Damon Martinez

Damon Martinez - Operations Director

The following 2004-2005 Officers and Board of Directors for the Rio Grand Rotary Club were sworn in at a recent installation ceremony: Dennis Gard, president; Keith Austin, president-elect; Jim Easley, past-president; Larry Underwood, vice-president and treasurer; Ken Binkley, sargent-at-arms; Vic Villalobos, director at large; Damon Martinez, director for community service; Pam Lillibridge, director for club service; John Hummer, director for vocational service; Lori Grument, director for international service; and Loren Kuehne, club secretary.

Community Service Chairman - Damon Martinez

Rotary Boys & Girls Club staff member Damon Martinez, was named operations director and Program Director of the year by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Seattle/King County.

Damon, second in command at the Club, helps develop programs, train and manage staff members and helps Executive Director Patrick Carter keeps things running smoothly every day.It's a big job and Damon, 28, does it as well as anyone, with grace and humor.The native of Bremerton and graduate of the University of Washington said he hopes to somebody become a club director himself.

Damon has worked at Rotary for the past 1½ years and before that worked for six years at the Boys & Girls Clubs on Mercer Island and in North Seattle.

When asked what he liked about the Rotary Club, he said: "The kids.There's always energy.

"The board has to raise a quarter of a million dollars a year to keep organization running, so some of the money goes to that in general," said Damon Martinez, teen director for the Boys & Girls Club.

With almost all of the dancegoers local residents, St. Monica's restricts its crowd to sixth- through eighth-grade students and to Islander students or members of the parish.Once teens enter the dance they are not allowed in and out privileges.

"Ninth-graders have tried to get in [to dances] but aren't allowed.But it isn't very common," said St. Monica's pastoral assistant for youth, Sage Dorrington.

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Because the number of kids who visit the dances ranges from 200 to 450, the Boys & Girls Club also pushes most of the same ground rules as St. Monica's, according to Martinez.

The Boys & Girls Club holds one dance for sixth-graders and another for seventh- and eighth-graders.

"Many of the older kids don't like being at the same dances as the sixth-graders, so we have separate dances," said Martinez."It makes both groups happy and works out well."

This year, both Martinez and Dorrington are cracking down on one important issue: appropriate attire.

At the last dances of the 2002 school year, some girls showed up in midriff tops and low-cut pants, prompting the teen program directors to amend the dress code.

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Some students were concerned enough to call beforehand to ask what they could and couldn't wear so they would not risk being turned away at the door, said Martinez.

Dorrington went as far as to supply shirts so that kids would not be asked to leave the All-Island Dance.

"I have tacky Hawaiian shirts for them to wear if they are not dressed appropriately -- but everyone would rather go home than wear them," he said.

The dances are extremely popular.

"It's a really big social event for the St. Monica's kids to mix with public schools kids," said Dorrington."The public school also stopped hosting as many dances and we do about five or six a year."

Martinez said the Boys & Girls Club has eight dances a year."It's a good place to meet and socialize," he said.

Although Islander Middle School still has a dance activity committee for each grade level, the school has only had one dance a year for the past several years.The last dance at the middle school was for Valentine's Day.

Since the dances have evolved into an Island trend, teen event directors like Dorrington and Martinez have become small celebrities amongst the middle school kids.

"I like that people recognize me when I come to visit them at school.They're, like, `Hey, you're the guy who broke us up for dancing and we weren't even dancing that close,"' Martinez said."I just laugh and say, `That's my job."'

Key BankThe Supersite for Kids

Damon Martinez, teen director of the Boys and Girls Club, made an appearance with his 16-month-old daughter, Isabella, who stole the show as she modeled her plaid skirt and white shirt, with poise and aplomb.After giving a genteel bow, Isabella applauded the audience as they applauded her.

Alex further reported on Damon Martinez, Teen Director, and said "He is cool to hang out with and everyone is super nice."