Ferndale Boys & Girls Club regroups after fire
Lessons learned can help any business facing loss

by Hilary Parker

New Year’s is a time for fresh starts, but typically a new beginning is of one’s own choosing. That wasn’t the case for the Ferndale Boys & Girls Club this year, when an electrical fire on New Year’s Day rendered their building at Pioneer Park a complete loss.
The loss hit hard as 1,400 local youth rely on the center for before and after school programs. But Whatcom County Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Lynn Templeton knew there was little time to grieve.
“You immediately start focusing on the solutions. We didn’t spend 10 minutes saying ‘woe is us,’” Templeton said.
Templeton told his employees that to regroup effectively they would have to devise a “five-minute, five-hour, five-week, five-month plan.”

Working the plan
In the hours and days after the fire the plan has kept Boys & Girls Club employees focused on getting the club’s doors open again.
“What do you do when your business burns down and you have 1,400 customers?” asks Templeton.
To answer his own question, first and foremost he stresses having a plan in which communication with the public plays a leading role. From going to the press, to updating their Web site daily, to posting signs letting families know the club was closed, club management got the word out early and often. This was especially important as the fire took place over the holidays and many families were still out of town or simply not in their regular daily routine.
Other tips Templeton recommends for any business facing a catastrophic loss are:
• Start notifying everyone you do business with: insurance carriers, vendors, utilities, etc.
• Keep a backup of records offsite.
• Make sure to have interruption of business insurance.
• Be sure to keep an inventory of everything. Digital photographs can be a timesaver.
Most importantly, “Come out of it with a plan. Prioritize and delegate.”

The long road home
That plan seems to be working, as only nine days after the fire they procured a new home for the club at Whatcom New Life Assembly Church in Ferndale.
“It’s good for the church. It’s good for the neighborhood. We’re excited,” said Pastor Mike Rody.
The church is an 18-24 month solution, said Templeton. The club will still have to find or construct a permanent home. In the meantime, the new facility will serve the club well, said Josh Wilund, Ferndale branch director.
The space, an underutilized wing of the church, has room for basketball and other recreation activities and classroom space for homework help, which will include a mobile computer lab. A sizeable kitchen will allow the Ferndale club to offer cooking classes – something the old space wasn’t set up for.
In just two weeks, thanks to the help of people like local architect Doug Landsem, the club’s temporary home was ready to open.
Other local companies and business people helped to make the quick opening possible, as well as to help in the healing process that must happen after a devastating loss. Ellen Shea, owner of Whisper by the Bay day spa treated the Ferndale club employees to a half-day of spa treatments. Christine Parks of Associates in Mental Health conducted a group counseling session.
Wilund was heartened by the stewardship role he’s seen the community play in getting the club back on its feet. “A lesson we learned, that was reinforced, is the Whatcom County community is a giving community.”
For all assistance the calls from individuals and businesses offering help have provided in the first few weeks after the fire, Templeton urges people to not forget as the initial shock of the fire wears off. A long road is ahead of the club in terms of finding their new “forever” home and raising funds to make that happen.
“It’s just a temporary solution. We need those same people to remember we’re going to need their help down the road,” said Robin Schmidt, director of marketing and development for the Whatcom County clubs.
More help will be needed: The sweet $1 a year lease from the City of Ferndale for the old facility has gone up in smoke. Renting the church space will cost $1,500 a month.
Which drives home the fact that the bottom line remains the bottom line: “The most important thing the Ferndale club needs is money,” said Templeton.
An account through Key Bank has been set up to take donations for the Ferndale Boys & Girls Club. The club’s annual fundraiser takes place June 30.