End of School BBQ and Family Fun Center

Happy Summer everyone!!!

Tyler Square and the Family Shelter kids are in the full swing of summer! We just recently had our end of school barbecue to celebrate the the hard work and success of every school child at the Mission. We had a huge barbecue with a live band, cotton candy machine, tons of food, and certificates for every kid who moved on to the next grade. It was great to see all the families come out, support, and celebrate the successes of their children. Also, as an added prize, we took each kid who attained at least a 3.0 GPA over the last trimester (since the last is always the hardest!) to the Family Fun Center in Tukwila. The kids had a great time, as you can tell in the following pictures.

Also, a reminder that our summer program, S.L.A.M. (Students Leading A Mission) will be beginning July 6th and going through the end of July. Please call or contact any of the youth supervisors for more information about this great program. And, lastly, thank you for your continued support of and interest in the Tacoma Rescue Mission's Youth Program!

Youth Scavenger Hunt

Tyler Square Scavenger Hunt!
The youth created their own scavenger hunt, treasure map, and secret location for a hidden treasure! Here's a couple videos of the kids looking for the treasure:

Garden, Bubbles, & Lots of worms!!!
















A few weeks ago we catapulted our community garden and young gardeners program with a bbq, bubbles, and well, um, a lot of worms. The kids planted potatoes, lettuce, carrots, and much more! They had a lot of fun and seeing kids working together with their parents was an inspiring sight!!!


If you need any veggies or just want to come and help, we are out at Tyler Square every Thursday from 5-6.

Camp

Feb 13-16 we were able to take seven youth from tecoma rescue mission to Pleasant valley christian camp. We were able to get away from tacoma and have a weekend in the wilderness.At camp we were able to play in the snow and learn about God's love for us. We also got to play alot of dogdeball. The theme of camp was "fill me up" and we talked about what it meant to be filled up with God. The kids were able to have fun just hanging out with other kids just like them from all over the puget sound as the camp have over 100 kids come.

TRM Youth Visit "The Capitol"

The teens of the family shelter and Tyler Square excitedly saw our states capitol in Olympia, Wa. They had inquiring minds as they roamed the historic halls, asking a million questions everywhere they went. After visiting the capitol, the kids met with our state auditor, Brian Sontagg and as you can see in the picture made themselves comfortable in his office. The kids also were invited to apply for a week long job as a page helping the state senators and legislators, one teen from the family shelter applied and got accepted. Not a bad gig for an 8th grader!

SLAM 2009 Volunteers Needed

"What's SLAM?" you may be asking yourself, it is Students Living A Mission. This year it's happening from July 6th- July 31st. It is a summer program full of adventure, learning, and fun for the homeless and low income youth of the city. If you ever wondered, "What are they doing for homeless youth these days?" come and find out this summer and you can do more than just wonder! We urge you to look at your calendar, blackberry, or i-phone, and consider helping us this July! We need it!
call with questions,
James-(253) 627-4308 or
Kyle- (253) 272-1974

Teen Late Nite: City Scavenger Hunt!

Last Friday night an epic battle of the sexes transpired in which the boys competed against the girls in a city wide scavenger hunt. Each team was given a lengthy list of places, poses, and outrageous acts to compltete. After dancing with strangers, singing to strangers, doing a human pyramid, and getting a penny smashed by a train the boys team was defeated convincingly by the ladies team. For the teens it was an opportunity to have fun, get out of the shelters, and to see parts of the city they normally wouldn't.




This picture shows the boys with a homeless man who they gave a a bag of food to.




This picture shows the kids touching a fountain in the Stadium district of Tacoma.