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MOUNT VERNON, WA – The Skagit Valley Family YMCA hosted its second annual Celebration of the Skagit Y on Thursday, July 17 at the Y’s newly built Oasis Youth Shelter in Mount Vernon.
The block party event– which drew a crowd of nearly 300 Skagit Y members, donors, staff, and community supporters– was a celebration of the completion of construction on the new youth shelter. Attendees were treated to tours of the shelter, free food and drinks provided by Max Dales and Kona Ice, live music by the Mud Flat Ramblers, performances by youth Hip Hop Dance participants, and a performance by local teen musician Hailey Mae Suiter. Staff from the Y’s aquatics, membership, camp, childcare, fitness, and social impact teams were also on hand for the celebration.
The event featured speakers including Skagit Y CEO Dean Snider, Executive Director of Social Impact Kat Lohman, Oasis Shelter Manager Danielle Vincent, Skagit Y Board Member Pete Vander Meulen, Mount Vernon City Councilmember Melissa Beaton, and former Mount Vernon Police Chief Chris Cammock.
“We are extremely grateful for the outpouring of support for the Oasis Project,” said Snider. “This was a truly special event, and it brings me great joy! The sheer number of people who showed up underscores the strength of our Skagit community’s commitment to supporting vulnerable youth.”
The new shelter was constructed between October 2024 and July 2025, has six bedrooms that can sleep up to 14 youth per night, every night of the year and is an increase from nine beds at the old shelter that stood on the same property. The shelter will open for youth in mid-August after licensing is completed.
Oasis serves 13–17-year-olds facing housing insecurity in Skagit County and youth are provided with a warm bed, warm meals, clothing, food, school and hygiene supplies, laundry and bathing facilities, and access to supportive adults and case management.
“Oasis exists because a group of caring community members came together to acknowledge and take action to address youth homelessness nearly 30 years ago,” said Lohman during the event. “Oasis remains necessary today. During any given month, my team is aware of at least 60 young people and young adults ages 12-24 who are actively experiencing homelessness.”
Since 2023, Oasis served 74 youth for a total of 1,977 benights. Nearly 5,000 meals were served during the same timeframe.
Oasis Shelter Manager Danielle Vincent made time to recognize the important work that frontline Youth Advocates do.
“The shelter is why youth show up to our door, but our Youth Advocates are the reason those kids feel safe enough to ask for help. This place would be nothing but a mere building, with walls and windows and countertops, without all of YOU – the incredible youth advocates who are Oasis,” shared Vincent. There are 14 Youth Advocates currently on staff.
The construction of the shelter was a community-wide effort. Materials for the shelter were donated and purchased from regional businesses, including lumber from Sierra Pacific Industries, kitchen appliances from Judd & Black Appliance, and furniture from Hansen’s Furniture.
Funding was also provided by the Washington State’s Department of Commerce, the Washington State Housing Trust Fund, and from the City of Mount Vernon using sales tax money collected for affordable housing and related services.
Other major Oasis donors include Robert M. & Rebecca W. Gates Foundation, the Medina Foundation, the Puget Sound Energy Foundation, Dwayne Lane’s Skagit Subaru, Skagit Community Foundation, Puget Sound Energy, Gerry & Susan Christensen, the Jerry H Walton Foundation, the Norman Archibald Charitable Foundation, Thomas and Martha Ozretich, the Janson Foundation, the Milton and Miriam Waldbaum Family Foundation, the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the Tulalip Tribes, Hal and Susie Brown, and the T-3 Memorial Fund.
All told, more than 140 individual donors contributed to the Oasis Capital Campaign, and Oasis has seen 250+ donations since 2021.
Snider presented the Y’s Partner of the Year Award to Miles Sand and Gravel for their continued support of several Y programs and facilities, including Camp Anderson and the Laventure Early Learning Center.
The Celebration of the Skagit Y was made possible with support from sponsors Skagit Publishing, Trico Companies, and Courtney Holcomb Photography.
