Community Outreach
Join the Community Fun!
In conjunction with our four core programs and community partners, VYFS offers a variety of special events, groups and clubs open to Islanders, including movie nights, youth clubs, outings, family dinners and more. Scroll down for upcoming events.
Fall Activities 2026
All activities are FREE
Creative Spaces for Grief & Remembrance
Upcoming groups include:
October 15th-3 to 5pm @ Vashon Senior Center - Portraying our Body Grief
October 15th - 6 to 7:30pm @ Family Place - 3rd Annual Wave of Light
October 24th, 10am - 1pm @Agren Memorial Park - Vashon Walk for Hope and Remembrance - stroller and wheelchair accessible.
November 30th - 5 to 6:30pm at Vashon Senior Center - Love in the In-Between
Adventures with Movies and Emotions
Free - All ages welcome
Counselor led a post-movie discussion!
Paper Spiders
October 13
4:00–6:35 PM
Vashon Theatre
Paper Spiders is a thoughtful coming-of-age film about a high school senior whose family is navigating her mother’s growing mental health challenges. The story explores family relationships, worry, responsibility, friendship, and the complicated emotions that can come when someone you love is struggling.
Age suitability: We recommend this movie for older teens and adults, approximately ages 13+.
Counselor-Facilitated Support Series
We are happy to offer 6-week counselor led groups for the community. Our first will be Ecotherapy for Flourishing hosted by Tam Sims. Ecotherapy for Flourishing is a six-week psychoeducational and experiential group designed for participants of all ages. Drawing on the work of Robin Wall Kimmerer, Margaret Wheatley, Randy Woodley, Bill Plotkin, and Michael Meade, the group invites participants to view nature not merely as a setting for relaxation or stress reduction, but as a teacher and model for living. Through observation, reflection, storytelling, creative activities, and time outdoors, participants will explore how nature can guide them toward greater authenticity, purpose, belonging, resilience, and participation in a healthy community.
The group is grounded in the understanding that humans are part of nature rather than separate from it. Just as an oak tree develops according to its nature and contributes to the ecosystem around it, each person possesses unique strengths, gifts, and capacities that contribute to the well-being of their families, communities, and the broader world. Nature offers models of interdependence, reciprocity, resilience, adaptation, and balance. By learning from these principles, participants can deepen their understanding of themselves, strengthen their relationships, and develop practices that support both individual and collective flourishing.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
December 15
4:00–6:35 PM
Vashon Theatre
This classic story gives us plenty to talk about — belonging, loneliness, friendship, kindness, community, and how our feelings and relationships can change.
Age Suitability: This movie is generally appropriate for children ages 6 and up, though younger children may also enjoy it with a parent or caregiver.
Event Highlight:
Vashon Walk for Hope and Remembrance
Communities across the country come together for walks that remember loved ones lost to suicide, support those who are struggling, and remind one another that no one has to carry their pain alone.
In 2025, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reported nearly 600 Community and Campus Walks bringing people together across the country.
So why not here?
We may be a small island, but we are a community that cares deeply about one another. The Vashon Walk for Hope & Remembrance is a smaller, local opportunity to come together right here on Vashon — no trip to Seattle, no registration fee, and no fundraising requirement. Just come as you are, with an empathetic heart and a willingness to remember, support, and share in hope.
Join us at Agren Memorial Park for a community walk of approximately 5K. Walk alongside neighbors, friends, family members, and community partners as we remember people whose lives have been touched by suicide and honor those we have lost. The path is accessible for strollers and wheelchairs.
Along the way, you can:
🩵 Wear an honor bead to remember someone you love or to represent your personal connection to suicide prevention.
🩵 Walk in memory, in support, or simply in solidarity with others in our community.
🩵 Visit local resource tables and connect with community partners who are here to offer information, support, and connection.
🩵 Create art as a quiet and meaningful way to reflect, remember, and express hope.
🩵 Enjoy tea and light snacks and spend time connecting with others before or after the walk.
Come walk with us. Come remember. Come connect. Come share hope.
No matter why you come, there is a place for you here.
Youth Outreach
We work with youth of all ages to get kids involved in various events and projects, where they form friendships and find belonging.
We partner with the Vashon Island School District, ORBIT Youth Space, KCLS Vashon Library, DOVE, VARSA, the Vashon Maury Community Food Bank, The Health Care District, and other community organizations to bring engaging events and activities to Vashon youth.
Clubs
Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA)
GSA is an inclusive and safe space where all students can celebrate their identities, learn about others, connect with peers, and receive support from school counselors and Vashon Youth & Family Services.
GSA meets weekly during lunch in the Clubs Room at McMurry Middle School!
Holding Space
Disabled Student Association (DSA)
Introducing our newest club at Vashon High School:
Alternating Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4-5pm at the Orbit Youth Space
Community Outreach
We offer various activities, classes, groups and events to bring the community together. Visit us out in the community at Strawberry Festival, First Fridays, Health Fairs, Movie Nights and other events.
Latino Outreach
The VYFS Latino Outreach Team helps individuals, children and families overcome barriers in accessing social services. We provide bilingual and culturally-appropriate counseling, case management, Vashon Kids child care, Family Place parenting classes and play groups, English conversation classes, and support navigating the public school system.
For more information, please click the button below to contact us:
Community Outreach Staff
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Belinda Olvera-Jovanovich
Outreach and Engagement
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Glory Busic
Outreach and Engagement
