The Olympia Washington Kiwanis members and their friends have cost the Washington State taxpayers over $50 million dollars (so far), because of their willful ignorance of long term, merciless and well known, child abuse that occurred at the Olympia Kiwanis Boys Ranch.
October 2006 note: This Olympia Kiwanis stuff is old news. I've left this information on the web, because I like the thought that someone will say to one of these Kiwanis friends or members: "Grandma, (Grandpa), are you still friends with those Olympia Kiwanians?"
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O.K. BOYS' RANCH, INC.
Meeting of the Board of Directors 1:25 p.m.,
30 November 1981, Olympia Elks Lodge
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
Zittel, Childs, Ziegler, Gustafson, Yarbrough, Earl, Maxwell, Kerslake, Olson, Forrester.
BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT
Clarkson, Wolfe
OTHERS PRESENT
Tom VanWoerden, Executive Director - O.K. Boys' Ranch.
The meeting was opened at 1:25 p.m. by President Zittel for the purpose of a special report to the Board by VanWoerden.
STAFF CHANGES
VanWoerden announced that he had asked for, and received the resignations of our live-in housparent couple. The resignations were requested because of several intolerable actions on their part including:
1. The house father's physical abuse of his wife on the Group Home premises.
2. Unwillingness to avoid involving our wards in private family disputes.
3. Non-participation in staff meeting on Friday, November 27.
4. The house father's absenting himself without permission from assigned duty for at least four days.
5. Refusal to continue probationary activities previously assigned by the Executive Director.
6. Refusal to agree to further terms for continued employment as offered by the Executive Director.
Upon termination, the houseparents were fully paid all salaries due to them. Former staff member Tom Gill has been hired to serve as a temporary staff replacement member and is now on duty.
Subsequent to their resignations, our former houseparents charged approximately $150.00 worth of food and merchandise to our Group Home account at Ralph's Thriftway Store. The Olympia Police Department was notified of this action and VanWderden filed a complaint regarding this matter. Our former house parents claim that they had provided an unknown amount of food to the Group Home when they started their period of employment. There are no records of such action.
After a general discussion by all members of the Board of Directors present it was agreed that VanWoerden was justified in terminating the employment of this houseparent couple. It was the further feeling of the Board that, to avoid unecessary publicity, it would be appropriate not to pursue further criminal action against them, if it can be avoided. Further discussion regarding the advisability of obtaining some form of a written termination agreement ensued with no consensus being agreed upon. Upon passage of a motion offered by Maxwell , seconded by Gustafson, VanWoerden was instructed to contact Attorney John Hoglund regarding what action, on our part, would be appropriate regarding this matter and to comply with his advice.
SHELTON ASSAULT CASE
VanWoerden announced that the law suit regarding the assault committed by one of our wards while in foster care in Mason County has been officially filed in court. The suit names as defendants:
1. The young man , who committed the assault.
2. His former foster parents.
3. The Washington State Department of Social & Health Services.
4. O.K. Boys' Ranch, Inc.
5. Tom VanWoerden
The suit has been filed in the amount of $50,000.00 plus $1,200.00 medical costs and $200.00 psychiatric care costs. Our insurance company has been notified of this latest action on this matter. It is anticipated that the State of Washington and our insurer will settle this case out of court. If the case goes to Court, it now appears that Attorney John Hoglund will defend the matter representing the State's and our Insurance Carrier.
OTHER BUSINESS
Director Gustafson announced that he had received a total of $144.00 in contributions from the Olympia Kiwanis Club members during their meeting which preceeded the Board Meeting. This money is intended to be used to assist in funding our wards' trip to Disneyland during the Christmas vacation this year.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:45 p.m.
Submitted by (Robert T. Olson signature)
Accepted by Board of Directors (unsigned)
Below is an e-mail I received from a former Olympia, Washington resident.
From: ~~~~~~~~@aol.com
From: louis a bloom manaco@whidbey.net
To: Louis Bloom manaco@whidbey.net
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 1999 11:34 AM
Subject: OKBR
Just came across your pages and felt the urge to respond... In the early
80's (81-83) I was at the OKBR frequently as a young kid walking to/from
school, I became friends with some of the boys. At one point a small boy
confided to
me that he was being raped by another boy in the home. The abusing boy
talked about it openly!
Days later I walked the victim to OPD where we both gave statements. Later that evening I began to receive these incredibly
threatening phone calls from a woman employee of the ranch who's name I
believe was Paulette at my home. She kept calling over and over screaming at
me calling me names. It was horrible. I thought I was helping someone.
Nothing came of it. Then all these years later, it all comes out ... one of
the boys that I had known there left as a young adult and still couldn't get
it together, he eventually killed himself. As an adult now I don't often
think back to those times but it still saddens me. All those boys that
needed a safe nurturing place to be, and how many of them were better off
for having been taken there? It's not about money. It cost these boys their
lives, their souls, their trust. Those people who knew, who didn't care,
they should feel such shame. Just my opinion.
To: ~~~~~~~@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 1999 7:30 PM
Subject: Re: OKBR
thanks for your e-mail. from what i've read, dshs, the olympia police department, and other "authorities"
didn't consider child on child rape to be against the law. it was considered
"normal experimentation". The "paulette" you mention, may have been
Collette Queener who was an assistant director at the OKBR. Collette, OKBR
Director Tom Van Woerdan, and OKBR counselor Laura Rambo Russell were
ineptly charged by Wa. St. with "criminal mistreatment for failing to stop abuse". The
charges were dismissed by Thurston County Judge Daniel Berschauer on technicalities. The lawyer who
represented Collette Queener said, (Nov. 14, 1996 Olympian), that it was a
"witch hunt", and that " a more innocent person (than Queener) you could not
have for a client. She's an ex-nun ..... I don't see how you could view her
in an evil or negative light."
I congratulate you for doing the right thing, when all those adults looked
the other way. I repeat on most pages that the " OKBR has cost the
Washington State taxpayers over $35 million dollars (so far)", because I
think most people
don't care about the kids involved, but they may care that it has cost them
(taxpayers) money.
louis bloom
There were many obvious and long-term warnings about the 1970-94 OKBR.
manaco@whidbey.net