Last week, the City of Marysville officially handed over the keys to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County after the club successfully paid off its 15-year lease. The community gathered to celebrate this historic moment, honoring the vision of the late Mayor Dennis Kendall and the many donors who made it possible.

 The late Dennis Kendall, former Mayor of Marysville, strongly believed the city needed a safe drop-in youth recreation center downtown. He spearheaded a fundraising campaign that enabled the city to purchase the building and property from the Marysville School District in 2009. The Washington State Legislature granted $487,000 toward the project, with other generous donations from Marysville Rotary, the Tulalip Cares Charitable Fund, and several individual donors. 

Among those generous donors was Carol Bjorg in honor of the late Gordy Bjorg, for whom the branch has been renamed, and the late Harv Jubie and his brother Larry Jubie, recognized on the gymnasium floor. 

The building opened in 1961, the product of hard work by Marysville Police Reserves who saw the need for a community center, raised the funds and built the building themselves. It was home to the Marysville YMCA for several years after that. The building site was home to Marysville’s first high school, which opened in 1907, and later housed both an elementary school and a middle school. 

The building continues its legacy as a safe, welcoming space for youth and families. Here’s to the next chapter of service and community!