Fair food booth supports work of Whatcom Boys & Girls Clubs

it's a strong indicator that summer is coming to an end and that school will soon be here when driving past the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds you see the heightened activity as our community readies for fair week.

For the past three years, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County has operated a food booth from center court - food court - of the Expo Building. For one week of the year, the clubs' staff and our numerous volunteers come together and join forces for a different mission.

We are a mission-driven organization that strives daily in the after-school and summer hours to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. However during fair week, our mission statement, specifically for the food booth, says our goal is to create and foster a spirit of unity while working toward the common goal of meeting the financial responsibility of providing a positive place for kids in our community.

The key words in our mission statement for the food booth at the fair are "financial responsibility." For a child to participate in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County's after-school program at any one of our clubs in Bellingham, Ferndale, Blaine, Lummi Island or Lynden, the annual membership fee is $30. For only $30 a year, a child will be ensured a safe and positive place to be in the after-school hours.

At the club each day, members are greeted energetically as they arrive and receive a healthy snack. They also have the opportunity to participate in numerous activities, including homework help, games room fun and technology programs, all while building ongoing relationships with a caring youth development professional otherwise known as our awesome club staff!

Our club members are the reason we put on an apron for fair week. Yes, we love to hear the cows mooing in the nearby cow barn each morning. Yes, we love to smell the poffertjes cooking all day long. And yes, we love to hear the great talent each night from the distant grandstands.

But those are not the reasons that our organization rallies more than 125 volunteers for six days of food vendor operation. As with everything the clubs do, from our annual auctions to golf tournaments to the food booth at the fair, we do it for the kids!

It is an amazing feat to recruit volunteers, from our club's advisory boards to generous community groups - including Sonlight Community Church, the "building host" for the Lynden club and the provider of the largest number of volunteers from any one group - to our own family members who, alongside our staff members, do whatever they can to help meet the financial responsibility of operating our programs throughout Whatcom County.

It takes a team effort for the food booth to be successful. I have several club parents who have stepped up to lend a hand to help, as well. It's a unique opportunity to have club parents, board members and staff members literally working alongside one another in the kitchen. It becomes a chance for everyone to share how much the Boys & Girls Clubs means to them.

For a parent knowing that their child is safe and supervised at the club while they finish their work day, that may mean the most to them. For a board member who volunteers numerous hours annually giving to their community, it may be rewarding for them to hear first-hand from a parent the impact their hard work has. Or for a staff member, it is a great opportunity to see the smiling faces of current and past club members come through the lines who are just so excited to see them.

I invite you to stop by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County's food booth at the fair. Volunteer for a shift, buy a burger, or just say "thank you" to the many people who are working for the betterment of children in our community. Wearing an apron for the day ensures that one more child will have the opportunity to belong to the Boys & Girls Clubs.

It's a great trade, an apron for a membership card for a child. As our national spokesman Denzel Washington says, "Put this card in the hands of a child, and you can change that child's life. Does it work? It did for me."

Thank you for your support.