The director who oversaw a decade of growth and an ambitious fundraising effort in the midst of the recession is leaving his position with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County.
Lynn J. Templeton, 61, is taking the job of chief professional officer at the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Helena and Calistoga in Napa County, Calif. He served as executive director and CEO of the Whatcom County organization for 12 years and has 42 years of experience at Boys & Girls Clubs in Washington state, said Christine Destry, director of organizational advancement for the Whatcom clubs.
Templeton's last day is Tuesday, July 17. He starts in his new position Aug. 1, according to the California clubs' website. He will oversee two youth clubs and one teen center at his new job. The Whatcom County nonprofit has five clubs: Bellingham, Blaine, Ferndale, Lummi Island and Lynden.
A nationwide search for Templeton's replacement will begin soon, organization officials said. Terri Salstrom, president-elect of the clubs' corporate board, said the goal is to announce the new director at the annual fundraising breakfast in November.
Those who worked with Templeton cite his leadership in building two new clubs, in Bellingham and Ferndale. The Ferndale project was forced on Templeton and the rest of the Boys & Girls Club staff after an electrical fire damaged the former site on Jan. 1, 2007.
By early 2010, the Ferndale club had raised $5 million for the new building and another $5 million for day-to-day operations. It was called the most ambitious campaign in the organization's history.
"We were able to fundraise during a recession and still keep the doors open" with Templeton at the helm, Destry said. "I think that's really important."
During Templeton's tenure, the number of children served in the county went from 3,200 to 6,000, according to the statement released Thursday, July 12, announcing Templeton's resignation.
"Lynn has done amazing things with the club," Salstrom said. "He's been able to effectively develop an operation that is well run and continues to bring in new kids all the time."
Templeton was out of the office this week preparing for his new role in California, and he could not be reached for an interview.
Salstrom, who is president and CEO of Industrial Credit Union, said the new director's biggest challenge will be to enhance the organization's profile in the community. The clubs should rely less on routine fundraisers such as golf tournaments and groom advocates who can talk to potential donors about the Boys & Girls Clubs' accomplishments, she said.
"It is because of the success of the Boys & Girls Clubs' programs that we have seen higher graduation rates and lower crime rates in some parts of the county," Salstrom said.
Reach RALPH SCHWARTZ at ralph.schwartz@bellinghamherald.com or call 360-715-2266.
