If you feel like eating out tonight and wouldn’t mind your dinner being served by the Snoqualmie Mayor or Police Chief (possibly even judging their table waiting skills), then head down to the Woodman Lodge tonight night from 6 – 9PM and “Dine out for a Cause.”
That’s when Mayor Larson, Chief McCulley, Public Works Director Dan Marcinko, YMCA staff and even myself will be throwing on our aprons and working alongside the Woodman Lodge staff in an effort to help the Y’s Partner with Youth (PWY) Campaign.
The Snoqualmie Y set a $47,00 fundraising goal for its Partners with Youth campaign this year. All the money raised goes directly back to the Snoqualmie Valley community, helping individuals and families who might not otherwise be able to afford YMCA programs.
Don’t really get it? Want a real life example of what this program does? Well, this year it provided after school care for a local child, one who would walk after school to his mother’s place of employment and wait in her car until her shift was finished – the very car they were living in for a while. Because of Partners with Youth donations, this child now heads to the Y after school and participates in programs with other local kids.
Twelve years ago I was a starry-eyed young mother to three children, with one more on the way, when we built a home in Snoqualmie. The appeal of a future community center drew us here, as we had one in our former community. I’d seen it work; witnessed kids utilizing that community center during after school hours. I daydreamed about my kids enjoying a community center here.
That was 2001. While it took over a decade to get Snoqualmie’s community center built, the YMCA runs it and some of my kids are too old to use it like in my daydream – I am happy the place is finally here and having an impact.
My 6-year old child I once imagined taking dance classes, or maybe swim lessons, at a Snoqualmie community center is now a high school senior. But in a full-circle kind of way, she is still impacted. It’s just that instead of a kid at a community center, she’s now a young woman learning by working with young children who do utilize YMCA programs – and hopefully making a positive impact on other Snoqualmie Valley kids.
I want all kids and families to be able to feel the impact of a community center. So, I am pulling my waitress apron out of 15-year retirement and heading to the Woodman Lodge – and Ana’s Mexican Restaurant next Monday – to help raise money for Partners with Youth, to help explain to restaurant patrons how the Y helps local families in need.
Peter LaHaye, Woodman Lodge owner, will give also away gift cards for PWY donations made during tonight’s dinner fundraiser. Basically, for all donations totaling $250 or more, patrons will receive $75-$100 Woodman Lodge gift cards.
You can register for tonight’s event at www.dineoutforacause.eventbrite.com – and then bring in your 
registration ticket for a chance to win one of 2 grand prizes. (Sorry, I have no idea what the prizes are.)
