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Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club and Rainier Valley Teen Center Grand Opening!
Over 2,000 people streamed into the new Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club and Rainier Valley Teen Center for the Grand Opening on Saturday, November 15, 2008! The celebration began in the morning with a ribbon cutting and program and lasted through the afternoon with numerous activities and performances.
At the conclusion of the ribbon cutting Blue Thunder, the Seattle Seahawks drumline, made a special visit with a phenomenal performance to kick off the afternoon open house and the activities. Sound Transit opened a light rail train at the Columbia City Station and shared valuable safety education information with the children and families.
In the teen center gym the bounce of the first basketball on the court ever attracted dozens of children and teens. Sheryl Swoopes from the Seattle Storm also joined the festivities and directed a half court shooting contest for an autographed jersey.
While the basketball court attracted many of the guests, even more traveled through out the building with curious eyes and satisfied smiles. From learning about our partner organizations to learning about the building in the construction gallery, guests learned just what a valuable resource the Club will be to the community.
Guests were able to experience the exceptional programming first hand by participating in activities like Digital Arts in the computer lab, Detective Cookie's Chess Program, SCAN TV's video production demo in the Music Studio, and Nature Consortium's art class in the Art Studio where over 160 guests painted their own tile. The tiles will be fired and mounted on a table top to be used as an outdoor patio table and serve a commemorative piece for the event.
In addition to showcasing some of the programming, the wonderful members also showcased their talents on stage! Club musical and dance groups and community musical groups performed during the open house. The Dangerettes opened the show (Instructor: Sherieka Trotter), followed by the CD Dancers, Arts In Motion Drum Line (Instructor: Larry Jones), Nature Consortium Dance Team (Instructor: Ali Bradbord), Van Asselt Musical Group (Instructor: Paul Fowler), and Percussion 4 Kids (Instructor: Paul Taylor). The performances wrapped up the event with an encore presentation by the Dangerettes.
Visit the "In the News" tab to read news articles about the event!
Special thanks to the morning speakers:
Daniel Johnson, President/CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of King County
Greg Nickels, Mayor of Seattle
Ron Sims, King County Executive
Bill Burton, Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club
Allynn Ruth-Felder, Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club Board President
Nate Miles, Club Member Alumnae and Parent of a Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club Member
Additional thanks to:
Sheryl Swoopes from the Seattle Storm for her appearance
Bobby Engram and Blitz from the Seattle Seahawks for their appearance
Blue Thunder, Seattle Seahawks drumline
All the performing groups as mentioned above
All the wonderful volunteers
The Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club Partner Agencies: Apple Corps, Crisis Clinic (Teen Link), Nature Consortium, Seattle University Executive Leadership Team (Team Cultivate), SCAN TV, Youth Tutoring Program (CCS), Youth Venture, and Washington Oral Health Foundation
The Grand Opening Planning Committee
Special thanks to our sponsors and in-kind donors:
Pepsi
Renton Printery
Seattle Parks and Recreation
Safeway
Sean Watson (Graphic Design and Photography)
Maki & Yaki
Individuals who made gifts and contributions to the event
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