manaco@whidbey.net
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.
google is the best search engine, and you can make a detailed search of just this site.
There were many obvious and long-term warnings about the 1970-94 child abusing Olympia Kiwanis Boys Ranch.
STATEMENT CHRIS JENNINGS January 30, 1996 95-687
I am Detective Sergeant Steve McCulley of the Washington State Patrol, Internal Affairs Section. The date is February 2, 1996. This is a statement of dictation notes from an interview I conducted over the telephone with Chris Jennings on January 30, 1996 at 10:50 a.m.
1n 1991 Jennings was an Assistant Attorney General who was responsible for the Civil Commitment Litigation for Western State Hospital. His secondary assignment was for the Office of Financial Recovery (OFR) at DSHS. He was also General Counsel for the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration (JRA). Jennings no longer works for the Attorney General's Office. He is currently a private attorney in the state of Virginia.
Jennings was interviewed reference a memo dated April 11, 1991 from Helen Hannigan of the OFR. Jennings was asked about his involvement or advice to OFR reference the stipulated agreement with the OKBR as a result of the over payment discovered in the 1988 Cantrall Audit. He stated he remembered reviewing the settlement agreement, but did not remember many specifics about it. He said the agreement was drawn up by OFR's attorneys; his role was basically to review it and add any input for the agreement.
Jennings stated that approximately a year ago OSI investigators called him reference the same memo and his involvement with the stipulated agreement. He also said someone from the Attorney General's Office called him about a month ago.
Jennings stated Jerome Buzzard, the attorney for the OK Boys Ranch, requested the audit findings be changed. According to Jennings, Buzzard was advised the audit findings could not be changed. In the memo under section two, the second paragraph, it states that future audits will not refer back to the findings from this audit of July 1987 - 1988. Future audits will start from ground zero with the contract for this year. In the memo, Hannigan wrote that this suggestion came from Jennings.
I asked Jennings about the suggestion. He stated he couldn't recall specifics about not referring back to the '88 audit except for the fact that once the stipulated agreement was finalized, the audit findings would not be changed. He also remembered that the ranch would not be I penalized in the future for findings discovered during the '88 audit.
Jennings stated he was aware a lien had been filed against the OKBR property, but couldn't recall any specific or if he was involved with the lien. Again, he said the actual agreement and approval of the stipulated agreement was made by OFR. I asked Jennings why he thought a stipulated agreement was made with OKBR for the over payment. He said he didn't know for sure, but he believed the cost of the litigation may have out weighed the cost of the actual over payment.
He stated that at the time there was a skeleton crew assigned to the OFIR by the Attorney General, and that there was limited time and funding for litigation. He stated one reason there was a skeleton crew assigned to OFIR was that Helen Hannigan and Allen Anderson were both attorneys. They conducted a majority of the legal work for OFR which didn't require much assistance from the AG's Office.
Jennings stated again the reason for the stipulated agreement with OKBR was probably due to the limited resources of the AGs Office to OFIR at the time, and the pressure within the AG's Office to settle and not go to litigation. He also cited the fact that the group home was a limited resource and there was pressure to work with the group to keep it open if at all possible. Again, he said the pressure was working out an agreement if one could be made.
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