So have you seen the “Help Build the YAC” signs all around the Snoqualmie Valley and wondered what was being built and what organization was doing it?
The Snoqualmie Valley Youth Activities and Community Center Association (SVYAC) is a registered nonprofit organization operated by community volunteers with the purpose of maintaining a location where youth programs can thrive in the Snoqualmie Valley.
But, they need a facility where those programs can take place.
Eager to return to its mission of providing the local community and surrounding areas with a secure and safe place for youth organizations to meet and get outdoors, SVYAC recently – and happily – announced the groundbreaking and construction of their new building – i.e. the meeting lodge – on 20 acres of land along Boalch Ave in North Bend.
The first step was installing the foundation of the new 2400 square foot managed facility that will support the needs of Snoqualmie Valley outdoor youth organizations. That happened in September. Now SVYAC is moving forward with framing and roof construction in an effort to achieve a dry-in milestone by the end of 2018.
According to a press release, this accomplishment was made possible with the help of many local volunteers and continued support from local businesses, including those who attended a volunteer event last weekend and helped raise the first wall of the new facility.
A very large donation is helping make the YAC building dream come true. SVYAC recently received board a $100,000 Community Match Challenge Grant from a local Snoqualmie Valley resident. The challenge will match individual donors – up to a $1000 each – for a cumulative match of $100,000. The local donor intends to encourage stewardship within the community for the new facility through this matching donation.
This match comes on top of $116,000 in cash donations and numerous in-kind donations the SVYAC has received since starting their “Build the YAC” campaign. Board members expressed their sincere gratitude to all donors who have chosen to help their mission of providing a home for youth organizations in the Snoqualmie Valley.
The Community Match Challenge will allow SVYAC to complete the new meeting lodge building. Other phases will begin next year, including needed site improvements and the parking lot which will allow the organization to gain its occupancy permit.
The last phase includes constructing a storage barn and a maintenance area for outdoor equipment used by outdoor-oriented youth programs. Fundraising for these later phases will begin next year.
SVYAC said 100% of all donations will go to the construction of the new facilities. The organization is operated by an all-volunteer staff.
To learn more about this SVYAC project, programs or to donate visit www.svyac.org
