Tom Van Woerdan was/is an Olympia Kiwanis member and director of the OKBR.

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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Below is a certified statement that the OKBR director Tom Van Woerdan signed on February 13, 1990. He states that the DSHS audit findings that the OKBR owes Washington State over $100,000.00 is incorrect. Here's a photo copy of the 4 page document.

CERTIFIED STATEMENT OF TOM VAN WOERDAN (Feb. 13, 1990)
TO THE OFFICE OF C0NTRACTS MANAGEMENT
In Re: AUDIT OF the O.K. BOYS RANCH, Contractor.
NO. GPC-031-89

I, TOM VAN WOERDAN, do hereby' declare as follows:
With respect to Audit Finding VI. B. 6, apparently the Auditor did not like the documentation that we had showing that services had been performed and that the monies were used to pay for these services. The following is a list of the boys that the Auditor called in question, vis-a-vis, services rendered to them. (1)----, (2)----, (3)----, (4)----, (5)----, (6)----, (7)----, (8)----, (9)----, (10)----, (11)----, (12)----, (13)----, (14)----.
Each one of these boys needed special services. Often, it was one-on-one counseling, special therapy for some problem that was beyond the capability of our staff. In each instance, we would receive approval from the caseworker for the boy, most often-before they were placed with us. The service would then be rendered and the state would pay for the service. We would be billed by the service provider. In some instances, they were therapists in the local area such as -----, ------, or -----. Other times, we would hire staff to come to the facility to provide the service. Examples of people who did that were Ron Gildner, Ken Roberts, Pat Pincham, Mary Tereskiowz. Each of the people who provided these services had, at a minimum, a B.A. degree, oftentimes a masters degree.
The documentary proof of these services consists of a plan developed by the child's caseworker who works for the state of Washington and was assisted in this plan by a member of our staff , a computer printout from the state of Washington indicating authorization of payment, an invoice from the private therapist provider billing for the services, and the cancelled check paid to the individual therapist service provider and individual checks paying to those who were hired on staff specially to provide these services. To the extent possible, given time and staff constraints, I have attached to this affidavit those documents and invoices.
The Auditor's complaint seems to be not that we didn't provide the service, but that our documentation was not acceptable to him. Neither the licensing people at DSHS nor the Group Home Care Coordinator, Marv Christensen, has any complaints about the services that were provided to these boys. Perhaps the person who know best that these services were being provided was the State's "Monitor". His name is Eric Bailey. His job is to make unannounced stops at the facility to see to it that the boys we have in residence are being treated properly, receiving the services that are due to them, etc., etc. Given a chance to testify, he would testify that he saw these boys actually receiving services in the facility.
I am of the opinion that the Auditor in this case has not a clue as to how a group home operates. Nor does he have the slightest idea whether we are turning out a good product for the dollars that are being spent with us. I can produce, if required, at a minimum 100 different people, parents, local officials, Kiwanians, judges, caseworkers, who would testify that the O.K. Boys Ranch ranks high in the state in terms of the services it provides for the boys who, come there. The staff I have acquired over the years, I am extremely proud of. They do work far and above that require by the numerous WACS, contract provisions and manuals of the State of Washington. These boys are well cared for and, in fact, even though it is a cliche', loved by all members of our staff. If the State of Washington were operating its own group home, it would do well to provide as good service as we do.
I certify and declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington that the above is true and correct.
Dated 2-13-90
Tom Van Woerdan (signature)

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?

    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