Lucky Charms & Good Vibrations Leads to a Pot of Gold

Parents today might notice that there aren’t as many opportunities for their children to get involved in after-school activities as they had at the same age. Many extracurricular activities have been cut over the years or moved online due to budget concerns. There are fewer and fewer ways for children to build positive connections, learn important life skills and grow as individuals outside of school hours, particularly for teens.

Operating out of Bethel Lutheran Church in Brush Prairie, the Rocksolid Community Teen Center has been working to change that since 2002. Their mission is “to provide a safe place for the youth of our community and to foster their relationships with one another and with caring adults for the purposes of encouraging them to become ‘rock-solid’ persons.” They do this by providing a place for kids in the fifth to 12th grades to engage in fun after-school activities.

For an annual cost of just $20 per year, students from the Battle Ground and Hockinson school districts, as well as home-schooled youths in Clark County who can arrange transport, can attend the program. Rocksolid activities teach kids important life skills, such as business and leadership skills, effective study habits, nutritional awareness, cultural enrichment, sports, the arts and community service.

The program has had a tremendous positive impact over the years on the community and the youth it serves. Executive Director Marcy Sprecher, who started with Rocksolid in 2006, still receives texts, calls, even visits and offers to volunteer from the former teens she has mentored. For her, the work “keeps me young and fills my heart!”

Of course, nonprofit organizations like Rocksolid rely on donations and fundraisers to support the important work they do, and on March 9, 2024, they will be hosting their annual Lucky Shamrock Auction at the Ilani Casino & Resort in Ridgefield, in addition to a free-to-register online silent auction running March 7–11. Those attending the live auction will also be treated to a live dinner event. The items up for bid are all donations from Rocksolid’s dedicated supporters, including unique travel and vacation experiences and baskets filled with assorted items. The auction’s main event will be a one-of-a-kind piece of art: a sculpture titled “Brave Glory” by the master sculptor Lorenzo Ghiglieri, donated by the Foundation Michelangelo Treasure Investment Corporation in Battle Ground.

The Lucky Shamrock Auction is by far Rocksolid’s largest and most important fundraiser every year, and they are hoping to raise the bar even higher than the impressive $170,000 they received in 2023. The program is funded entirely through grants, fundraising events like this and donations from their generous supporters. ☘

Tickets for the auction are $100 each or $1,000 for a table of ten. They can be purchased on Rocksolid’s website, rocksolid-teen.com, where information can also be found about donating to or volunteering with the program. They can also be reached by phone at 360-885-2181.