By LEAH WEATHERSBY

Jamie Flaxman, the new executive director of the Wallingford Boys and Girls Club, has a big task ahead of her. Not only must she oversee the Clubıs activities and programs, which are currently spread out in five locations throughout North Seattle, she also has the daunting assignment of steering the Club through the process of designing, funding and constructing a new building in its old location at N. 45th and Stone Way.

According to Flaxman, who was named to the executive director post on Oct. 31, many people donıt even realize that the Wallingford Club no longer houses most of its programs in that building, though it still owns the property.

Until recently, the N. 45th Street side of the old Wallingford Boys & Girls Club building was leased to West side Place, (a school for special needs kids which has permanently shut its doors), while the N. 46th Street side of the building is primarily devoted to Bingo, a fundraising activity which usually draws around 150 people per session.

The Wallingford Boys & Girls Club also offers programs at Sacajewea Elementary School in Wedgwood, Sand Point Community Church, B.F. Day Elementary School in Fremont, Hamilton Middle School in Wallingford and at a temporary ³main site² at 503 N 50th St.

Through these locations, Wallingford Boys & Girls Club serves approximately 400 kids on any given school day from all over North Seattle with programs such as non-competitive athletics, daycare, and a drop-in program where members can get help with homework and participate in other activities.

The Wallingford Boys & Girls Club has been some what transitory in recent years. They first moved from their building in Wallingford in the late ı80s because they had outgrown the space. The Wallingford club moved its main operations to larger digs in the former Lincoln High School building, located a block away. They were forced to relocate yet again in 1997 when the School District decided to use Lincoln as a temporary site for Ballard High School.

Now the Club plans to return the bulk of its operations to Wallingford after expanding and renovating its old building to offer among other things a state-of -the-art technology center and an all-purpose room for activities such as art, music and dance. They are not yet sure where bingo will be offered once the kidsı programs have moved back in. Flaxman hopes the renovations will be completed sometime in 2003, but thereıs just one problem: they will probably have raise around $5 million to make their plans a reality, and that process hasnıt even begun yet.

Fortunately for the Wallingford Boys & Girls Club, Flaxmanıs background has prepared her for such an undertaking.

Originally from the Bay Area, Flaxman moved to Seattle in 1992 after she was accepted to the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington. Flaxman says she ³fell in love² with the city after a weekend trip here to visit the school. She eventually graduated with a masters degree in social work and public administration in 1994.

Before taking her current position with the Wallingford Boys & Girls Club, she was executive director of the Seattle Youth Involvement Network (a youth leadership program) and also volunteered at the United Way, working to secure funding for health service agencies.

Flaxman, a resident of the Meadowbrook neighborhood, believes her experience in non-profit fund-raising and her knowledge of the community are strengths she is able to bring to her job as director of the Wallingford Boys & Girls Club.

Flaxman said even when the new building is completed, the Wallingford Boys & Girls Clubıs operations wonıt be confined to its new facility. It will continue to offer programs at Sacajewea Elementary, Sand Point Community Church and BF Day Elementary. They have not yet decided whether the programs offered at Hamilton will continue. Flaxman is hopeful that the new Clubhouse will allow the Wallingford Boys & Girls Club to provide a wider breadth of programs to their current 1,000 members, as well as expand their membership base even more.

For more information on the Wallingford Boys & Girls Club call 547-7261.