Endowment Fund Established to Honor Memory of BGCTC Staffer and Youth Skills Coach Kaila Jorgensen

An endowment fund has been established to honor the memory and recognize the contributions of long-time staffer Kaila Celeste Rants Jorgensen. Kaila created and implemented a mental health program aimed at providing the support and resources necessary to foster mental wellness and resiliency for Club members and their families. 

“The kids at Boys and Girls Clubs meant so much to Kaila,” said her husband Aaron Jorgensen, himself a former staff member. “Helping these youth gave Kaila strength through her toughest times. She wanted these young people to be taken care of. Both the Jorgensen and Rants families are so happy to know Kaila’s legacy of empathy and kindness will live on through the work she started at the Boys and Girls Clubs.”

Kaila started her BGCTC career as a Program Staff member at the Tumwater branch. She built relationships with youth, parents, and staff and later transitioned to Program Lead in the Homework Room overseeing the Power Hour initiative. Kaila added many of her own ideas to strengthen the program including engagement incentives for youth. 

She later assumed the role of Get Good Grades (G3) Coordinator, a county-wide tutoring and academic support initiative. After receiving her Counseling degree, Kaila worked as a school counselor and returned to BGCTC in 2018 to build and implement a mental health program for members experiencing emotional and/or behavioral challenges. At one point, her caseload included outreach to nearly 70 youth and their families.  

Established in collaboration with Kaila’s family and Olympia Federal Savings, the endowment fund named in Kaila’s honor and memory will financially support the continuation and hopeful expansion of the program Kaila worked tirelessly to create and implement. BGCTC plans to officially designate her efforts as an official Club program called “Kaila’s Kids.”  

“I will forever remember Kaila as a champion for kids. She embodied acceptance for all and a belief and determination to advocate tirelessly for any child she served,” said Chris Woods, BGCTC CEO. “I am humbled by the kindness, trust, and vision of Kaila’s family and friends to honor her memory and character by supporting her vision for Club kids.” 

Through Kaila’s Kids programming, children and teens access services in the comfortable and stable Club environment through one-on-one conversations and small group activities. The aim of the program is to combat the stigma of seeking help with mental health issues and to bypass barriers such as transportation, cost, and lack of access to trained professionals. Kaila’s work leveraged the conduciveness of the Club’s daily rhythm and program structure to seamlessly integrate these services. 

The legacy Kaila leaves is marked by the impact on the lives of youth she served. She cared deeply for each child she worked alongside going so far as to prioritizing a special goodbye video and accompanying letter to children and their families with whom she worked. 

A special event to celebrate Kaila and rename the Lacey Branch to the Kaila Celeste Rants Jorgensen Branch of Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County was held in September of 2021. 

Donate to Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County in Kaila’s name at any Olympia Federal Savings location or through the BGCTC website.  

Read more about Kaila’s life and legacy.