Dear friends,

What an amazing Summer it was at the Funhouse Commons!

We kicked off Summer with an incredible FunFest in the Village Green, hosted an awesome Summer Camp, saw over 40 people attend Microcinema and 54 Middle and High-schoolers for Laser Tag, and bookended with a Welcome Back to School Party with our Public School District.

It was so great to see so many familiar faces and make new friends as we have an influx of new students on the island.

The 40’ Bungee Run and Bumper Balls were a huge hit in the “old gym”, while the elementary age kids had so much fun in the bounce house, and listening to the live sounds of Pedro Lopez de Victoria while breaking up piñatas in the school courtyard.  

Our team of volunteers served over 250 servings of homemade blackberry cobbler a la mode, assembled dozens of welcome back to school supply bags, facilitated games, and connected with so many students and families while networking with many in our community at the resource fair in the school cafeteria. 

The start up of the new school year is truly an exciting time for all of us at the Funhouse Commons. Our Afterschool Program is underway and soon we will be launching our Outdoor Discovery Squad for upper elementary students, offering another round of Songlab, and hosting our High School Halloween Party. 

This past month we received two new foundation grants from the Pride Foundation and Medina Foundation totaling over $80K!

We have now reached over 80% of our budget goal!

Please help us finish strong with the remaining $157K.

The Funhouse Commons is committed to turning dollars into goodness for the benefit of every young person on Orcas Island.

We are so grateful for everyone who supports the Funhouse and is committed to providing positive childhood experiences for young people in our community. 

Please click HERE to join the mission!

It takes a Village, and the Funhouse!

Ryan Carpenter, Executive Director

Register Now for Fun Fall Sessions!

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Back to School was Tons of Fun!

Teen Center Update!

The Peach Pit has launched its Advisory team, who met last week to craft its vision and mission. The vision is for every youth on Orcas Island to feel a sense of belonging, social fulfillment, a belief in themselves, and a clear path to achieving their evolving goals. The mission is to provide a safe space for youth to socialize in an age appropriate environment with access to resources and opportunities. 

Check out our new logo seen here with local artist Vida Zangrillo. Vida won our first annal logo design contest and her design will be our logo for all things Peach Pit this year! Vida is a 7th grader at Orcas Island Public School.

We are also gearing up to hire 6-12 Peach Pit Champions (ages 16-20) who will help plan activities, offer peer mentorship, and maintain the space. Know someone who’d be perfect for the role? Share the flyer and help us create a space truly run by youth, for youth!

Middle and High School Laser Tag Night!



On August 28th, the Funhouse transformed into an epic, fog-filled, laser tag arena. Our high school group of six Funhouse Summer Event Interns planned and organized a hugely successful laser tag tournament. 54 middle and high schoolers attended! A parent emailed the Funhouse after saying, "My child LOVED this event! He was super nervous to go as an incoming 6th grader and was literally flying high with excitement when I picked him up! Thanks for all your efforts to make this a welcoming and FUN event for my incoming 6th grade kid! 💕" 

Upcoming Programs for Middle and High Schoolers

Peer Mentor Program

The Funhouse is continuing its successful Peer Mentor Program with the middle and high schoolers of OISD. During the early release on Wednesdays, high school mentees play games and connect with their middle school mentees. The program is free and available for any middle and high schooler at OIDS! Come by the middle school at 2:20 on Wednesdays to find out more.

Funhouse Youth Advisory Board (FAB)

The Funhouse is seeking 8-12 middle and high schoolers to serve on the Funhouse Youth Advisory Board. This group of students will meet about once a month to plan teen events and parties, advise the Funhouse staff and board on community needs, and collaborate with the Peach Pit and other community partners. Applications will be available soon, check our website for details to come!

Skills-Based Mentor Program

We currently have eleven mentor matches who have been working with their middle or high school mentees once a week on projects, skills (such as ceramics, guitar and music recording, car maintenance, creative writing world building to name a few!). Our final showcase will be in mid-November, stay tuned! 

Rainbow Club

Our bi-weekly hang out space for LGBTQIA+ folks, allies and everyone is going strong! This summer, the Funhouse received a grant from the Pride Foundation to support our LGBTQIA+ programming, so this will be an exciting year of new opportunities! Our upcoming fall dates are 9/12, 9/26, 10/10, and 10/24! 

Outdoor Discovery Squad

Dive into the wonders of our local parks and ecosystems through hands-on field trips led by two local naturalists. Learn essential survival skills, discover fascinating plant species, and connect with the natural world in a whole new way. Participants will meet at the Funhouse after school and everyone will leave as a group on a bus around 3:40pm, returning to the Funhouse by 6:00pm. September 12th-October 24th

• High School Halloween Party

Thursday, October 31st

• Science Fair

Saturday, April 26th, 2025

• Funhouse Gala Birthday Bash!

Sunday, July 27th, 2025