Support the Enumclaw Youth Clubhouse

Ways You Can Help

From donation and sponsorship, to lobbying and volunteering, there are many ways in which you can help the Enumclaw Youth Clubhouse.

Why the Clubhouse Urgently Needs Your Support

The Enumclaw Youth Clubhouse, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, remains — as it has since its inception — entirely funded by private donations and contributions from businesses and other charitable organizations. The Board of Trustees has performed admirably given the extraordinary budgetary and financial challenges of recent years. In 2006 alone, the Clubhouse saw a 100% increase in its insurance premiums, and similar increases in the cost of utility services — especially natural gas, which rose 72%. Additionally, the continuing cost of repairs and maintenance of the more than 100-years old building resulted in an overall 95% increase in operating costs compared to previous years. Adding fuel to the fiscal fire, all costs have continued to rise dramatically each successive year while, at the same time, annual donations to the Clubhouse have declined 73% compared to historical levels.

Beginning with Hurricane Katrina, the spate of global, national, and regional disasters that have consumed the greater resources of organizations such as the United Way, has resulted in the elimination of support of smaller dependent non-profit operations — which sadly, includes the Enumclaw Youth Clubhouse. The national and Northwest economy in general, have exacerbated the problem of greatly diminished contributions from historically strong supporters, such as the Kiwanis and Boeing corporation, as well as many local businesses and private sources.

The net result for 2010 is that without your added support, the Clubhouse will quickly exhaust the last of its current operating funds. To have to close the Clubhouse after its long record of service to the community would be a tragedy at any time. The youth groups that use the Clubhouse have few, if any, practical alternative meeting places. But you can help keep the Clubhouse doors open, and ensure it continues to serve youth and the Enumclaw community.

Why Not Charge the Kids?

The Clubhouse has never charged its youth user groups more than a modest annual security deposit and access fee, which is currently only $25 and fully refundable; and the Board of Trustees desires strongly to secure adequate funding, just as it has throughout decades past, without having to change its charter mission of making the Clubhouse available free of charge to the youth of Enumclaw. Not only would a "not-for-profit" or "for-profit" charge violate the charter mission and IRS status of the Clubhouse, it would pose an unfair hardship on the youth organizations the Clubhouse exists to serve, which are themselves non-profit organizations who lack the funding to purchase/lease commercial meeting space and many are prohibited by their own by-laws from raising funds directly or indirectly for outside organizations, including the Clubhouse.

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