Help Rural Youth Enrichment Services make life inspiring for Touchet Valley youth.

Rural Youth Enrichment Services is a non-profit organization established in 2010 to provide the youth of the Touchet Valley with opportunities to experience the arts, develop skills, hone leadership and participate in enriching activities.

BACKGROUND

Programs, Activities and Accomplishments

Rural Youth Enrichment Services (RYES) was formed in 2009 by a group of Waitsburg residents to provide enriching activities for youth who were not finding a place in the offerings available at the schools and in the community. Volunteers shared their passion for various youth activities and worked together and in 2009 RYES filed with Washington State as a nonprofit corporation and in 2010 RYES received from the IRS approval as a 501(c)(3). Please see Attachment - 1A- Washington Certificate of Incorporation and Attachment - 1B- IRS 501(c)(3) Approval Letter.

The RYES volunteers became the Project Leaders for various unique and diverse projects that focused on green entrepreneurial activities. The initial projects were Organic Community Gardening and Youth Entrepreneurs. Produce grown by the Organic Community Gardening Project were used in making syrups for foods sold by the Youth Entrepreneurs Project who marketed snow cones, popcorn and peanuts with machines they purchased. The treats were successfully sold at the Waitsburg Car Show and during Community Movie Nights held in the local park.

RYES BOARD MEMBERS

Anne Walsh
President

Kate Hockersmith
Vice President

Kathy Carpenter
Treasurer

Cheyenne Frohreich
Secretary

Wendy Carter
Board Member At Large

PROJECT LEADERS

Touchet Valley Acoustic Music Project - Kate Hockersmith

Urban Forestry - Kate Hockermsith & Allison Bond

Youth & Government - Anne Walsh & Heather Baker

Friends of the Pool - Wendy Carter & Karen Huwe

Friends of the Fairgrounds - Anne Walsh & Wendy Richards

Little Dribblers of Touchet Valley-Chelsie Abel

Waitsburg Youth Basketball – Abby Grende

Waitsburg Youth Football League – Gabe Kiefel

FOUNDERS

Leroy Cunningham, President

Kathy Carpenter

Sarah Groffman

Anne Walsh

Mickey Richards

CURRENT PROJECTS

Current Projects have participants from Walla Walla, Columbia and Umatilla counties.

In 2013 Touchet Valley Acoustic Music Project (TVAMP) (which was formed in 2003) joined RYES. TVAMP teaches Bluegrass Music to youth (ages 4 to 22) and encourages interaction of youth and experienced musicians through weekly jams. The program has mentored four bluegrass bands, two of which have played internationally, in Japan and Ireland. There are currently 20 students and two bands looking forward to earning their way for an international trip.

Friends of the Waitsburg Pool became a project in 2015 to raises funds for lifeguard scholarships for youth. The pool closed in 2020 due to COVID and was never re-opened. A strong grassroots call for a new pool lead to the current effort to build a new Pool that would provide activities for youth and adults and job opportunities for youth.

Waitsburg’s Youth & Government program was established in 2008 through the Waitsburg High School. When the school decided to no longer offer the program they joined RYES in 2019. The YMCA Youth & Government Program teaches participants how government works. Each year the Waitsburg Delegation takes between four & ten students to the Washington State Capital to participate in a Youth Legislature for five days.

Waitsburg Urban Forestry was established in 2018 to introduce youth to the value of trees in a community. The Project provides small trees to youth for Arbor Day in coordination with the Waitsburg Elementary School. The project reaches over 130 youth each year. This Project also planted with elementary students, eight mid-sized Dogwood trees in front of the school along Highway 12.

Friends of the Waitsburg Fairgrounds was established in 2024 to raises funds to restore and maintain the Waitsburg Fairgrounds. The Fairgrounds provide space for various 4-H and FFA animal projects and it hosts the Junior Livestock Show each year.

Waitsburg Youth Football was established in 2025, to provide flag football to grades 3 and 4 and modified tackle football for grades 4 & 5. The project plays with the Pendleton Youth Football League.

Waitsburg Youth Basketball and the Little Dribblers of the Touchet Valley are youth basketball programs for ages 4 years old through third grade. Youth learn basketball fundamentals and skills, as well as fostering teamwork, work ethic, and friendships through practices and games.