Agency Details:

SOCK - Save Our County's Kids

SOCK helps kids believe in themselves, and helps our community believe in them. We accomplish this through our programs involving mentoring, education, community involvement, media arts, employment, nutrition, recreation, and helping youth in crisis.

Description:
SOCK offers free programs through the YES - Youth Empowerment Strategies programs. Currently we offer 7 programs:

YES Community Technology Center - open Monday through Thursday, 9am-5:30pm. It offers free access to the Internet, instruction in basic computer use, job search skills, resume writing, GED preparedness, and access to online education.

YES Digital Media Studio - a multi-track recording studio and video editing facility that teaches audio and video production skills to youth.

YES Re-Cycle bike shop - a youth entrepreneurial program that takes used and broken bikes, furnished by the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, refurbishes them, and provides them to needy youth.

Cultivating Connections project uses a greenhouse at Fir Lane Health & Rehabilitation Center to teach cultivation skills to youth, who grow plants from cuttings and give them to residents of the convalescent center.

Conversation Café - a donation-based café adjacent to the Technology Center, offering a place to enjoy a meal, meet with peers, tutors and mentors, or to study.

Friday Nights at SOCK - relaxed yet structured, and feature different youth-oriented activities, including local bands, skateboarding, and big-screen video displays from the Technology Center. These popular events are well known for free food, and the safe and caring adult supervision. They are offered as funding allows.

YES Transitions Program – Through a partnership with the Shelton School District and ESD113 our staff provides transitions services to youth who are being released from the Mason County Juvenile Detention center. We work with youth while they are still in detention to prepare “release plans” which the youth agree to implement when released. The plans specify a return to school, exploration of alternative schooling, entry into vocational-technical training, or seeking employment. We offer long term case management support to these youth.

History:
SOCK was founded in 1997 in response to the tragic murder of one of our local teenagers. Since it's founding SOCK has served over 6000 young people in it's youth center with mentoring, recreation, after school and summer programs, job readiness skills and more.
In December 2001 we received a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant to open our community technology lab.

Contact people:

Sue Sheldon, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Bob Bottman, Director, Community Outreach, (phone), (email) Frances Morgan, Program Manager, (phone), (email)

Main office number: (360) 432-0815
Office fax number: (360) 427-0636

Address:

PO Box 1013 601 W Franklin St Shelton, WA 98584

Web Site: http://www.sock.org

Directions:

Take Highway 101 north. Take the 2nd Shelton exit, turn right. Follow Railroad Ave into town. Take a left at 7th, drive 1 block. Take a right on Franklin, drive 1/2 block. We are located on the right in the Transit. . . (more)

Last updated on November 7, 2009