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 the 2011 or 2009 or 2007 or 2005 or 2003 or 2001 or 1999 or 1997 or 1995 or lbloom.net State of Washington Employees Salaries List

1994 Olympia Kiwanis Members List
2007 Thurston County employees list (pop 207,355)(1,332 employees)(includes gross & overtime wages, hire date)
2005 Thurston County employees list (pop 207,355)(1,257 employees)(includes hire date)
2002 Thurston County employees list (pop 207,355)(1,569 employees)
2002 Port Of Olympia employees list (pop 42,514)(40 employees)
2009 Oly Evergreen St Col employees list (938 employees)
Olympian Newspaper 2010 Thurston employees list
2006 Olympia School District employees list (Includes Benefits)
2002 City of Olympia employees list (pop 42,514)(685 employees)
Olympian Newspaper 2010 city of Lacy employees list
2002 City of Lacey employees list (pop 31,226)(226 employees)
2009 South Puget Sound Com Col employees list (1,001 employees)
Name search of Wash. State voters includes our addresses (and birthdays)
Name search of Wash State Court filings Traffic, Criminal, Civil, Domestic, Juvenile Offender, and Probate/Guardianship
Back to the beginning OKBR Home Page(http://lbloom.net/indexok.html)

Other peoples OKBR statements to the Wash. ST. Patrol.

     STATEMENT BOB DENNING December 11, 1995 95-687
    I am Detective Sergeant Steve McCulley of the Washington State Patrol, Internal Affairs Section. The date is December 15, 1995. The time is 2:20 p.m. This is a statement of dictation notes from an interview with Bob Denning, a Kiwanis member and a member of the OKBR. The interview was conducted on December 11, 1995 at 8:30 a. m.
    Denning stated his role as a board member was that of a typical board member overseeing the director of OKBR, setting policies, reviewing budgets, and reviewing and or discussing problems as they came up at the boys ranch. He stated he was on the OKBR board from the fall of 1992 until it closed in 1994.
    Denning was showed the OKBR meeting note from the Kiwanis stating that they wanted to flex their political muscle in relation to OKBR. He said he does not recall the statement or the circumstance on how that would have come about. He stated he would not have characterized the board as being politically influential.
    He was asked to identify the members of the board. He said Jeff Lane an attorney with the AG's Office, Jane Skinner whose husband was Les Eldridge a county commissioner, Sue Dubuisson who is a district court judge, and Don Ernst an executive with DOT, and president of the board for a period of time.
    Denning was asked about the OKBR board meeting they had with Judge Paula Casey in December of 1992 and how that came about. He stated after the incident in July and July of 1992, the board started their own investigation. The purpose of the meeting with Casey was to discuss concerns of communication problems, communication with the court, juvenile authorities, and other agencies in the community they had involving the OKBR. He stated during their meeting with Casey, she had concerns and issues about Collette Queener as acting director because of the fact that she worked with Van Woerden. She felt if Queener was left as director nothing would change within the boys ranch. He was asked if any notes were taken of this meeting. He said he didn't think so, but there may have been a report back to the board about this meeting.
       Denning also stated that in December of 1992, they had a meeting with Corinne Newman of the Juvenile Detention Facility in Thurston County reference the same communication type concerns they discussed with Case. According to Denning, Newman had concerns about abuse she had heard by OKBR. In other words, so many boys were being referred to their agency for detention for numerous problems. Denning said he didn't recall Newman having any concerns about Queener as acting director of OKBR.
    Denning was asked if he felt Van Woerden had any influence or political connections within the community. He stated he didn't really think so. Denning was asked if Bob Olson had been a member of the OKBR board; he said yes, but didn't have any knowledge of whether Olson had any foster kids placed in his home from OKBR. He did say he felt it would be inappropriate for a current member of the board to be receiving foster kids in their home from the boys ranch. He was asked if he felt it would be inappropriate for a regular Kiwanis member to have foster kids placed in their home. He didn't feel there was any problem.
    Denning was asked if he had ever reviewed or ever had any knowledge of the Olympia Police Department (OPD) reports on the original burglary and the sex orgy that occurred at the OKBR in June and July of 1992. He said he had seen and reviewed the report soon after the incident, but didn't have any specific on when that was. He said the board had meetings about the report and the problems, and there were two specific meetings at a church. He said the first meeting was in September or October with DSHS when Jean Soliz, Mark Redal, and Jim O'Neal were present. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the boys ranch and their contract. It was at this meeting when Soliz requested that Van Woerden be removed as the director in order for them to keep the home open. He said the second meeting at the church was just a meeting of the board and didn't recall any specifics. Denning stated Van Woerden was ultimately removed as the director. The reason he gave was the consensus that Van Woerden was "circling the wagons" and closing the ranch off from all communications from surrounding communities and agencies. Overall he felt that Van Woerden did a good job, but because of closing off the communication and at the direction of DSHS, he needed to be removed.
    Denning was asked if he had any information about how or who produced the police reports. He didn't know who presented them to himself or the board. He didn't know if Jerome Buzzard obtained the reports from Detective Gassett at a board meeting. Also, he was not aware of a letter written by Buzzard to Patrick Sutherland, a prosecutor, about the OPD investigation. Denning didn't have any information about whether Sutherland himself had provided the board with the report or if Brian Fischnaller did.
       Denning was asked if he had any contact with Sue Corwin at the OKBR some time in 1993, when she was conducting an inspection. He stated he was called to the ranch by Queener because Corwin and an inspection team had shown up at the ranch. Denning advised that because of all the problems that occurred under Van Woerden's time as director, the board instructed Queener to call them any time there was a problem at the ranch so they could be apprised of it. He stated while Corwin and her team were at the ranch, he arrived along with Jane Skinner and Don Ernst who had been working at the home, also met them there. He said Corwin advised them the reason they were there was to investigate, supposedly, a list of complaints that have been filed by an ex-employee of the OKBR. Denning described the employee as disgruntled. He said when he confronted Corwin about showing up unannounced and about their investigation, she made some allegations that it possibly involved staff to a resident sexual contact. He stated that when he eventually pressed and followed up on the investigation, it was his impression Corwin made up the allegations as a way to come to the ranch for an inspection. He felt Corwin and the others were harassing Queener and interfering with the operation of the ranch.
    Denning was asked if he was familiar with a group call The Federation of Group Homes or The Federation of Residential Care Providers. He stated he was familiar with a group that was an association of group home directors. He didn't know their specific function and didn't know that Queener had attended meetings. He was also unaware she made reports concerning their meetings and that they were to work with a funding model from DSHS. He was not aware of a group home called Northwest Residential Care Providers.
    Denning was asked to characterize the work performance of Queener as the director. He stated that overall she was dedicated, positive, and did a good job as the director. He said initially she was appointed as a six month probationary director of the home and later made a permanent. He said he and the board had meetings with Redal and O'Neal about Queener being placed as permanent director and that according to Denning they had no objections.  

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

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