all three coalitions. Her name is Monica Gaub. She is the coordinator of the Prairie Ridge Community Coalition, facilitator of the White River First Coalition and if you attend CFF you will see her there, networking.
Monica has sent out some very helpful information just recently. One is the Northeast Pierce Resource Guide. You will find it on the City of Bonney Lake webpage at: http://www.citybonneylake.org/section_community/ and look under “community groups.” There is a lot of useful information on the Community Resources and Services page. You can find resources, a place to volunteer time and that community events calendar. Senior Center information is there, too.
Monica recently shared that free community dinners are now offered every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Prairie Ridge rec hall. If you live in Prairie Ridge, have dinner, meet your neighbors, and then enjoy a family-friendly activity following each dinner.
In Prairie Ridge there will also be a youth activities program beginning Monday, June 24. The fun program will be held Monday-Friday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. A different supervised activity will be held each day at the Rec Hall Park. If you have questions about these Prairie Ridge activities, contact Monica at 253-334-5895 or e-mail her at: gaublins@msn.com. If you have changes for the Northeast Pierce Resource Guide or want to be added, contact her about that, too. The guide is updated and distributed quarterly. It is a volunteer project and is not affiliated with any specific organization.
And don’t forget all the great programs at the Bonney Lake Library! Check out the Kids and Teens page for story times, free museum passes and downloadable music, contests and more at: http://www.piercecountylibrary.org/kids-teens/Default.htm.
So, finding help is at your fingertips, or your nearest park or library. You can find fun things for your kids to do, information on food banks, clothing banks, an Al-Anon meeting, vouchers for utilities assistance or gasoline purchases. Back to school help, a place to go for a meal and friendship or free movies and concerts. Possibilities abound. Please make the most of your summer.
