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?"

Back to the2001 or 1999 or 1997 or 1995 Washington State Employees Salaries List
Back to the beginning OKBR Home Page(http://lbloom.net/indexok.html)

Until Oct 1999, I believed that the Kiwanians and their friends were guilty of careless neglect or callous indifference. After hearing frightening audio depositions from some of the abused kids, I now believe that these Thur Co citizens were involved with an "active collaboration with evil." According to these depositioned kids, (which was not contradicted by Kiwanian attorney Don Miles), the OKBR staff was involved in long-term molestation and sadistic abuse of these helpless children. DSHS, Olympia, & the Kiwanians criminally ignored the warning signs and then justified their inaction by claiming ignorance. Many of these inattentive judges, lawyers, & politicians want your vote for re-election.

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There were many obvious and long-term warnings about the 1970-94 child abusing Olympia Kiwanis Boys Ranch.

  • DSHS knew since at least 1977.
  • The OKBR staff certainly knew.
  • The abused kids told staff, schools, counselors, police, caseworkers, therapists, ect.., about their abuse at the OKBR, but nobody investigated.
  • Olympia Police Chief Wurner came to an Olympia Kiwanis meeting in 1986 and told the Kiwanis about the troubles at the OKBR. Chief Wurner was ignored. Maybe he should have done more, but he probably wanted to keep his job.
  • It was well know by the Thurston County courts. These kids were constantly in and out of the Thurston County legal system.
  • The OKBR was written about in the Kiwanis Komments newsletters, and the Kiwanis Board Ranch minutes.
  • All the OKBR Board Members had a legal oversight of the OKBR.
  • Were all Olympia Kiwanis Attorneys & Judges and/or Politicians uninformed?
  • It's amazing how blissfully ignorant some people were about the OKBR. You can read about their guiltlessness in some of their Washington State Patrol and Office of Special Investigation statements.
  • Here's Wa St Patrol Olympia Kiwanis member lists of 1987, 1990, 1994
  • Here is a 49 page index of 5,223 pages of documents that the WSP collected about the OKBR. Anybody can order any of those public documents by following the instructions on that page.
  • The OKBR sent kids for weekend visits to child abusers who donated land to the Kiwanis. The Kiwanians sold the land in 1993 for $125,000.
  • Can the Olympian Newspaper claim ignorance?

    By Teresa Hoyer The Olympian March 23, 1993 Thurston County's citizen of the year will be announced Monday, March 29, When the top 10 finalists will be honored at a noon luncheon sponsored by the North Thurston Kiwanis Club. The winner .will be announced March 29 by the North Thurston Kiwanis Club.

    Reservations for the luncheon must be telephoned to Gene Dolan at 491-4356 by Friday, March 26. The 25th annual Citizen of the Year ceremony will be in the Olympia Elk's Lodge, 318 W. Fifth Ave., Olympia.

    This year's competition brought 32 candidates. The list was pared to the 10 finalists. Dick Nichols, chairman of the judges, committee, is scheduled to announce the winner. The top 10 finalists are: Jerry.Buzzard, John Clees, David Devoe, Anthbny and Josephine Leonard, Edith Sharp, John Swanson, Philip Vandeman, Edward Wack, Ronald Walters, and Ruth Weigelt.

    A capsule look at the 10 finalists for the annual Thurston County citizen of the year award sponsored by the North Thurston Kiwanis Club:

    Jerry Buzzard, 7021 Mykonos N.W., Olympia, a partnerr in  the law firm Buzzard, Darkenwald and Allen.  Buzzard was nominated for donating his time in representing indigent persons in the community. He also works in the Bread & Roses Soup Kitchen, the Olympia Host lions Club, United Churches and,the South Puget Sound Community ColIege Foundation.

    John Clees, 4342 Sunset Beach Drive N.W., Olympia, a principal in the Gattis Clees and Co., a certified public accounting firm.  Clees was nominated as co-founder and first president of TOGETHER!  Thurston Communities for Drug Free Youth. He was Vice-chair of this year's Christmas Forest charity fund-raiser at St. Peter Hospital and is on the  board of the hospital's Health Foundation. Clees is also a member of the Olympia Rotary and a volunteer at McLane Elementary School.

    David Devoo, 1715. 11th Ave. S.W., Olympia, was nominated for his work  with the City of Olympia's D.W.I. Victim lmpact Panel. He was severly injured, in an accident involving a drunk driver in 1991 and is now permanently disabled from work. He also volunteers with the Thurston County Sherifrs Office, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post  No. 318 in Olympia, Thurston County Search and Rescue and the county River Watch and Radio Watch programs.

    Anthony and Josephine Leonard, 7147. Littlerock Road S.W., Olympia, work in the St. Michael's St. Vincent -de Paul Clothing Bank. Both Anthony and Josephine are over 75 years old and work more than 40 hours a week organizing, sizing and distributing clothing and goods for SL.Vincent de Paul.

    Edith Sharp, 7624-B Rich Road S.E., Olympia, is the Committee Chairman for Cub Scout Pack 118. Sharp  is credited with taking over the operations of the pack to eliminate problems and make it an efficiently run Scouting organization. She also is secretary of the Evergreen State  Dahlia Club and the Federation of Northwest Dahlia Growers, a volunteer -for United Methodist Women and the Olympia Junior Program. John Swanson, P.O. Box 4113, Turnwater, is a retired banker. He was nominated for his work with the American Diabetes Foundation, the Turnwater Rotary and as a board member of the Taylor/Bishop Foundation.

    Philip Vandelman, 3721 Holiday Drive S.E., Olympia, is a retired pediatrician. Vandeman has been involved with the Community Mental Health Center and the Off Campus School. He also works in the Children and Parents First Program and visits the Mother Joseph's Care Center.

    Edward Wack,  3626-A Lorne Ave., Tumwater, is president and chief executive officer of Olympia Federal Savings. Wack  is cited for his work on the St. Peter Hospital Christmas Forest and as a board member of the hospital's Health Foundation. He worked to raise funds for the St. Martin's Worthington Conference Center and donated funds for, the new Bread & Roses community kitchen. He has been past president of  Thurston County United Way and the Olympia-Yashiro Sister City organization. Ronald Walters  4105 60th S.W., Tumwater, is an account representative for KGY Radio. Walters was nominated for his contributions to the St. Peter Hospital Christmas Forest and as the vice president of Capital Lakefair. He also has volunteered for Sertoma of Olympia, the American Red Cross, the American Diabetes Association and the Thurston County Food Bank.

    Ruth Weigelt, 6903 33rd Ave. S.E., Lacey, works as a sales representative for Moore Business Forms. Weigelt was nominated for her,volunteer work at the Y.M.CA, & Thurston County unit of the American Cancer  Society and as chair of the Lacey Spring Fun Fair.

    Below is an e-mail I received from a former Olympia, Washington resident.

    From: ~~~~~~~~@aol.com
    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.

    From: louis a bloom manaco@whidbey.net
    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


    manaco@whidbey.net