Inspiring & Enabling Youth to Realize Their Greatness!
Olympia Branch
About
The Olympia Branch of Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County opened its doors in 2009 as the fifth Thurston County Boys & Girls Clubs location. It currently serves an average of 100 youth and teens daily. The Club is located inside Jefferson Middle School and utilizes approximately 4,500 square feet of space in the cafeteria/multi-purpose room and gymnasium. Within these spaces they provide members with a Gym and Tech Lab, as well as spaces for Art, Games and Homework Support. This branch also has a designated portable for its Teen Center.
The Olympia Branch provides programs and activities to prepare young people for real-world success by offering experiences that promote Healthy Lifestyles, Academic Success and Good Character & Citizenship. The Club provides academic support, an array of programs, enriching games and activities, time to play and enjoy the company of peers as well as positive adult role models who are dedicated to supporting the social and emotional growth of the youth they serve.
Teens at the Olympia Club are part of Torch Club and coordinate volunteer service-learning projects in their community. Torch Club also runs a weekly Club store selling fun snacks to younger Club members. Additionally, the Olympia Branch hosts a Running Club, which teaches members the basics of running and competes in charity runs.
In order to provide youth with access to other beneficial programs and resources in the community, the Olympia Branch partners with many different organizations including the Olympia School District, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the South Sound Reading Foundation and the Olympia and West Olympia Rotary Clubs.
Youth Spotlight
“I want younger Club kids to feel they are valued and know they belong.”
— Johanna, Jr. Staff Member
Nina Helsel, Olympia Branch Director
Notices & Reminders
Branch Closures
For timely updates and to know the status of your Branch location, call (360) 556-3615 or visit the Olympia Branch Facebook page.
All Boys & Girls Club branch locations are closed the first Friday of every month for Staff Training (excluding July & August). Club is also closed during all school breaks (winter break, spring break, and summer).
Additionally, we are closed on the following dates:
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Presidents Day
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth
- One week before summer camp programming begins
- One week after summer camp programming ends
- Labor Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving and the following day
- The week of Christmas
The safety of Club members, their families, and our staff is our top priority. When the Club’s respective School District is closed due to poor weather conditions, Boys & Girls Clubs will also close before and after-school programs. When schools release youth early due to inclement weather, Clubs will also close.
If school is in session and the weather worsens during the day, decisions to remain open or not are made by Club leadership and are dependent on the specific weather conditions in and around each community.
School Year Hours of Operation
2:30 to 6:00 p.m.
Our Club offers after-school programming. The Olympia Branch is closed during school breaks.
Program Fees
Regular school-year activity fees are $150/month with an additional annual membership fee of $50.
Scholarships to cover fees are available to families who apply and qualify. Please inquire at the front desk of your respective branch.
Branch Location
The Olympia Branch is located within Jefferson Middle School at:
2200 Conger Ave NW
Olympia, WA 98502
Phone: (360) 556-3615
Email: info@bgctc.org
Mailing Address
2102 Carriage Dr SW Ste A
Olympia, WA 98502
Academic Success
We want every child to graduate from high school with a plan for the future. Our members have resources such as:
- Homework help in the education center
- Reading and writing clubs
- Programs in the tech lab and various art projects
We also have many volunteers who help mentor our club members.
Character & Citizenship
Every day, our members are taught about:
- Being respectful
- Being responsible
- Having integrity in their lives and interactions with others
We maintain these expectations not just for our kids, but also for our staff and volunteers, whose leadership and mentoring help guide our young people by example.
Healthy Lifestyles
We want children to live healthy, active lifestyles and practice making good decisions for themselves. In order to achieve this, we:
- Serve nutritious food for snack sand dinners
- Encourage kids to play sports and be active
- Help them find new ways to communicate in the art and music rooms
- Make sure they are surrounded by great mentors