The OKBR sent kids for weekend visits to child abusers at Forbes Lake who donated land to the Kiwanis. The Kiwanians sold the land for $125,000.

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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Back to the beginning OKBR Home Page(http://lbloom.net/indexok.html)

The information below is from http://www.lbloom.net/okredflag.html
1979 11/28/79 JOHN DOE #4, A 16 YEAR OLD BOY, WAS PLACED IN A LICENSED FOSTER HOME BY THE OKBR. HE ASSUALTED A FIVE YEAR OLD GIRL AT THE BUS STOP AND LEFT HER THERE NEAR DEATH. THIS INCIDENT OUTRAGED THE COMMUNITY AND RESULTED IN CIVIL PAYMENT OF $11,000 BY DSHS.

1980 9/5/80 JAMES EDGBERT AND ROY HANNING DEEDED OVER PROPERTY IN MASON COUNTY TO OLYMPIA HOMES FOR YOUTH (OKBR). THIS IS THE SAME COUPLE JOHN DOE 4 WAS LIVING WITH WHEN HE ASSAULTED THE FIVE-YEAR-OLD GIRL.

1980 10/10/80 CHILDREN WERE BEING PLACED WITH ELGBERT AND HANNING FOR WEEKEND VISITS. AFTER ONE WEEKEND, A BOY REPORTS SEXUAL CONTACT BY HANNING, RESULTING IN A CONVICTION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT.

In 1980, property at Forbes Lake, Mason County was donated to the Olympia Kiwanis Homes for Youth.

A Quit Claim Deed was signed over to the Olympia Homes for Youth, Dave Carnahan president, and Max Millsap secretary, by property owner James B. Edgbert on September 5, 1980

Here are the minutes from the OKBR Board of Directors meeting on October 14, 1980.
Forbes Lake child abuse discussed. Forbes Lake property owners abused OKBR boys.

In 1981, a lawsuit was filed because of an assault that involved some people at the Forbes Lake property.

In 1983 the Forbes Lake lawsuit was settled, and the Olympia Kiwanis Boys Ranch wanted the land that was donated to the Olympia Kiwanis Homes for Youth.

In December 1983, the Olympia Kiwanis Boys Ranch Board hoped to sell the O.K. Homes for Youth property (Forbes Lake), for $80,000.

In 1988, the OKBR Board hoped to sell timber from the Forbes Lake property.

In 1990 the Forbes Lake property was still not logged.

OKBR Board member Jeffery Lane said in his Dec. 27, 1995 statement to the WSP, that he and Jane Skinner went to the donator of the Forbes Lake property in 1993 and pressured him to change a stipulation in the deed so that the OKBR could sell the property.

In 1993, the Forbes Lake property was sold by the OKBR Board for $125,000.

The information below is from the WSP OKBR Report.

On September 5, 1980, Edgbert donated 20 acres of property on Forbes Lake near Shelton to the OKBR for use by OKBR residents for rehabilitation, recreation, and training. One condition to the donation was a stipulation that the property be used by the OKBR at least once a year, or it would revert back to Edgbert.

At the November 30, 1981, OKBR Board of Directors meeting, Van Woerden announced that a $50,000 lawsuit had been filed by the parents of the girl assaulted by John Doe 4. John Doe 4, Edgbert, Hanning, DSHS, the OKBR, and Van Woerden were named as defendants in the suit.

During the July 13, 1983, OKBR Board of Directors meeting, Van Woerden announced that the lawsuit had been settled out of court for $45,000. DSHS paid $11,000, the OKBR paid $19,000, and Edgbert and Hanning paid $15,000.

INVESTIGATOR'S NOTE - In 1993, the OKBR Board members Jane Skinner and Jeff Lane contacted Edgbert and Hanning regarding the lake property. Lane stated he pressured Edgbert and Hanning to sign the title to the property over to the OKBR so it could be sold. In May of 1993, the OKBR Board sold the property for $125, 000. Discussion among the Board members on the sale of the property dates back to 1983.

After the incident involving resident John Doe 4, OKBR continued to send residents to Edgbert and Hanning for weekend visits.

On October 10, 1980, John Doe 7, a resident of the OKBR, was sent to the Bremerton residence of Edgbert and Hanning for a weekend visit. (Edgbert and Hanning's foster home license had been expired for two months when John Doe 7 was sent for this visit.) During this visit, Hanning sexually assaulted John Doe 7. Hanning was later arrested and convicted for this assault. The police investigation into the assault on John Doe 7 revealed that Hanning had also sexually assaulted three other boys from the OKBR during similar weekend visits.

INVESTIGATOR'S NOTE - As indicated on Edgbert and Hanning's foster home license, it is valid only at Route 3, Box 462, Shelton WA 98584. The sexual assaults involving John Doe 7 and the other OKBR residents occurred at 2603 North Lafayette in the city of Bremerton. Investigators were unable to locate any documentation to indicate that Edgbert and Hanning were ever relicensed as foster parents.

On October 14, 1980, the OKBR Board of Directors met to discuss action to be taken as a result of the sexual assault. During the meeting, it was decided that all affected agencies and individuals be notified of the incident. Included in this notification was the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney, Patrick Sutherland, even though the assault occurred in Kitsap County.

INVESTIGATOR'S NOTE - Patrick Sutherland, who died in August 1995, was a member of the Olympia Kiwanis .

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.

  • 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?
    manaco@whidbey.net