Your August Newsletter is Here!

Check out all the FUN!

Executive Director's Corner

Mid-Year Report

Dear friends,

I have just completed my first year at the Funhouse and continuing to learn the important role we play in the wellbeing of our community. You’ve heard it said that it takes a village to raise a child. To do it well, it also takes the Funhouse Commons.

The Funhouse Commons is a place where every young person on Orcas Island belongs, is welcomed, supported, and inspired. The heart and soul of our work is FUN. As Winnie the Pooh says in the Hundred Acre Wood: “We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.”

One of my greatest joys is seeing how much fun kids in our community are having, all the while knowing the lasting impact these memories will have as they grow and mature into adulthood.

For those who may not know, the Funhouse Commons nonprofit operates under the title of Children’s Discovery Foundation. This past year, we have rededicated our focus on DISCOVERY.

Young people have been discovering Nature, Science, History, Technology, Music, Art, Filmmaking, Spanish Language, Quilting & Crafts, Sailing, and the list goes on!

Programs & Events: 17 new programs and 6 new events this past year, plus we revived the beloved Science Fair!
Organizational Developments: Three new board members, policy revisions, advanced staff training, and a new Code of Conduct to ensure the Funhouse remains a welcoming, inclusive, and non-judgmental space.
Fiscal Sponsorship: We are thrilled to announce our new fiscal sponsorship with the Peach Pit. Located at the former Portofino's Pizza place, the Peach Pit will serve as a safe space for teens to socialize, access resources, and explore personal growth opportunities in a supportive atmosphere.

Community Support

I am speechless and filled with gratitude to report that our sold-out gala reached our goal and raised $300K. Our dedicated staff, board, and volunteers are committed to stewarding these resources for the good of our community.

Call to Action

Your financial support is the foundation that makes the work of the Funhouse possible. Together, we can “maximize and unmask the great potential each child possesses.” Society's greatest promise and future lie in the very kids we are caring for every day at the Funhouse.

Check out our new website and learn how you too can be a key change maker in our community.

Let’s ensure every child on Orcas Island has the opportunity to thrive.

-Ryan Carpenter, Executive Director

Highlights of the Year:

A few fun moments from our Gala in the "Hundred Aker Wood."

Mark your calendars for next year! The Funhouse will be celebrating is 25th anniversary and all are invited!

July 27, 2025 will be THE party you don't want to miss!

Thank you to our Lhaq'temish friends!

On Tuesday, August 13th the Funhouse Commons was honored to receive a Lummi Mural by Jason LaClair gifted to us by Darrell Hillaire and Children of the Setting Sun.

The mural depicts the Whales and the Moon. The Whales are the first Protectors of the Salish Sea, and also relatives of the Lhaq'temish People. The Moon brings gravity to Mother Earth, the power of the moon controls the Tides in which the Ancestors would gather Shellfish. This piece represents the balance of Mother Earth and her beings, and reminds us that we must do what we can to protect our world, not just for us, but for our relatives.

Jason LaClair joined Funhouse kids, staff and families to explain the meaning behind his work while WestShore Singers gave a blessing and performed traditional indigenous songs about moonlight, thunder, and the grieving of loved ones passed.

Thank you to artist Jason LacClair, Darrel Hillaire, Children of the Setting Sun, and WestShore Productions.

Thank you Trillium!

On behalf of the Funhouse Commons board and staff, we want to extend a very special thank you to Trillium Swanson who is moving on from the Funhouse after 8 years of employment. Trillium has supported the Coalition for Orcas Youth, accessed multi-streamed funding sources, cultivated partnerships, taken the lead on establishing diverse, equitable, and inclusive policies and practices, initiated Latinx leadership opportunities, and most of all has been a tremendous leader and organizer these past 8 years. We look forward to what’s next for Trillium, and are grateful for the lasting impact her heart, skills, smarts and grit have contributed to the health of our community.

More FUN stuff to check out!

This summer, the Funhouse partnered with Orcas Microcinema and Echo Park Film Collective on August 2nd and 3rd to bring film-making magic to our Island's middle and high schoolers. The weekend started with a Super 8 filmmaking workshop facilitated by the Echo Park Film Collective from LA. 15 youth and young adults got to work with different cameras from the 1800's to the 1960's. After learning about (and holding) film history, we took the cameras and sound equipment and created our own short film in and around the Funhouse. The afternoon was spent eco-processing the film, using coffee and plants and flowers from the playground. Learning about environmentally friendly, and DIY ways to process film was fascinating and eye-opening to our youth whose prior filmmaking experience was iPhone videos. The incredible team at Echo Park Film Center processed our eco-developed film into a short that debuted at the Teen Film Festival, happening that weekend in partnership with Orcas Microcinema.

The Funhouse sport court transformed into an outdoor cinema at sunset on Friday and Saturday, as people in the community flooded in to support the first ever Teen Film Fest at the Funhouse. Orcas Microcinema curated two internationally-acclaimed teen-centered films for the weekend. On Friday night, we watched Hummingbirds, a movie that was produced, written and staring two teenage best friends on the Texas/Mexico border. Saturday night was the international debut of the short film that was created and developed by Orcas youth in the workshop the day earlier, followed by a film called Cleaners, about a group of high schoolers in the Philippines. Both nights were incredibly well attended, and inspired us to pursue a future relationship with the Echo Park Film Center and Orcas Microcinema. Stay tuned for more filmmaking opportunities coming out of the Funhouse in the next year!

Check out the Super 8 Movie that we made on August 2nd with Echo Park Film Center and Orcas Microcinema!

Get Tuned!

The Richie Moore SONG SHOP

will be making music by this Fall!

The Funhouse Commons is in the middle of an office remodel to allow for extra staff space. Once completed, our music room will be revived to what it once was offering music lessons, jam sessions, vocal and song writing workshops, and audio engineering and production!

Day Sailing Adventure & Nature Hike

Thanks to a generous supporter 11 Funhouse kids got to spend an unforgettable day aboard the Nawalak for a daysail with Emerald Isle Sailing Charters, picnic lunch and nature walk adventure on Jones Island with a guided naturalist. They had a blast and made some very special memories that will last a lifetime.