Theler Center serves as a hub for many groups in the community

By LIZ CASE, Belfair Herald
February 22, 2007

For the Mary E. Theler Community Center, it's been a year of focusing on and expanding the activities that a community center does best: spotlighting the best of local talent and efforts, and bringing issues of local concern into community view.

That has been a relief after the turbulence of 2005, when agonizing legal disputes over the Theler properties and the handling of Theler Trust funds nearly brought the organization and its holdings to an end.

Once those disputes were fully resolved, a new board of directors and many additional community volunteers were ready to get rolling with new activities, new directions and a whole lot more fun.

Within the organization, board members and employees wrote new bylaws, new mission and vision statements and an executive summary of their new business plan. They also conducted an internal audit, got their financial situation whipped into shape, and received a United Way grant to further their activities.

With the help of many volunteers, the building was painted, inside and out; the dark brown exterior is now a dark sage green, and the interior, formerly in various shades of pale gray, were updated to shades of beige, tan and khaki with various trim colors.

The Theler reader board was redesigned; a window sign was added to the main entry, using a new logo and tag line; and the center's Web site underwent a thorough makeover.

The center reopened their exhibit center, closed earlier due to budget cuts; participated in the North Mason Chamber of Commerce's "Shop Local" program; and developed a new community partnership program called "Hand To Hand."

And that all was just for starters. The center also planned and hosted events, including "A Walk in the Wetlands," a nature walk showcasing the native plants and wildlife from the wetlands, boardwalks and trails, a Halloween event called "Trick or Treat On the Trails," a fund-raising auction and dinner in July along with a fund-raising Mystery Dinner in November and they hosted the annual Hood Canal Clean Water Festival as well as a vendors' fair and a holiday arts and crafts fair.

Other fund-raisers included bingo and bunco nights, and volunteer Bill Moyer challenged local donors with a "Moyer Match:" he gave the center an unsigned $1,000 check, with th'e promise to sign it when nine other checks of that amount were raised. It took six months, but the effort succeeded.

Center employees planned and coordinated the creation of the first "Theler Community Quilt," now hanging on permanent display at the center and they also held two public viewings of several newly-reconditioned home movies shot by the Thelers.

Issues and community concerns were discussed in many public meetings held at the center over the past year, including an open house to discuss progress on the Belfair Bypass; two candidates' forums prior to elections; the Mason County Commissioners' regular fifth-Tuesday meetings; forums on improving the community's access to health care and on civic communication; public*workshops on noxious weed control, clean-water practices for livestock management; and a forum on the progress of the Pacific Northwest Salmon Center.

Two workshops were held on managing the Theler Center as a community emergency shelter and the center was in fact actually opened twice as such during the past year: once for Newkirk Road residents during a meth-lab scare and once after the December windstorms brought power outages. The center was also put on-call for shelter activity during several days' worth of forest fires last September.

The center was also used for a toy sale hosted by Belfair's Faith In Action thrift store; for two art shows by the Puget Sound Artists' League; as a communications base for the Washington Department of Natural Resources during the fall forest fires; and as a distribution center for Share Northwest, a local program of lower-cost food purchasing.

Twelve local artists had their work showcased in month-long displays at the center and the center also sold new designs of Theler merchandise, including T-shirts and vests. The Puget Sound Blood Center held blood drives at the center and rentals were also made to many, many private parties.

A variety of local groups met at Theler regularly: the North Mason Seniors' Association for a twice-weekly luncheon and dance; the Girl Scouts and the North Mason Young Life organization; instructors in yoga and karate; dog obedience classes; the North Mason Business Networking Group; the North Mason Chamber of Commerce; and the North Mason Community Voice group.

Theler grounds were maintained during the year by local volunteers and also by a hard-working team of female inmates from the Mission Creek Corrections Center. The center later recognized their work with a celebratory luncheon.

Planning was begun for a future Theler Park and ball fields, a vision originally held by Sam Theler for this community; and in keeping with Theler Trust support for the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, those groups also did frequent volunteer work around the Theler grounds.

The center's board also worked at enhancing their current relationships - or forging new ones - with various groups: the Washington Sea Grant organization, the Audubon Society, the North Mason School District, the North Mason Senior Association, the North Mason Chamber of Commerce, the local chapters ofKiwanis, Lions, and scout organizations, the United Way of Mason County, Master Gardeners of Mason County and Mission Creek Correctional Center.

The center started out the year with a real worry: the county funding for the Visitors and Information Center, originally given to Theler, was instead awarded to the chamber of commerce. That resulted in a budgetary loss of $14,000 for Theler. But despite that loss, the Theler board managed to have the center in much better financial shape by year's end. At the beginning of the center's legal turmoil about 18 months ago, they suffered a deficit of about $2,000; currently, center officials report that, between checking balances and a reserve fund, the center now has about $40,000 available.

PHOTO CAPTION: THE MARY E. Theler Community Center and Wetlands Trails continued to play a central role in the life of North Mason this past year. The center was busier than ever and the trails continued to capture the imaginations of all who walked them.

(c) North Mason Progress 2007 | Belfair Herald

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