Kalispell's youth programs expand

Because of local volunteers, businesses and public agencies, Kalispell children are playing, studying and getting a deep drink of the world around them.

Mike Baker and Kathy Smead just want to say thanks.

Smead is in her third year as recreation supervisor for Kalispell City Parks and Recreation and pours her fiery energy into designing youth programs that provide quality settings to educate as well as recreate.

"We ran 5,400 kids through the program last summer," Parks and Rec Director Baker said, adding up the daily counts of children attending summer day camp sessions at the new Woodland Park Center. "That's a tribute to her."

Smead dismisses the credit and focuses on the children, their programs and the people who make it possible.

"It's the community," Smead said.

"The Hockaday, the Museum (at Central School), Tidyman's, Smith's," she continues ticking off a long list of local contributors to her programs. "They've allowed us to come knock on their doors … It's just asking. And when they say 'yes,' it happens."

What happens includes a wide range of summer day camps for youth, Camp Skip Out on no-school days and, for the first time this fall, an after-school program.

The latter was a natural outgrowth of the department's booming recreation program.

Smead has been doing the summer programs for two years and anticipated carrying the format into winter sessions.

"We felt we were being successful in the summer," she said, "so why can't we bring that to the school season?"

She and District 5 Superintendent Darlene Schottle put their heads together to work out the details. They settled on the Elrod School gym as the program base, arranged bus transportation from other schools and agreed on a format that balances homework time, pure recreation and field trips.

"We couldn't do this without School District 5," Baker said. "We don't have a facility, they don't have the recreation program."

Every day brings something different for the after-school program.

On Wednesday this week, the children went swimming, then headed to Blimpies for a nutrition talk and sub sandwiches. On Thursday Kelly Apgar, the Hockaday Museum of Art's education coordinator, visited the Elrod gym with a cultural presentation and hands-on art activities. Children have regular time to do their homework, and the structure is in place to bring in tutors in the future.

Not only does the after-school program allow Parks and Rec another forum for youth programs, it answers the school's concerns.

"The school wants this because there are kids hanging around on the playground after school, and they want them in productive activities," Baker said. "There are a lot of single parents," who wrestle with where children will be best cared for - and most safe - after class.

Kalispell has grown beyond a "small town," Smead added, and is beginning to face risks typically associated with gangs in cities.

"Also, there are a lot of grandparents raising kids now," Smead said, "and they want to know what to do after school. We need to make it affordable."

"Affordability is the key," Baker agreed. "We need to make it available to all income ranges. We have a scholarship program, but that gets hit pretty hard so we're always in need of scholarship program donations."

A huge factor in keeping all of Parks and Rec's youth programs affordable are discounted rates and outright donations from locals.

Rotary, Kiwanis and Soroptimists donate to the department. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts gave more than 1,350 hours through 33 projects improving parks and facilities since the early 1990s.

Last year, other individuals volunteered just under 2,000 hours, 825 of them from one woman alone.

The Summit and several local hotels offer their swimming pools. Wheat Montana, Big Sky Martial Arts, Norm's News and Baskin Robbins open their doors to youths in the program. Deb DeVries of Sweet Pickin's Pumpkin Patch welcomes them to her outdoor wonderland.

High Country Linen donated oversized laundry bins for children to stash their backpacks this summer. Blacktail Mountain partners on women's ski days that provide gear, lessons and apres ski times every Wednesday of the winter season.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks employees, Kalispell fire and police departments, radio and TV stations, dog handlers, Habitat for Humanity workers and others jump at the chance to get their word out by presenting programs and giving tours.

"It's that social connection that ties kids to the outside," Baker said. "They may drive by it every day, but they don't go to it every day. (As a result) they have their own small bit of ownership."

It carries over to adulthood.

The KidSports Kalispell Youth Athletic Complex, supported strongly by the public, now offers the best soccer fields in the state, Flathead High Activities Director Mark Dennehy told Baker. Last week's Class AA state tournament was held there, and 700 young athletes participated in the recent cross country meet there. Each of those brings significant cash flow to Kalispell and the Flathead Valley.

It's more than just making pretty parks and fun programs. It generates vitality in the town.

New residents, Baker said, ask primarily about a city's schools and parks. Last year, about 95 programs were offered through the recreation department alone, drawing in participants from toddlers through senior citizens.

When done well, it's often due to partnerships between the city and the private sector as much as support from the people in town.

"The big winner here is not only the community, not only the citizens of Kalispell," Baker said, "it's the taxpayer. We get things we can't afford otherwise."

For example, the city put in $1.2 million to develop Kidsports; private contributions totaled $1.3 million. At Lawrence Park, the city spent $258,500, while the community gave more than $1 million for improvements.

The recreation budget alone for 2004-05 is $398,000, with about 70 percent of that paid back through participation fees. In the past, when the program was smaller and less expensive, pay-back was 80 percent.

Smead can't say enough good things about her own staff, whose talents, she said, are what make it all come together. Baker takes it a step further, noting the "fresh outlook" from all his staff in the Parks and Rec office.

"The kids return for a lot of programs," Smead said. "We're also teaching a whole aspect of a life."

She wants to do that better and better every year. So she and her staff use their imagination.

"A program idea may come from the staff or from the outside," she said. "We're not out there with the intent of competing with the private sector.

"You can't compete, but I do believe you can be the best."

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com