The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

There was an added sense of excitement for the Circle of Friends children and mentors at their annual back-to- school barbeque last Tuesday organized by Executive Director Nicky Merritt. The nonprofit mentoring program celebrated the event at their new location in Sisters.

The large two-story clubhouse on the corner of Main Avenue and Elm Street opens possibilities for the program.

"This clubhouse has the potential for more interaction between mentors and kids," said board member Carolyn Gabrielson. "We have never had our own space for a big variety of activities and now the sky is the limit."

The kids were thrilled playing lawn games in their new yard and being able to choose from school items such as backpacks, clothing, art supplies, notebooks and warm hats for winter from donations from board members, Bethlehem Inn, Heartwarmers of Sisters and Westside Church in Bend.

Sydney Jo Harrison has been a mentor to Alex for five years and is overjoyed having a kitchen for the kids.

"The clubhouse is awesome, and we can't wait to make use of the kitchen, bake cookies and have a movie night," she said.

The building serving as the Circle of Friends clubhouse was acquired by an anonymous donor.

"The purchase of our new clubhouse came as a surprise. It wasn't in our long-term strategic plan for our fiscal year 2018-19, but an amazing one-time offer was presented," said Board Chair Virginia Silvey. "We were in a small rented space that made it extremely difficult to conduct activities and work with more than just a few of our mentees at a time. And in order to grow and reach out to more youth, we needed a permanent and larger cubhouse."

Before retiring to Sisters, Silvey had served as executive director of Friends of the Children-Portland. She was an educator, administrator and "turn-around" consultant for nonprofits.

Silvey noted that Circle of Friends needs to raise the proceeds to "buy" the building, and one of their main goals now is to get the clubhouse paid off as quickly as possible.

The new clubhouse will serve as a safe-haven that is easily accessible to the youth after school with their mentors. Circle of Friends will be creating areas for learning art, cooking and a teen "hang-out." The adults now have the chance to be more efficient when working with the youth on academics, reading, Lego-Robotics and STEM (science, technology, engineering, math).

"There is also lots of ways to interact and be involved with the kids without being a full-time mentor," Gabrielson noted. "We are looking for volunteers to help with an activity at the clubhouse with the children. We are looking for people to share their hobby as a volunteer, like jewelry-making or woodworking."

Silvey added, "We now have a permanent space that's large enough to do all of our activities."

Circle of Friends in Sisters was founded by Duncan Campbell in 2011 with seven youth, and now the organization is mentoring 42 kids with a waiting list. The mentors spend quality one-on-one time with each of their children to build nurturing relationships that help them thrive, starting as early as kindergarten and first grade and continuing with them through high school. Their overall goal is to reach out to even more children and help change their lives - one-child at a time-over time, with adult caring volunteer mentors.

"I think the new clubhouse a great opportunity for the children," said Campbell. "It's a place for them to do homework, art, and just spend time with their

mentors."

For more information about volunteering for Circle of Friends: www.circleoffriendsoregon.org.