Funhouse pleads for funds

The Funhouse needs financial help -- a lot of it, and soon -- or it will have to cut back programs and staff, or even shut its doors entirely.

“The number of programs offered will decrease. The number of scholarships for each class will decrease. The ratio of staff to kids will increase. And access to The Funhouse will decrease,” says Director Jeanne Beck, who admits to waking up every morning with a pit in her stomach.

“We can’t now cover payroll,” adds Funhouse founder Jim Bredouw who, together with Beck, maintains a contagious optimism that the money problems will be solved even though The Funhouse is now being forced to cut budget at the same time that it is embarking on a daring and bold new policy that will further deplete its revenues, at least in the short-term.

“We are going to waive all fees for children,” says Funhouse board member Marcia Gillingham, explaining, “We want to make sure children are welcome regardless of their financial status.” Put another way, The Funhouse wants to assure that no children will be excluded. Then again, to a large extent that has always been the policy. Though many of The Funhouse’s programs are fee-based, it has never turned anybody away due to inability to pay, including the membership fees. “We are proud of our ‘open door’ policy and all who work here are committed to continuing this practice,” Beck says. The policy change will reduce The Funhouse’s yearly revenues by $10,000 to $15,000, Beck explains.

To turn things around, The Funhouse is about to embark on a major drive that will consist of targeting local donors, conducting fundraising events, and applying for grants.

Beck is hoping that the newly formed board of directors will raise money from the donors while she pursues grants. This week all islanders with mailing addresses should be receiving a plea for help.

How did The Funhouse get into this financial difficulty? Bredouw believes it was his “naive optimism” that the community would come up with the money needed to keep it going without the need for solicitations and fundraising drives, coupled with the economic difficulties of the past three years that slowed the flow of donations.

Bredouw also suspects there is a perception in the community that he’ll keep writing checks to keep The Funhouse’s doors open whenever additional money is needed. Bredouw says that may have once been true, but it is not any longer, because he can’t afford to keep doing this, even if it means closing the facility.

Since the budget crunch hit last year, The Funhouse has been shaving expenses. “We have gone from an operating budget of approximately $215,000 in fiscal year 2002 to approximately $190,000 this year. Roughly one-half is for payroll, while 60 percent of that amount goes for direct services to kids,” Beck says, adding that big dollar items include insurance, $12,000; utilities, $8,200; exhibit expenses, $24,000; and computer-related expenses, $5,000.

Beck insists that any further cuts will mean cutting programs. And that, Beck believes, would be a tragedy, because it would hurt those who need the program most. “They come here because we meet lots of different interests. They (some) are kids who have nowhere else to go.”

CLASSES MEET NEEDS NOT BEING OFFERED ELSEWHERE

 

Funhouse programs are designed to meet needs that aren’t being addressed elsewhere in the community.

Two such programs are the documentary film class taught by Andrew Youngren, in which students spend time every week utilizing The Funhouse’s state-of-the-art technology while learning all the steps involved in creating a film; and the Forty Stockings Project, in which youngsters are spending Friday nights making stockings which they’ll soon be presenting to local senior citizens.

Here’s what participants say about the film class:

Tyler Jo Holmes: “It’s definitely my favorite class. I’d feel bad if it didn’t exist.”

Jake Breslauer: “I’m getting so much out of it. It’d be really boring without it.”

As for the stockings project, the response was simple, and unanimous. “It’s fun,” the kids all said.

COMMUNITY IS IMPRESSED

Here’s what community members say about The Funhouse:

Orcas School Superintendent Barry Acker: “It’s a godsend for kids.”

Homeschool teacher Catherine Laflin: “It’s a really amazing place.”

Parent Janie Reboulet: “I can’t imagine what the kids would do if The Funhouse closed. You would have some frustrated young adults.”

Orcas Island Prevention Partnership Director Moriah Armstrong: “The Funhouse is a key player in changing priorities from drug and alcohol abuse.”

THE BOARD

The Funhouse board members are: Jim Bredouw (President), Jeanne Beck,   Betty Corbett, David Densmore, Robin Freeman, Marcia Gillingham, Val Hellar, Gordon McGilton, Carla Stanley, Howard Wright III, Kathy Youngren and David Zoeller.

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