More kids, more fun at Boys and Girls Club

POST FALLS — It was a water warzone.

Water balloons sailed through the air, hoses relentlessly sprayed squealing children clad in colorful swimsuits and Madison Seymour, 20, dodged this way and that to escape the arsenal of aquatic ammunition streaming her way.

"I’ve never had a job that I love more," Seymour said. "I mean, who gets paid to have teen people soak you with water or to have kids throw water balloons at you? It’s fantastic."

Friday was a water day at the Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County in Post Falls, and the club members, associates and staff alike delighted in cooling off in the hot July afternoon.

Right now, the Boys and Girls Club serves about 400 kiddos a day — about 75 a day more than last summer.

But this year, the Club has a little help. Thanks to a staffing grant the Club received from the Corporation for National and Community Service through its AmeriCorps VISTA program, 24 extra summer associates are on site to lead activities, supervise and foster positive relationships with Club members.

"AmeriCorps is pretty much a dream come true for education majors," said Seymour, who is studying English and education at the University of Idaho. "I was pretty jazzed out of my mind when this came up for me."

Seymour wasn't a Boys and Girls Club member when she was younger and had never been to a Club until she found the position while searching for a job that was applicable to her professional development.

Now that she has discovered the Club and understands the vital role she plays in these kids' lives, she couldn't be happier.

"I live in this community and I want to see the kids prosper and have an opportunity to do more than sit on the couch this summer," she said, her Club T-shirt still dripping from the water attack. "To have the opportunity to work with like-minded individuals who honestly and truly care about the kids, I mean, it’s not about coming here to get paid, obviously, we’re not making big bucks. We’re here to develop relationships and talk with kids and learn what they like and don’t like and have the opportunity for them to tell us silly stuff. There’s nothing better than going to Walmart on a Saturday morning and seeing your Club kids … I see them everywhere I go and it’s fantastic. I feel like I’m actually invested in my community."

The kids are fond of her, too.

"She does different age group stuff, but she helps out a lot," said Club member Skyler Ashpaugh, 10.

"She's really nice," said Skyler's little sister and Club member Charlotte Ashpaugh, 8.

The AmeriCorps summer associates mostly hail from Idaho and eastern Washington. As Seymour said, the AmeriCorps associates are not "making big bucks." They receive a small stipend every two weeks and at the end of their 10-week commitment they will receive a $1,200 education award to be used toward student expenses.

This was the first year the Club has utilized AmeriCorps summer associates. The grant covers three summers of 10-week associates and a few AmeriCorps VISTA associates have year-long terms.

"It's been pretty amazing," said Drew Curry, AmeriCorps resource development coordinator for the Club. "They all come from different backgrounds. A lot them are going into education or some kind of youth service, which is great. The Boys and Girls Club in the summer is its own kind of animal."

Curry described the AmeriCorps program as "the statewide version of the Peace Corps." He said the addition of the associates about doubles what the Club had last summer, which means more supervision, more kids and more programming.

"I think it's incredible," Curry said. "We're able to do a lot more things this summer with their help."