EFL hosting leadership summit

Members of the Educating Future Leaders program will be on the ropes and out in the community during the “Youth Leadership Summit.”

EFL is hosting the three day summit for students beginning Friday, June 4 to encourage group and individual leadership skills.

The group will begin the weekend at the center with an introduction followed by games and an outline of the summit.

The next day will include a ropes course challenge with an interactive seminar about leadership concepts. Rope course activities are intended to challenge problem solving skills and group cooperation. The course promotes encouragement and support from the group members.

In final day, the group will “flood the community voicing our passion to make an impact in our surrounding environment,” according to the EFL website.

Original Story on EFL

Educating Future Leaders

Bellingham Schools

New center for youth promotes individual needs

Educating Future Leaders joins the Fairhaven neighborhood

A rising band from Bellingham High School, 5 Star Sexy Sauce, recently became connected with a videographer to shoot a music video for the band.

This is the type of opportunity provided by Educating Future Leaders, a new center for high school students that opened in Fairhaven earlier this month. The center works with students and the community to develop programs for students’ individual needs and to provide a space for students to grow. Membership fees begin at $21.50 a month.

Scholarships are available for students unable to pay the membership fee.

“It’s a place where ideas unfold,” owner Jason Kloster said.

The program was created in 2007 by Kloster, a WWU graduate. Fairhaven was chosen for the first location because of the safe neighborhood and good community it provides, he said. Educating Future Leaders is located at 1315 11^th St. in McKenzie Alley.

Everyone’s Program

“It’s a space for our community to come together to form a variety of programs that pique students’ interests,” Kloster said. “Educating Future Leaders promotes the programs and focuses on what students can do outside their normal life.”

A membership to the center includes advising about colleges, careers and senior culminating projects, leadership development programs, lessons on photography and web design (as well as a place to show them), entertainment and events, and discounts to various activities.

“I want the youth to have ownership of the program,” Kloster said. “It’s their spot to meet and hang out.”

Right now, the center has only three members but is working on developing its membership base with high school students through the help of volunteers and internships.

Kloster began developing the program while still in college. He recognized the need of personalized programs for high school students. Kloster worked in various leadership programs and took those experiences to help him further develop his own program, he said.

Helping Individual Needs

WWU senior Brittany Butler is an intern for Educating Future Leaders. Butler primarily works on developing the centers database among other tasks.

“I found I can make a difference with my computer work by teaching others,” Butler said. “I can share my passion while help others grow.”

The center is accessible to the community and is open to suggestions from the community as well.

“Businesses are growing themselves by building a better community when they become involved with the center,” Butler said.

Local businesses can contribute to the program by sponsoring a student to be part of the program for $21.50 a month. Businesses can also work with center to develop an educational program for the students. Single donations are also accepted.

“We want to reach out to other businesses that have the passion to run a program for high school students,” Kloster said. “We’re open to new ideas from the community.”

Randi Burgess, a senior at Sehome High School, is working with the center for her senior culminating project. The culminating project is a state requirement for high school graduation. She works on promoting the center to her fellow students.

“It’s a place where I can get my homework done, I don’t feel distracted here,” Burgess said. “It’s a good atmosphere and I feel connected with the community.”

Burgess hopes to attend the University of Washington or another college in California with a major in architecture, she said.

“I wish this was here when I was in high school,” volunteer Maddie Neuman said. “The people and environment are fun, friendly and supportive. Everyone’s ideas are heard.”

Neuman, a WWU junior, is majoring in secondary education. She works to build a connection for the center with the community and college students.

“What I’ve seen already has been really positive and beneficial for the high school students,” Neuman said. “

“Everyone adds value in their own way, Kloster said. “My goal is for the students to know it’s their program as well.”

Event promotes cancer research and neighborhood business

Women from around the area gather for a fun night in the neighborhood

Mothers, daughters and girlfriends will step out in their finest Thursday, May 6 for the annual event, “Girls Night Out” in downtown Fairhaven. The event is a fundraiser for St. Joseph’s Cancer Center and promotes businesses downtown.

Forty businesses will participate in the event providing a range of activities from live music to raffles and snacks. The main events include a bra parade and fashion show. New events this year are a bachelor auction and female comedians from the Upfront Theatre. The night concludes with a dance at the Fairhaven Pub and Martini Bar.

Planning a night out

Co-chair Cathy Lee began her involvement with the event as a participating business, Southside Trends Consignment. This is her third year as co-chair. Her favorite part of the event is seeing so many women have fun, she said.

“Everybody loves it so much, and it’s for such a good cause,” Lee said.

The event began as a way to promote businesses in Fairhaven and benefit breast cancer research. As “Girls Night Out” grew, the charity expanded to raise money for all types of cancer, she said.

This is Co-chair Pamela Felke’s third year planning “Girls Night Out” as well. Several months of planning and coordinating go into the event, she said. One year was just the fashion show, then the silent auction and now we’ve advanced to the bachelor auction. This year, we have included an all age’s portion for the fashion show as well, she said.

Felke said she would like to get more WWU students to attend “Girls Night Out” in the future.

Adorn and march

“My favorite part of ‘Girls Night Out” is the bra parade,” Felke said. “It’s so much fun and has so much energy. We started it last year and the entire district was so enthused about it.”

Participants will decorate their own bras for the parade. One contestant will be chosen to appear in the fashion show.

“We try to add to it every year,” Lee said. “This year the parade is bigger and will include cancer survivors.”

Lee said she expects to see 500-700 people attending this year.

An event for the community

People travel from different areas of Washington such as La Conner and Mt. Vernon to attend “Girls Night Out.” Last year, a woman from Camas happened to be in the neighborhood during the event. She enjoyed it so much, she started a “Girls Night Out” event in Camas, Lee said.

“’Girls Night Out’ has a really good impact on the Fairhaven neighborhood,” Lee said. “It brings people to Fairhaven. One person will visit and bring back others to see all the neat shops, which is always a good thing for Fairhaven.”

Julie Allen, a Fairhaven regular, has attended the event twice. Once on her own and the other with a group of girlfriends, she said.

“I found out about the event through fliers around the neighborhood,” Allen said. “It was a lot of fun, I love the Fairhaven area.”

Allen attends many events in the Fairhaven neighborhood.

It’s a fabulous neighborhood, and one of the best places to just meet strangers and talk,” Allen said. “Fairhaven is made for events like ‘Girls Night Out.’”

Biking in Fairhaven

Bicyclists question their safety in the streets

With spring ascending, bicyclists are returning to the road and are finding it difficult to determine who has must yield to whom in the Fairhaven neighborhood.

“I believe in not going through red lights, but some bicyclists don’t care,” John Martin, an avid bicyclist said. “I try and be careful when I ride. I’ll whistle and slow down for walkers, but I know I’ve made some mistakes too.”

Martin said he finds the problem includes both the bicyclist and driver. Bicyclists rip around corners too fast cutting off pedestrians and cars need to be more careful when opening doors, he said.

Martin rides from Northwest Avenue to the Fairhaven neighborhood as a part of his daily workout. He has been a part of the Bellingham community all of his life. He attended Bellingham High School and graduated from Western with a degree in music. Safety is always in the back of my mind after learning a bicyclist was killed by a vehicle in the area two years ago, he said.

Educational options

Julie Olsen, an assistant at the Fairhaven Pharmacy said it’s not clear who has the right of way when bicyclists are coming from Boulevard Park into Downtown Fairhaven. Part of the problem is that the road narrows and becomes condensed, she said.

Olsen has grown up in the Fairhaven neighborhood and has seen it go through many changes. It doesn’t seem possible to change the roadways because the parking spaces are needed as well, she said.

“Educational flyers would be a good way to tell people about bicycling laws,” Olsen said.

Riding up to speed

“I know what to do as a cyclist so I feel safe,” Joey Mullan, a sales associate at Fairhaven Bike & Ski, said. “I treat myself as a vehicle, I try to bike with the speed of cars or if I don’t I go off to the side.”

Most of the streets in Fairhaven have stop signs so a bicyclist can act more like a car, but a lot of cyclists do not know what to do, he said.

Mullan has never had an accident in Fairhaven on his bicycle, but his left arm bears a scar from a Tacoma incident. A vehicle crossed a double yellow line in the road in order to park and it hit me, he said. In another instance, Mullan recalls selling a bicycle to a woman and later seeing her with a four person group all riding side by side.

The city of Bellingham allows for only two bicyclists to ride side by side. Vehicles must yield to bicyclists and bicyclists must yield to pedestrians, according to the city website.

“If you actively seek out the rules you’ll find them,” Mullan said. “Everyone is just lazy.”

Fairhaven

Fairhaven is a neighborhood located in Bellingham, Wash. Originally a separate town; Fairhaven became part of Bellingham in 1904. Today, Fairhaven attracts a number of tourists throughout the region. Historic buildings have been preserved and are now home to local businesses. Access to Bellingham Bay provides the community of 600 residents with spectacular views and endless activities.

A list of Fairhaven Web sites:

City of Bellingham-Fairhaven Neighborhood

Fairhaven Neighbors

Fairhaven.com