OMNY celebrates 30 years of service to local youth

BY TAMMARA GREEN

Contributing writer

EPHRATA — The fleet of bicycles and helmets is the visual indicator — the OMNY kids are exploring the community. Checking out the public library. Visiting a retirement home. Washing cars to raise money for charity.

A local nonprofit that has provided summer activities to hundreds of Ephrata-area youngsters over the past 30 years is now in the final week of another successful day camp season.

Remarkably long-lived, OMNY — Outreach Ministry to Neighborhood Youth — has been hosted by Holy Trinity Lutheran Church since its inception in 1996 by then-Pastor John LaMunyon.

The program is free and open to kids in grades 2-6 with applications made through the Ephrata School District and New Life Christian and St. Rose of Lima schools. This year, upward of 40 young campers are participating in sessions held from morning to early afternoon every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday since late June.

The kids engage in arts and crafts, music, group activities, field trips, and community service projects under the guidance of program co-directors Laura Collins and Paige Duffner. They are assisted by several high school- and middle school-age helpers who serve as “counselors” and “co-counselors.”

Collins and Duffner are also members of an executive board which oversees the nonprofit organization and its activities. The volunteer board members include president Gary Bracht, secretary Dick Dinkelmann, fundraising director Jackie Pope, Billie Watson, Rosanna Lantz, and church pastor Laura Olsen.

Pope recalled that LaMunyon, an avid cyclist and hiker, initially picked up on the idea of a local youth camp from other Lutheran congregations around the U.S. She said LaMunyon believed providing family-style meals and outdoor activity were important for the kids’ benefit and the program’s long-term success.

“These two ideas have been the mainstay of our OMNY program, and it quickly developed into a program where kids learned and practiced social skills in many ways,” said Pope. 

She also noted the teen counselors, including her own kids in the past, learn and practice leadership skills which remain with them as they grow into adulthood.

Bracht and Dinklemann, in emailed comments, each agreed.

“Many counselors use their experience … from this program for a job and scholarship applications as a significant factor in their maturing as a young adult,’ Bracht explained. Each year, he said, the program will typically fill all available openings.

And the teen counselors, Dinklemann stated, provide a positive influence for the younger kids, most all of whom enjoy the activities and social interaction.

“The campers love the program and look forward to every day of activity,” he said. “The memories of camper smiles and excitement when they arrive in the morning never fail to inspire congregation members, staff, and community.”

Bracht and Pope said OMNY has been fortunate in the continued generosity shown by Holy Trinity Church and the Lutheran financial arm Thrivent; both the Columbia Basin Foundation and Paul Lauzier Charitable Foundation; and many local residents, civic groups, and businesses.

An example of that community connection occurred when five youngsters initially arrived at camp without bicycles. Bracht said a notice for assistance was posted on social media and within minutes a representative from Granco Federal Credit Union responded to purchase the needed bikes. Separately, the Facebook posting generated the donation of a sixth bike along with dozens of online “likes,” he said.

Bracht noted the executive board seeks feedback from parents and campers through surveys at the end of each session. The majority are returned. “Some are critical, but most of them are positive, especially from the parents,” he said. “Bottom line is, the program has survived this long because it works and stays true to its mission.”

Pope, who writes grant applications and pursues other fundraising, said an annual budget ranges between $16,000 and $19,000 which pays for food, services, salaries to the two co-directors, stipends to counselors, and other expenses.

Paige Duffner has a 20-year connection to the summer program. Her mother was an early director and Paige herself started as a young camper, then progressed to counselor, and now serves as co-director. Last Wednesday, the OMNY kids biked to Basin Retirement Home where they enjoyed an afternoon ice cream social with the older residents. Duffner was there with her 2-month-old daughter, literally the youngest of the young campers.

The overall goal, she said, is to teach social-emotional skills and foster friendships. And to teach road and safety rules while cycling. Because some kids arrive at camp “who don’t know how to ride,” Duffner said.

Their activities are many and varied. Last Tuesday, Ephrata school buses transported the young campers to a field trip at Cloudview Farm just north of town. On Thursday morning, they were washing cars in the Moore Furniture parking lot as a charity fundraiser, then working on string-art crafts in the afternoon.

Two other volunteers with decades-long associations to the program are Watson, a retired teacher who oversees food services with assistance from Kent Devine, a high school shop teacher who moonlights as breakfast cook.

During her 28-year tenure, Watson said she has observed how OMNY teaches skills that kids may not be learning at home and gives them a chance to excel in different activities.

Plus, she said, “It shows them positive role models and character traits … Kids see how you can help in the community by watching volunteers.”

Laura Collins, also a teacher, made similar observations.

“I see kids all year in the academic (setting). Often, kids who struggle end up here,” she said. “I get to see a different side of them where they’re successful.”

Young camp participants Clara, Ellissia, Genesis, Jocelyn, Julianna and Mia all spoke about the friendships and social interactions they’ve made. “You get to meet different kinds of people,” said Clara. Jocelyn said her favorite activity was visiting the nursing home. Julianna was excited when they got to bake brownies, saying “I like brownies.” And Genesis had looked forward to the car wash so she could “help raise money for charities.”

One parent who first enrolled her children as third-graders now has an oldest child in seventh grade who is a co-counselor in training.

“It’s a program for kids who need a place,” she said, explaining OMNY helps them gain confidence, build self-esteem, and become good leaders. “Too many kids are spending time on screens and not being productive. Kids learn from play and being with other kids. This program prioritizes socialization.”