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Page A-12 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016
• • •
With a basement
space available,
the group is now
searching for funds
By BRIANNA LOPER
brianna@masoncounty, corn
The Shelton Elks has the
space; now it wants to build
what the community has been
calling for.
The club, located at 741
SE Craig Road, hopes to cre-
ate a youth activity center in
its basement to give Shelton
youth a place to call their own.
The group is conducting
a membership drive, which
started last month. If the local
Elks club can recruit 200 new
memberships, it will hand its
basement over to the youths.
Memberships are $99 per
year for a family of any size.
Mishelle Thompson, office
manager for the Shelten Elks,
said the group is already host-
ing many of the things that
would make a good youth cen-
ter.
"We already have billiards,
a computer lab, basketball,"
she said. "And we have our
Friday night dances for teens."
Thompson said the Elks
have heard from other parents
in town that kids and teens
need a safe place to go. Many
of the groups interested in
helping create that space are
looking at building a new facil-
ity, Thompson said. However,
the Elks' basement is already
ready and available.
The club just needs the
funds to maintain a center
once it gets it up and running.
"The building is already
here," said Elks member Gin-
ny Beech. "There's no land to
buy, no buildings to build. Ev-
erything is here."
Currently, the Elks base-
ment is used for social gath-
erings and bingo. However,
the group plans to move most
of the adult activities to the
upstairs area once the youths
take over.
The basement is already
home to some games, billiards,
a computer room, a dance floor,
and a bar and restaurant area,
as well as restreom facilities.
Thompson said the club also
has blueprints for an outdoor
play park and plans for a mini-
golf course.
The idea, Thompson said,
is to actually hand the base-
ment over to the youths, who
will then form a board -- with
adult guidance -- to let the
kids decide what they want to
see done with the space.
"For instance, they have
that bar back there: What do
they want to do with it?" added
Shelley Salinas, who has been
volunteering with the existing
Friday night dances. "Do they
want to see a juice bar? Coffee?
Food?"
Jennifer Salinas, Shel-
ley's daughter and a student
in Shelton, has been attend-
ing Friday night dances with
friends.
She said she's excited for
what a youth activity center
could mean for her and her
peers.
"I see it as a big opportuni-
ty for other kids my age," she
said. "There's not much to do
besides go to the park or the
movie theater, which are the
two main hangouts. It would
be nice to have some other
"The building is already here. There's no land to buy, no
buildings to build. Everything is here."
Shelton Elks member Ginny Beech
on building a youth activity center
place that offers more."
Jennifer added that a youth
board would give kids a chance
to be part of something bigger
than themselves and become
invested in a community proj-
ect.
Shelley said the Friday
night dances, which take place
from 7 to 10 p.m., give kids
a chance to meet others and
break out of their shell.
"Kids from the whole gam-
ut are there," Shelley added.
"We've had kids from broken
home _ come ..... We had one
kid who wasn't really into
dancing, but he said, "this is
nice. I would come here all the
time.'"
In the future, Thompson
said the Elks envision a place
for local teen bands to perform
or practice.
The group is already tak-
ing steps toward that with a
two-day Battle of the Bands
on Veterans Day weekend.
The event is scheduled to run
from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov.
11 and 12 atthe Elks club. The
Nov. 11 event will finish with a
Veterans Day dinner, and the
Nov. 12 event will finish with
a dance.
There is no cost to attend or
enter the event, and the two
victors -- one from each day
-- will win two paid gigs at the
Elks club in 2017.
Mishelle
Thompson,
office manager
for the Shelton
Elks No. 2467,
shows off the
restaurant and
bar area in
the basement
of the Elks
lodge. The local
community
service club
wants to build
a youth center
in its basement;
it needs 200
new members
to fund the
project.
Journal photo by
Brianna Loper
The only thing the club asks
is that attendees buy food at
the club's restaurant during
the event.
Thompson said the club is
already working toward its
membership goal.
Since starting the drive in
September, the group has al-
ready received 24 new mem-
berships.
However, Shelley said the
main challenge for the group
will be transportation for
youths trying to get to the cen-
ter.
Currently, Shelley picks
up many of the students who
want to attend the Friday
night dances.
"We're like the bus," Jen-
nifer said, gesturing to her
mother. "We usually have a
full load."
There is currently no tran-
sit route that goes to the Elks
facility. However, Beech said,
the clubs hopes that if a youth
center did come to fruition, a
public route might be created.
If not, she added, the club
will find other ways.
"Maybe we'll make our
own," she said with a laugh.
Thompson said those inter-
ested in joining can contact the
Elks club for a tour and to fill
out an application. For more
information, call 426-2322, or
email sheltenelks@gmail.com.
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